After Occupy D.C. Marches On Democratic Fundraiser, Rep. Donna Edwards Says It’s Time To Occupy America

Last night, the protesters at Occupy D.C. marched on a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee fundraiser in downtown Washington, D.C. The protesters were taking aim at the role of Big Money in politics, as the fundraiser “was charging from $5,000 to $75,000 for a seat,” certainly a price tag out of the range of the ordinary citizen. Watch video taken from the march:

After the march reached the hotel the fundraiser was being held at, demonstrators stationed themselves outside. Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD) was one of the Democrats who was appearing at the fundraiser and initially passed the demonstrators without talking to them. But when she was exiting, she made a point to stop and address the group.

Edwards told that the group that she couldn’t walk out of the fundraiser and not talk to the protesters. She called on them to occupy America and told them that we need to have public financing of elections to eliminate any need for big fundraisers like the one she attended:

EDWARDS: I walked in and didn’t acknowledge you. I couldn’t walk out and not acknowledge you. I stand by the 99 Percent. In my district are the 99 Percent. People who’ve lost their homes. People who’ve lost their jobs. People whose income is below $50,000 a year. The lowest median income in decades. It’s not fair. It’s not right. And it’s time for us to occupy America. [...] I’ve been a long-time advocate for public funding of elections. I think if the American people don’t own our elections, then the special interests do.

Watch it:

The Fair Elections Now Act — which would establish a system of public financing for congressional campaigns — has 14 sponsors in the Senate and 80 in the House.