In These Times examines how a retailer's foray into electoral politics could fuel campaign finance reform. The article discusses Target's decision to donate $150,000 to a conservative PAC and the backlash that resulted from the corporation's political involvement. Such fierce public disdain for the policies legalized by the U.S. Supreme Court's Citizens United v. FEC decision - including legalizing corporate donations to independent expenditure committees - have led for some to call for an overhaul of our campaign finance system."That doesn’t surprise many campaign finance reform activists, who believe far-reaching change has to be based on broader public anger or congressional action. “Until we get a grassroots movement going, we’re really not going to change much of anything,” says Joan Mandle of Democracy Matters, a national student organization that has been pressing for a legislative response to Citizens United. While the Target campaign [which called for a boycott] was good at raising consciousness about campaign finance and corporate political involvement, real change has to be systemic, she says. "The progress of bills like the Fair Elections Now Act (FENA)—which would create a comprehensive public financing system at the federal level limiting private contributions to $100 and matching those contributions four-to-one with public dollars—encourages Mandle and other activists. The bill, introduced by Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and Reps. John Larson (D-Conn.) and Walter Jones, Jr. (R-N.C.) in the House, passed out of the House Committee on Administration on September 23 and awaits action on the House floor. “This is an historic achievement—to be this close with a public financing bill,” Mandle says." To read the full article, click here.