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MoveOn Balks at Proposed FEC Rules Changes by Scaring Nonprofits (FEC Email Needs FReeping! NOW!)
Talon News ^ | April 2, 2004 | Jimmy Moore

Posted on 04/02/2004 9:27:16 AM PST by ElephantMan

SPARTANBURG, SC (Talon News) -- Liberal anti-Bush online political activist group MoveOn.org sent a warning message to its members this week regarding the upcoming ruling by the Federal Election Commission about the legality of so-called 527 groups accepting soft campaign contributions to run political ads.

"The Republican National Committee is pressing the Federal Election Commission to issue new rules that would cripple groups that dare to communicate with the public in any way critical of President Bush or members of Congress," MoveOn.org charged in an e-mail to supporters.

In the e-mail, MoveOn.org attempts to scare "conservative, progressive, labor, religious, secular, social service, charitable, educational, civic participation, [and] issue-oriented" groups into believing the rule changes will be detrimental to their cause by alleging that the ruling will prevent them from speaking out on issues.

However, the Republican National Committee, along with President George W. Bush's reelection campaign, has filed a complaint with the FEC over the connection of specific 527 groups like MoveOn.org and the campaign of likely Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kerry.

Jill Holtzman Vogel, chief counsel for the RNC, said evidence of coordination between MoveOn.org and other Democratic-supporting 527 groups and the Kerry campaign in violation of the new campaign finance law could not be clearer.

"Senator Kerry, who supported the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act, is now the beneficiary of the single largest conspiracy to violate campaign finance laws in history," she explained in issuing the complaint to the FEC.

In fact, the Massachusetts senator explained when he voted for the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law that he supported it because he wanted "to eliminate altogether the capacity of soft money to play the role that it does in our politics."

Yet, MoveOn.org is now operating illegally as an extension of the Kerry campaign because they accept soft money from corporations and unions, which represents an evasion of the ban on large, unregulated contributions in the new campaign finance law, critics argue.

For example, MoveOn.org has been giving Kerry plenty of free campaign ads by running a relentless schedule of political attack ads against Bush for months using donations from liberal billionaires such as George Soros and others.

Nevertheless, MoveOn.org tells its supporters that any action conducted by the FEC regarding donations to various MoveOn.org fundraising efforts will not be traced back to the specific donors.

Blaming unnamed "operatives" in the nation's capitol for "displaying a terrifying disregard for the values of free speech and openness which underlie our democracy," MoveOn.org states the FEC complaint by the RNC and the Bush campaign is a blatant attempt to squelch attacks against Bush.

"Essentially, they are willing to pay any price to stop criticism of Bush," the e-mail continued.

MoveOn.org is encouraging its members to send the FEC public comments along with the sender's full name, e-mail address, and mailing address to Acting Assistant General Counsel Mai T. Dinh by April 9 at politicalcommitteestatus@fec.gov.

In fact, MoveOn.org has requested to see a copy of the messages sent to the FEC.

"We'd love to see a copy of your public comment," MoveOn.org explains, although the group did not indicate whether it wants to receive comments that would support the new rules changes.

Nevertheless, the leftist political group writes, "Please e-mail us a copy [of your comments to the FEC] at FECcomment@moveon.org."

The e-mail lists the names and telephone numbers of the e-mail recipient's two U.S. senators as well as the recipient's U.S. congressman.

Charging the Bush administration with orchestrating an "unholy alliance" with the FEC, MoveOn.org announced the formation of the FEC Working Group to identify "examples of specific consequence for nonprofit groups."

"It's outrageous," MoveOn.org opines.

Nonprofit groups, MoveOn.org warns, who advocate positions for or against congressmen or the president's positions on the issues would be deemed as political groups and be subjected to the laws imposed on them.

"Such changes would cripple the ability of groups to raise and spend funds in pursuit of their mission and could be so ruinous that organizations would be forced to back away from meaningful conversations about public policies that affect millions of Americans," MoveOn.org states.

Groups that would be affected, MoveOn.org adds, include 501(c)(4) advocacy groups, 501(c)(3) charitable groups, labor unions, trade associations, environmental groups, 501 (c)(6) groups, and 527 political action committee groups, such as MoveOn.org.

Also included in the list of affected organizations, according to MoveOn.org, are religious groups that pass out voting record pamphlets, voter registration groups, pro-life groups spreading communication about a lawmaker's position on abortion and civil rights groups.

A public hearing by the FEC is scheduled to take place on April 14-15. A final decision on the rules changes will be made by mid-May and would go into effect by July.

MoveOn.org states the changes could be made retroactive to January 2003.

"It's clear that these rules would immediately silence thousands of groups, of all types, who have raised questions and criticisms of any kind about the Bush Administration, its record and its policies," MoveOn.org concludes, alleging this is nothing more than an election year ploy by the Bush campaign to silence his critics.

If the new rules changes are allowed to go into effect, groups like MoveOn.org will no longer be allowed to use soft campaign contributions to attack the president or any other elected official.

