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Supreme Court Handing Down Ruling in Campaign Finance Reform (main parts upheld)
FOX News | 10 Dec 2003 | FOX News

Posted on 12/10/2003 7:09:03 AM PST by July 4th

Reports that main portions of McCain-Feingold are now being upheld! People currently wading through a decision of over 300 pages.


TOPICS: Breaking News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bcra; blackrobedictators; bush; bushscotuscfr; cfr; elitisttyrants; firstamendment; freedomofspeech; mccainfeingold; nyt; oligarchy; restrictfreespeech; scotus; tyrannyofthefew
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To: Howlin
"I frankly can't tell if you're obtuse or just have nothing better to offer."

Sorry, I can't make the deaf listen, the blind see, nor turn RINO's into conservatives. It's just not in my power.
1,741 posted on 12/11/2003 4:03:15 AM PST by Beck_isright (So if Canada and France are our "allies" in the war on terror, does this make surrender imminent?)
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To: The_Eaglet
Ping. :)
1,742 posted on 12/11/2003 4:04:35 AM PST by carenot (Proud member of The Flying Skillet Brigade)
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To: PhiKapMom
It is obvious from reading that most of this thread is all about Bush bashing.

I won't participate in that. Yet, I do, and have always, questioned why Bush would have signed this into law....it has always displeased me greatly (an understatement). I think he was wrong to do so. But I would like to fully understand the bill before I make any other condemnations.

1,743 posted on 12/11/2003 4:28:16 AM PST by nicmarlo
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To: Howlin
Howlin: "I got here exactly 4 months after you did."

Revel: Revel, Since Mar 8, 1998
Howlin, Since Jul 1, 1999

According to my math...that is 1 year and 4 months.

Howlin: I guess you aren't quite as brillant as you pretend to be.

Why? Because he was off by one week?

1,744 posted on 12/11/2003 4:43:09 AM PST by NittanyLion
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To: NittanyLion
Give up trying to debate any issues with Howlin. You're fighting with a 100% pure red blooded RINO.
1,745 posted on 12/11/2003 4:46:05 AM PST by Beck_isright (So if Canada and France are our "allies" in the war on terror, does this make surrender imminent?)
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To: PhiKapMom
Republicans argued against sections of this CFR bill being constitutional and lost some of those arguments it seems. Difference between them and the anti-Bush crowd on here is that instead of whining they didn't get their way, they are rolling up their sleeves to find ways to work around this decision.

Republicans in Congress and the White House could have prevented this bill from becoming law. Any work they're doing now is too little, too late. They made this work for themselves.

You can gamble on some things, but the Constitution is not one of them. I warned back when the bill was passed that this was a foolish and dangerous risk, yet was shouted down because of those warnings. Hopefully everyone will learn from this debacle.

1,746 posted on 12/11/2003 4:47:16 AM PST by NittanyLion
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To: VRWC_minion
Okie dokie. So you disagree that CFR is constitutional. Please explain by what authority unde the constitution you have to overturn this law. Again, lots of folks on this thread who are screaming "unconstitutional" at the top of their lungs don't have a clue what the word means. Hint: It isn't what you say it means.

Thanks for making my point. In your opinion only those with "authority" are qualified to determine what is constitutional. There's no reason for anyone not in "authority" to familiarize themselves with the document, because according to you they'd be incapable of interpreting it correctly.

It's a wonder the Founders created it at all, if you're to be believed. I'll let it to third-parties on this thread to decide who makes more sense here.

1,747 posted on 12/11/2003 4:51:29 AM PST by NittanyLion
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To: Looking for Diogenes
As I understand it, the CFR does not limit any person's right to speak, nor does it infringe on the freedom of the press, in the plain 18th Century meaning of those words. It does limit campaign contribution and television and radio broadcast advertisements. I don't see anything in the clear, standard words of 1st amendment about those.

Do you see anything in the Second Amendment about semiautomatic weapons? Of course not, because technology has advanced since the time of the Founders. The First Amendment guarantees the right to speak by whatever media is available to the speaker, so long as it doesn't result in the proverbial fist hitting a person's nose.

Surely you realize that the Constitution isn't a laundry list of rights, and that anything that doesn't appear is prohibited? Under your theory the internet is not protected by the Constitution.

1,748 posted on 12/11/2003 4:56:11 AM PST by NittanyLion
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To: Zack Nguyen
Thanks. There is something you can do...put your name to it.
1,749 posted on 12/11/2003 5:06:21 AM PST by ModernDayCato
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To: NittanyLion
The part of all of this that annoys me the most is that the people doing the money collecting have already figured out how to get around the decision. Here's part of an email from a friend of mine who is a major fundraiser for a certain incumbent:

I have to say that I'm only amused because I think the Democrats are shooting themselves in the foot on this one at least temporarily, On a more serious note I think that the infringement on rights is disgusting but ironically it is going to make my job easier and will ultimately be "gotten around " give the strategists a couple of weeks they'll find loopholes...

