Recapture the Flag!

Recapture the Flag Talking Points

What is this campaign about?

This campaign is about restoring public faith in the core values of American democracy – freedom from tyranny, respect for individual liberty and human rights, and government based on the rule of law.

“Recapture the Flag” is a forward looking campaign to stake out the principles that expect the next president and Congress to stick to. So Common Cause is asking presidential and congressional candidates to sign a pledge outlining those principles, and they’re asking citizens across the country to get involved by signing a petition and helping to get their candidates to sign on.

Common Cause hopes to unite the public around renewing the promise and hope of American democracy.

Why is the campaign called “Recapture the Flag” and why the upside-down flag in the ad?

An upside-down flag is a well-known distress symbol, and we believe our democracy is in distress.

For the past seven years, the American people have witnessed repeated abuses of power by the Bush Administration and the failure of Congress to stand up for what’s right.

We’ve seen the nation led into war based on false premises and cynical half-truths.

We’ve seen our good name disgraced by torture, secret prisons and profiteering.

And we’ve seen our Constitution and laws ignored and violated.

As a result, our democracy has suffered at home and our reputation has been tarnished abroad. America is less free and less secure.

We want to right our country and reclaim the American flag as a symbol we can all be proud of.

Why is Common Cause doing this?

Common Cause was formed during the constitutional crisis of the 1970s as Richard Nixon sought to rise above the rule of law. We now face a similar and arguably greater crisis. The abuse of power and the disregard for the balance of power enshrined as an essential part of our democratic system goes to the heart of “good government” that works for the people.

This Administration has:

• illegally used warrantless wiretapping to spy on Americans
• attempted to severely restrict Habeas Corpus
• engaged in illegal torture
• declared publicly the executive will not comply with aspects of laws it objects to through the use of signing statements
  
• abused Executive Privilege by refusing to allow staff and former staff to comply with Congressional subpoenas
• used the Justice Department to carry out a partisan political agenda
  
• brought the country to war with Iraq based on intelligence the Administration knew or should have known was inaccurate

We need to hold the Bush Administration accountable for its violations of the U.S. Constitution, domestic and international law, and make sure that the abuses of power we’ve seen over the past seven years do not set a precedent for the future. We also need to demand that Congress take its constitutionally mandated powers of oversight seriously, no matter who is the president.

• The framers of the Constitution intended to create tension between the three branches as the basis of the system of checks and balances.
• Congress under Republican leadership has completely deferred to the Bush White House and abandoned the loyalties to the institution they serve
• If a Democratically controlled Congress and White House continue this pattern, we are in for more of the same.

Is this partisan? Isn’t President Bush almost out of office anyway?

No. When the next President takes office in January – no matter which candidate wins – there will be many issues that will still need to be resolved:

• Guantanamo Bay will still hold hundreds of prisoners in a legal no-man’s-land
• American military and intelligence personnel may still use waterboarding as an interrogation technique
• the question of whether senior White House aides enjoy “absolute immunity” from congressional subpoenas, as the Bush Administration has claimed
• the proper use of signing statements
• Entire system of contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan still rife with no-bid contracts to companies that have failed to deliver services in the past
• Ongoing investigations into political interference with hiring at federal agencies
• Wiretapping issue? Even a vote this summer won’t be the end of it

What does Common Cause hope to accomplish?

Common Cause’s long-term goals for the campaign are to:

• Create a shared national vision of how Executive Branch abuses of power have eroded America’s democracy at home and our standing abroad, and what the American people can do to fix it.
• Restore the nation’s understanding and reverence for the U.S. Constitution, the rule of law, a free and open society, human rights, and our American system of checks and balances.
• Expose, end and prevent Executive Branch abuses of power.
• Hold this and all future Administrations accountable for violations of the Constitution, domestic and international law.
• Reinvigorate Congress to fulfill its constitutional duties and responsibilities
• Restore America’s standing in the world as a leader for democracy, freedom and human rights.
• Empower America’s citizenry to take back our democracy, and create vehicles for citizen engagement and participation in that fight.

What is Common Cause asking people to do?

Common Cause has developed a set of principles that they are demanding Congress and the next President support, and they are asking citizens to help them in this campaign.

They are asking people to show their support for these principles by signing the citizen’s pledge which is available on their website at www.commoncause.org/recapturetheflag

Common Cause has also developed a similar pledge that they are asking all of the candidates running for office this year in the House of Representatives the Senate and the two presidential candidates, which is also available on their website.

People can find out whether the candidates running for office in their district have signed the pledge and join a discussion group with other people in their district about these issues and any events that are going to be happening.

Common Cause is asking people to engage the candidates in their district about these issues by going to public events and asking questions. In addition to the background information on their website, there is a sample set of questions people can print out and bring as well as a copy of the candidate pledge they can hand-deliver to the candidates themselves.

How can I get involved?

Sign the Citizen’s Pledge at www.recapturetheflag.com.

Ask your representatives and candidates to sign the Candidate Pledge at www.recapturetheflag.com.

Learn more about the issues and ask the candidates about their specific positions at www.recapturetheflag.com

Have my representatives signed the Pledge?

Find out at www.recapturetheflag.com

What other groups are involved in this effort?

The Partnership for a Secure America (PSA) is dedicated to recreating the bipartisan center in American national security and foreign policy.

PSA believes that the United States is being ill-served by the growing partisan divide surrounding its national security and foreign policy. Although partisan rancor has traditionally stopped “at the water’s edge,” this tradition of bipartisan cooperation has eroded significantly in recent years in negative and harmful ways.

Where does Common Cause stand on impeachment?

Common Cause does not have a stand on impeachment. For Common Cause, this is about calling attention to the abuses of power so they don’t set a precedent for future administrations. They will support hearings into activities of the Bush Administration, and see what is revealed. But as of now, this is not about impeachment.