Rep. DeSaulnier (D-CA) affirms that the For the People Act (HR 1), like past reform efforts, is about power. He cites Common Cause founder John Gardner, a Republican who served as Health, Education, and Welfare Secretary under President Lyndon Johnson, a Democrat. Gardner once said, “The citizen can bring our political and governmental institutions back to life, make them responsive and accountable, and keep them honest. No one else can.” Current Common Cause President Karen Hobert Flynn weaves the various threads of the For the People Act together in her response. The bill is a first step toward the bold, comprehensive, and pragmatic solutions that are winning across the country because regular Americans, Republicans, Democrats, smaller parties or none at all are working together to ensure the people’s voices are heard in our democracy. House Oversight Committee, February 06, 2019.