1,750 posted on 12/11/2003 5:11:33 AM PST by ModernDayCato
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To: Revel
"That argument is growing thin and tiresome and it is becoming obvious that it is disaterous as well. I bet Hillary could not have gotten half of this accomplished. We would be having FR march for justice # 27 by now. We might be in a position by now to get a real conservative in office. Principles are what America has always been about. It always should have been."

Be sure and tell that to your new Queen! I'm sure she'll agree with you completely (as long as those are HER principles). That kind of an idiotic response says it all.

Well, then go right ahead, and vote your convictions! Better practice up on your bowing and scraping just in case.

1,751 posted on 12/11/2003 5:29:46 AM PST by Destructor
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To: ModernDayCato
Count me in.
1,752 posted on 12/11/2003 5:42:35 AM PST by palmer (Solutions, not slogans -JFKerry)
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To: NittanyLion
I assume you meant anything that doesn't appear is allowed?
1,753 posted on 12/11/2003 5:48:48 AM PST by palmer (Solutions, not slogans -JFKerry)
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To: palmer
Basically yes...I can see that might be confusing. What I really meant is that the Constitution limits government as opposed to the people.
1,754 posted on 12/11/2003 5:52:38 AM PST by NittanyLion
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To: El Gato
The Constitution says what it says, and means what it meant when passed, or when amended as applicable

And it gives authority to our elected officials to write laws and it gives authority to the SC to override them if it thinks they are unconstitutional. That is what the document says. Do you wish to ignore all the parts except for the BOR ?

1,755 posted on 12/11/2003 5:56:05 AM PST by VRWC_minion (Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and most are right)
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To: El Gato
The ratmedia (washpost) had an interesting statement at the end of their editorial today:

McConnell v. Federal Election Commission, stands for the basic idea that Congress has the power to close loopholes as the political system creates new ones. It means that American democracy is not defenseless and that purchasing access to the powerful is not protected by the right of free speech.

"Purchasing access to the powerful is not protected". Who else could they be referring to but themselves and the rest of big media?

1,756 posted on 12/11/2003 5:56:28 AM PST by palmer (Solutions, not slogans -JFKerry)
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To: Sir_Ed
...What you will NOT be able to do, however, is pool your money with a group of like-minded people, like Free Republic, the NRA or Right to Life, and take out a radio or TV ad 60 days before an election.

And that, to me, rips the heart right out of the Constitution....

Incumbents are very aware of the power in numbers. What better way to keep us isolated and silent? If I understand it correctly, broadcast ads can be aired if the candidate appears in the ad. Stop & think...this requirement is nothing more than requiring government's permission to have my voice heard prior to an election.

We join groups of like minded people for one reason....to have our collective voices heard. We cannot, without fear of prosecution of the federal government, have our voices heard via broadcast media prior to an election.

What happens to Talk Radio? The conservatives rule the roost. Prior to an election I expect the dems to be crying foul when issues and names are discussed in detail by conservative guests.

The toe is in the door. How long before a case is before SCOTUS arguing Talk Radio is nothing more than an election ad in disguise? Will we see the day SCOTUS rules talk radio must close down prior to the election?

Anything can happen.

1,757 posted on 12/11/2003 5:57:07 AM PST by Protect the Bill of Rights
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To: GeronL; carenot; Timesink
We still need to agitate to get the law REPEALED, however.

I agree with Timesink. Congress needs a clear message on this regardless of the party makeup.

Maybe if we had a Republican Congress and a Republican President??? /sarcasm

Don't blame me, I voted for Howard Phillips!

1,758 posted on 12/11/2003 6:09:00 AM PST by The_Eaglet (#conservative IRC http://searchirc.com/search.php?F=exact&T=chan&N=33&I=conservative)
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To: NittanyLion
Thanks for making my point. In your opinion only those with "authority" are qualified to determine what is constitutional. There's no reason for anyone not in "authority" to familiarize themselves with the document, because according to you they'd be incapable of interpreting it correctly.

Of course you mislead. A knowledgable voter is still a minimum requirement for this republic to work. However, that doesn't change the fact that according to the Constitution you and I have delegated the authority to make laws to our elected reps.

Sorry to be the one to clue you into the real world.

1,759 posted on 12/11/2003 6:14:18 AM PST by VRWC_minion (Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and most are right)
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To: VRWC_minion
However, that doesn't change the fact that according to the Constitution you and I have delegated the authority to make laws to our elected reps.

That's not the question at hand. We need to determine, have we delegated the power to interpret the Constitution? You submit we have, I say anyone is capable of making the distinction regardless of what some politicians say.

1,760 posted on 12/11/2003 7:20:33 AM PST by NittanyLion
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