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Common Cause

For other uses, see Common Cause (disambiguation).
Common Cause
Formation1970 (1970)
FounderJohn W. Gardner
Type501(c)4 organization
52-6078441
Location
Area served
United States
MethodAdvocacy
Websitewww.commoncause.org Edit this at Wikidata

Common Cause is a watchdog group based in Washington, D.C., with chapters in 35 states. It was founded in 1970 by John W. Gardner, a Republican, who was the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare in the administration of President Lyndon Johnson as well as chair of the National Urban Coalition, an advocacy group for minorities and the working poor in urban areas.[1] In its early days, Common Cause focused its efforts on ending the Vietnam War and lowering the voting age from 21 to 18.[2]

Sometimes identified as liberal-leaning,[3][4] Common Cause has also been identified as nonpartisan and advocates government reform.[5][6][7] It is identified with the reformist "good government" movement[8][9][10] and is often described as a watchdog group.[4][11] The organization's tagline is "holding power accountable" and its stated mission is "upholding the core values of American democracy. We work to create open, honest, and accountable government that serves the public interest; promote equal rights, opportunity, and representation for all; and empower all people to make their voices heard in the political process."[12]

  1. ^ Chapman, Roger; Ciment, James (2015-03-17). Culture Wars: An Encyclopedia of Issues, Viewpoints and Voices. Routledge. ISBN 9781317473510.
  2. ^ "FAQ". Common Cause. Archived from the original on 2017-03-03. Retrieved 2017-03-07.
  3. ^ Dan Eggen, Pompeo draws liberal groups' ire, The Washington Post (March 21, 2011): "Common Cause, a liberal-leaning group"
  4. ^ a b Julie Bykowicz, Will Washington shout down the 'voice' of Trump voters?, Associated Press (November 28, 2016): "a liberal-leaning government watchdog."
  5. ^ Stacy Stowe, Back-Burner Issues Too Hot to Handle, The New York Times (June 19, 2005): "government-reform groups like Common Cause"
  6. ^ Mark Berman, William Wan & Sari Horwitz, Voters encounter some malfunctioning machines, other headaches on Election Day: "Volunteers with Common Cause, a nonpartisan government reform group..."
  7. ^ Jamie Pimlott, "Common Cause" in Encyclopedia of American Political Parties and Elections (updated ed.: ed. Larry J. Sabato & Howard R. Ernst). Infobase Publishing, 2007, p. 75: "established as a nonpartisan citizens' lobby, the main goal of the Soros funded organization is to make government more effective and representative of progressive interests. .... because the organization claims to be nonpartisan, it does take a progressive agenda position on issues and focuses on the process by which decisions are made or the structure of decision making, that is, the rules and procedures used by politicians and bureaucrats."
  8. ^ Dan Eggen, Common Cause suddenly uncommonly forceful in fighting Koch Industries, The Washington Post (February 10, 2011): "Common cause has long been something of a nerd among the jocks. ... the 40-year-old good-government group."
  9. ^ William Neuman, City Council Draws New Crop of Candidates: State Lawmakers. (Pay Doesn't Hurt.), The New York Times (February 21, 2017): "Common Cause New York, a good government advocacy group"
  10. ^ Dean E. Murphy, Ohio Critics of G.O.P. Start Battle to Change Election Process, The New York Times (August 10, 2005): "The Ohio group is backed by so-called good-government organizations like Common Cause."
  11. ^ Daniel L. Feldman & David R. Eichenthal, The Art of the Watchdog: Fighting Fraud, Waste, Abuse, and Corruption in Government (SUNY Press, 2013): "Common Cause: One of the largest and most influential good government watchdog groups..."
  12. ^ "About Us". Common Cause. Retrieved 7 June 2019.

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