It’s widely acknowledged that Democrats are the champions of the big money game that they invented right here in Colorado.  That’s why it’s so odd that Amendment 65, promoted by a committee called Coloradans Get Big Money Out of Politics,  is backed by none other than the lair of liberal lies, Common Cause.  In fact, Washington Post‘s “Right Turn” blog called Common Cause a “hyper-partisan outfit funded by the same leftwing players that back [Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington].”

According to the Secretary of State’s TRACER, Common Cause has donated nearly $100,000 to the Coloradans Get Big Money Out of Politics issue committee via direct donations and staff time. This proposed amendment seems hypocritical because Common Cause doesn’t disclose its donors either, according to the Washington Post blogger Jennifer Rubin:

“It’s hard to figure out Common Cause’s finances since it doesn’t reveal all its donors. In fact, under an Orwellian-named “Donor Transparency Policy” it makes clear that it keeps some donors anonymous. Still, you can glean some information. The Web site Capital Research Center lists OSI and other left-wing funders (OSI, the Joyce Foundation, Arca Foundation) among those who’ve given hefty gifts over multiple years.”

Further evidence that this committee is simply a front group for Common Cause can be found in its TRACER information, which shows that the registered agents are Common Cause employees.

Another group that has donated heftily to promote Amendment 65 is the Communications Workers of America, which donated $25,000 in June 2012 to Coloradans Get Big Money Out of Politics.  In 2012, Communications Workers of America also gave to the Committee to Elect Eva Henry, a Democratic candidate for an Adams County Commissioner race.  In 2008, the bulk of its donations went to Coalition for Colorado’s Future.  Readers may remember the Coalition for Colorado’s Future from its ugly and untrue hit piece on Ken Summers.  It’s worth noting that Julie Wells, Coalition for Colorado’s Future’s registered agent, also serves as the registered agent for other left wing funding groups, such as Colorado Accountable Government Alliance, Community Information Project, Save Jeffco Schools, Public Employees for Colorado, and New Era Colorado, among several others.

Her involvement should be no surprise given the robust collection of left wing groups that have endorsed this ballot initiative.  A few of the better known “Blueprint” organizations include: CleanSlateNow.org, Colorado Conservation Voters, Colorado Progressive Coalition, Denver Area Labor Federation, MoveOn.org, NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado, New Era Colorado, Planned Parenthood of the Rockies Votes, and ProgressNow Colorado.

If Common Cause wants to run a ballot initiative, that’s perfect legal, but let’s not pretend that this is a nonpartisan “good government” effort.  As the Denver Post‘s “anti-endorsement” of the initiative noted, “A ‘yes’ vote might be a way to send a political message. But the measure, which carries no force of law, won’t do anything in the near term — if ever — to address the proliferation of money in politics.”

The Post is right, particularly when the groups backing this initiative are responsible for the “big money in politics” problem in the first place.