Bernie Sanders: We will create a government that represents the working class, not billionaires

[brooklynite]

Des Moines Register

As the Feb. 3 caucus approaches, Iowans face a choice: Are we going to settle for a status quo that is leaving so many behind? Or are we going to come together to finally transform our country so that our government works for all of us?

Our grassroots campaign clearly represents the latter — which is why polls consistently show us defeating Donald Trump, who is the most dangerous and corrupt president in modern history.

As you consider which Democratic candidate to support, you deserve to know exactly how our agenda stands out — and how it takes on the corporations, the billionaires and the corruption that is harming America.

We are the only leading campaign that has not taken any money from billionaires. We reject corporate money. Unlike some other candidates, our campaign is not relying on a super PAC — we are pushing to outlaw super PACs. We are a 100 percent grassroots-funded effort through small-dollar donations from working people.

[still_one]

1. Are the justice Democrats or our revolution a PAC?

[brooklynite]

2. Both are 501(c)4 PACs

[The Valley Below]

3. Is it true that 501(c)4 PACs are essentially "dark money" orgs,

since they are not required to disclose their donors?

And is it true that 501(c)4 are supposed to act as "social welfare" groups and are NOT SUPPOSED to act as the extension of political campaigns?

Something is very broken, don't you think?

[HerbChestnut]

4. 501(c)4's are allowed to endorse candidates.

If they do, they are required to disclose the names of donors who donate $200 or more during the fiscal year. I believe Our Revolution falls into this category.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/501(c)_organization#501(c)(4)

[The Valley Below]

5. From Wiki (the link did not work for me BTW). Emphasis added.

A 501(c)(4) organization is a social welfare organization, such as a civic organization or a neighborhood association. An organization is considered by the IRS to be operated exclusively for the promotion of social welfare if it is primarily engaged in promoting the common good and general welfare of the people of the community.[34][35] Net earnings must be exclusively used for charitable, educational, or recreational purposes.[36]

According to The Washington Post, 501(c)(4) organizations:[37]

...are allowed to participate in politics, so long as politics do not become their primary focus. What that means in practice is that they must spend less than 50 percent of their money on politics. So long as they don't run afoul of that threshold, the groups can influence elections, which they typically do through advertising.....

A 501(c)(4) organization may directly or indirectly support or oppose a candidate for public office as long as such activities are not a substantial amount of its activities

****

So it looks like Our Revolution is acting in direct contravention of the law and campaign finance regulations as far as I can see.

It operates like a wing of the BS campaign from all appearances and NOT as a "social welfare organization" as allowed by the law.

How are they getting away with this?

[HerbChestnut]

6. I'm not going to get into a pointless argument here.

Here's the rest of the wikipedia entry you left out.

A 501(c)(4) organization is a social welfare organization, such as a civic organization or a neighborhood association. An organization is considered by the IRS to be operated exclusively for the promotion of social welfare if it is primarily engaged in promoting the common good and general welfare of the people of the community.[34][35] Net earnings must be exclusively used for charitable, educational, or recreational purposes.[36]

According to The Washington Post, 501(c)(4) organizations:[37]

...are allowed to participate in politics, so long as politics do not become their primary focus. What that means in practice is that they must spend less than 50 percent of their money on politics. So long as they don't run afoul of that threshold, the groups can influence elections, which they typically do through advertising.

Allowed activities

501(c)(4)s are similar to 501(c)(5)s and 501(c)(6)s in that the organizations may inform the public on controversial subjects and attempt to influence legislation relevant to its program[38] and, unlike 501(c)(3) organizations, they may also participate in political campaigns and elections, as long as their primary activity is the promotion of social welfare and related to the organization's purpose.[39][40]

The income tax exemption for 501(c)(4) organizations applies to most of their operations, but income spent on political activities—generally the advocacy of a particular candidate in an election—is taxable.[41] An "action" organization generally qualifies as a 501(c)(4) organization.[42] An "action" organization is one whose activities substantially include, or are exclusively,[43] direct or grassroots lobbying related to advocacy for or against legislation or proposing, supporting, or opposing legislation that is related to its purpose.[44]

A 501(c)(4) organization may directly or indirectly support or oppose a candidate for public office as long as such activities are not a substantial amount of its activities.[34][45]

A 501(c)(4) organization that lobbies must register with the Clerk of the House if it lobbies members of the House or their staff.[40] Likewise, a 501(c)(4) organization must register with the Secretary of the Senate if it lobbies members of the Senate or their staff.[40] In addition, the 501(c)(4) organization must either inform its members the amount it spends on lobbying or pay a proxy tax to the Internal Revenue Service.[40] Lobbying expenses and political expenses are not deductible as business expenses.[40]
Electioneering communications

