Seen in The Tribune: Letter to the Editor from Nick
From the Letters to the Editor section today in the Chicago Tribune:
Michael J. Sacks wants you to believe what’s happening in Democratic politics is about creating a “big tent.” It’s not. It’s about shutting out voices that challenge the dark money protecting people like him.
In his op-ed, he defends the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and dismisses criticism as a purity test. But in Illinois, this wasn’t really about policy; it was about power and money. What we experienced in the March 17 Democratic primary was a flood of money — Sacks’ money included — designed to drown out voters and buy influence.
I know, because I lived it.
In Illinois’ 6th State Senate District, a super political action committee that Sacks helped fund dropped thousands of dollars to prop up a 30-year incumbent. That came on top of hundreds of thousands more, from a DraftKings-funded super PAC, the Illinois Senate Democrats, the Democratic Party of Illinois, and contributions from corporations such as Ameren, Peoples Gas, DaVita and AstraZeneca.
This isn’t grassroots support. This is a system built to protect a political class that answers to donors, not our neighbors.
And then Sacks calls that approach “pragmatic.”
I’m a pragmatic progressive. I believe in universal health care so no one goes bankrupt getting sick. I believe in challenging companies that price-gouge home insurance policies and prescription drugs. I believe we must build more housing so people can afford to stay in the communities we all love. I believe in raising the minimum wage — and ending the subminimum wage that keeps too many service workers from building any wealth.
Let’s be honest. Billionaires like Sacks are buying our elections from the ground up: from the General Assembly to members of Congress. Their money bankrolls misleading mailers and digital ads that distort the truth faster than any grassroots campaign can respond — even when we knock on 80,000 doors.
This isn’t about AIPAC or foreign policy. It’s about whether billionaires get to dictate our elections. If we keep allowing this, nothing will change, no matter how hard people organize or how many doors we knock on.
If you want a better future, stop following the people who write the biggest checks. Fight back. Talk to your neighbors. Elect Democrats with a backbone who will actually stand up to them — and who actually care about the people they serve.
— Nick Uniejewski, former Illinois Senate candidate, Chicago
Read letter here in the Tribune.