The use of 501(c)(4), 501(c)(5), and 501(c)(6) organizations has been affected by the 2007 case FEC v. Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc., in which the Supreme Court struck down the part of the McCain-Feingold Act that prohibited 501(c)(4)s, 501(c)(5)s, and 501(c)(6)s from broadcasting electioneering communications. The Act defined an electioneering communication as a communication that mentions a candidate's name 60 days before a primary or 30 days before a general election.
Contributions

Contributions to 501(c)(4) organizations are not tax-deductible as charitable donations unless the organization is either a volunteer fire department or a veterans organization.[46][47] Dues or contributions to 501(c)(4) organizations may be deductible as a business expense under IRC 162, although amounts paid for intervention or participation in any political campaign, direct lobbying, grass roots lobbying, and contact with certain federal officials are not deductible.[48] If a 501(c)(4) engages in a substantial number of these activities, then only the amount of dues or contributions that can be attributed to other activities may be deductible as a business expense.[49]

The organization must provide a notice to its members containing a reasonable estimate of the amount related to lobbying and political campaign expenditures, or else it is subject to a proxy tax on its lobbying and political campaign expenditures. It must also state that contributions to the organization are not deductible as charitable contributions during fundraising.[48]

A 501(c)(4) organization is not required to disclose their donors publicly,[50] with the exception of organizations that make independent expenditures as of 2018.[51][52][53][54] The former complete lack of disclosure led to extensive use of the 501(c)(4) provisions for organizations that are actively involved in lobbying, and has become controversial.[55][56] Criticized as "dark money", spending from these organizations on political advertisements has exceeded spending from Super PACs.[57][58] Spending by organizations that do not disclose their donors increased from less than $5.2 million in 2006 to well over $300 million during the 2012 election season.[59]

Every organization, including a 501(c)(4) organization, that expressly advocates for the election or defeat of a particular political candidate and spends more than $250 during a calendar year must disclose the name of each person who contributed more than $200 during the calendar year to the Federal Election Commission.[51][53] The Federal Election Commission is required to enforce this provision based on a federal court decision in 2018.[52][54][53]
History

The origins of 501(c)(4) organizations date back to the Revenue Act of 1913, which created a new group of tax-exempt organizations dedicated to social welfare in a precursor to what is now Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(4).[60]

The Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015 introduced a new requirement on 501(c)(4) organizations.[61] Within 60 days of the organization's formation, a 501(c)(4) organization is required to file Form 8976 with the Internal Revenue Service as notification that it is operating as a section 501(c)(4) organization.[62][63] The Internal Revenue Service will acknowledge receipt of the notification, but the acknowledgment is not a determination that the organization qualifies for section 501(c)(4) tax-exempt status.[63] A 501(c)(4) organization is not required to send the notification if the organization was formed on or before 8 July 2016, and it either applied for a determination letter using Form 1024 or filed a Form 990 between 19 December 2015 and 8 July 2016.[63]

As of January 2018, the application for recognition of exemption as a 501(c)(4) organization is a new form, Form 1024-A, rather than Form 1024.[64][65]

Between 2010 and 2017 the number of 501(c)(4) organizations dropped from almost 140,000 to less than 82,000.[66] In 2017 revocations of 501(c)(4) groups comprised 58% which usually is only 15% of the total nonprofits which have their tax status revoked by the IRS for their failure to file the 990 form.

[The Valley Below]

7. Add all you want. Our Revolution still appears to be acting in direct contravention of the law.

So how are they getting away with it?

[still_one]

8. I think so too. This seems to support what you are saying

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287412721

[still_one]

9. Thanks

[Eko]

10. Are the millionaires considered middle class now by Bernie?

Asking for a friend.

[Blue_true]

13. Yes, once he became one. nt

[gulliver]

11. Bernie shouldn't put down loyal Democrats just because they are billionaires.

That's wrong. If he has a bone to pick with any of them individually, he can just say which ones and what he thinks they did. Just to paint them all as equivalent to Republicans is a deep, grossly unfair insult to them. Bernie owes every Democratic billionaire an apology.

The same is true for Democrat-supporting corporations. Bernie owes them a heartfelt apology.

[Blue_true]

14. Bernie doesn't apologize and I have never seen him admit that he was wrong about something.

That behavior strikes me because it is very similar to how Trump behaves.

[Blue_true]

12. Funny how Bernie dropped "millionaires" from his stump speech when he became one. nt

[Recursion]

15. "We reject corporate money". God this is infuriating.

No campaign can receive money from corporations (or unions). God this is infuriating.

[LongtimeAZDem]

16. Bernie failed to support the most important working cllass family in his life