Copyright © 2004 Talon News -- All rights reserved



TOPICS: Activism/Chapters; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2004election; 2004electionbias; 501c3; 527; bushhassers; bushhaters; campaignads; campaignfinance; campaignlaws; catholiclist; caucasuslist; cfr; clintoncronies; communists; democrats; dirtypolitics; dirtytricks; election2004; electionads; electionlaws; fec; financereform; foreigncontributions; fundraising; georgesoros; irs; johnkerry; kerrycampaign; lyingliars; lyingsonsof; mccainfeingold; mediabias; moneytrail; morondotorg; moveon; moveondotorg; moveonorg; overseasdonations; presidentbush; rattricks; smearcampaign; socialists; softmoney; soros; taxcheats; taxes; taxexempt
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To: Liz
Look, rather than ask for enforcement of an unjust law, it would be far better for us to request that the members of the FEC show their solidarity with the people in an exhibition of mass seppuku.
81 posted on 04/04/2004 5:05:54 AM PDT by muawiyah
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To: muawiyah
Very funny.....mass FEC suicide will solve all the problems (snicker).
82 posted on 04/04/2004 5:45:54 AM PDT by Liz
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To: Liz
CFR already negatively affects conservatives. The point of this exercise is to stop Soros, moveon.org. and lawless liberals. Conservatives are smarter. They'll know what to do next.

LOL! If this were so, we wouldn't have CFR, and we wouldn't be at this disadvantage. Why are the Dem groups up and running and ours aren't? Precisely because we're not smarter when it comes to CFR. GOP lawyers have been discouraging conservatives from giving, and GOP officials and officeholders have done the same. That's because the Bush people want to control everything. They don't want Republican MoveOn type organizations to exist. And that's why we're so far behind in this area.

It's nice to say that the point is to get Soros. (Nice, but unprincipled, but we'll leave that little point aside). Because the point is that it can't be done. These rules, if adopted, will clobber the Club for Growth, Citizens United, Grassfire, the Republican Lawyers Association, Americans for Tax Reform, and make things much tougher for the NRA, NRTL, etc. That's why all of these groups are opposing these rules. Did you know that, by the way? Did you know that Club for Growth, Right to Life, the NRA, and ATR oppose these rules? Does that make you think twice?

Finally, this isn't going to stop Soros in 2004 in any case. If the FEC adopts these rules in May - which is when they have a vote scheduled - the earliest they can take effect is late July or August, by which time Soros and Move On will have spent much of their cash. (By law new rules can't take effect for 30 legislative calendar days - so far this year there have been only about 30 legislative days.) Then the Democrats have already announced plans to sue if the rules are adopted, which will tie them up till the election. All this is just further proof that the Republican lawyers don't know what they're doing.

I would urge you to do some more thinking.

83 posted on 04/04/2004 6:22:26 AM PDT by Gen. Longstreet
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To: Gen. Longstreet


The Soros Threat

The Capitalist Threat
(1997 article by Soros)

SOROS SNACKING ON SIDE DISHES
(Soros the Adulterer)

FR Search for Keyword Soros

FR Search for Keyword George Soros


84 posted on 04/04/2004 6:36:48 AM PDT by MeekOneGOP (Become a monthly donor on FR. No amount is too small and monthly giving is the way to go !)
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To: Gen. Longstreet
Alright. Let's hear your strategy. What do you suggest?
85 posted on 04/04/2004 6:51:23 AM PDT by Liz
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To: Liz
Strategy suggestion. Do nothing.

Look at the presidential election: John Kerry has rightly asked, “Do you know who I am?” How can we when he doesn’t have a yucking clue? Campaign finance reform further complicated the matter since there will be crucial times when the voters won’t be able to keep the candidate informed about who he is. This is complicated even more because to speak freely, groups must assume a false identity.

And yet, people in tune with themselves eventually come to the realization that their lives are utter mysteries. Looking at it this way, Mr. Kerry is really in tune with the times. He is the candidate that most resembles Leonard Zelig, the chameleon man played by Woody Allen in the historical documentary Zelig. He even said publicly something about becoming the second black president.

With Mr. Kerry’s confusion as to who he actually is, the fear is that he may become so confused that he will take the lead of those seven-year-olds in California who think its neat to be a girl instead of a boy, or vice versa. Imagine the dilemma this presents for the Democratic Party—Hillary will flat out be out-raged—if Mr. Kerry announces in October that he will become a transgender. Or worse, a different species—a pumpkin, for example, a Canadian rutabaga, a Smurf, Barney, or a friend to Michael Jackson.

I’m waiting for the scientists to takeover and begin to muck with the human genetic code to create a new person with attributes of owls, yucca trees, Smurfs, bugs living under a sheet of plywood, and pumpkins and everyone can proclaim: Finally, a people that Mr. Kerry can represent without Zelig-ing into something he’s not.

In fact, the way things are going, I'm beginning to think I can spend my summer fishing since Mr. Kerry sticks his foot up his pompous arse every time he opens his mouth. Who needs ads when the other candidate says something as absurd as: I actually voted for the bill before I voted against it?

86 posted on 04/04/2004 7:31:30 AM PDT by WhiteyAppleseed (2 million defensive gun uses a year. Tell that to the Gun Fairy who'd rather leave you toothless.)
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To: WhiteyAppleseed
....the way things are going, I'm beginning to think I can spend my summer fishing since Mr. Kerry sticks his foot up his pompous arse every time he opens his mouth. Who needs ads when the other candidate says something as absurd as: I actually voted for the bill before I voted against it?....

.....and Kerry was boasting about that, as if it was an accomplishment, no less. Unvelievably, he saw no downside to such a statement. Sure gives one hope. But I'm not depending on Kerry to win it for himself. He's getting a lot of outside help. You got 3-4 books out, or due out-- Dean, Clarke, Kitty Kelly and Wilson's books are all anti-Bush

BTW, nice allusion to Zelig---one of my fave movies. Everything else you wrote sounds like a treatment for a Hollyweird TV movie, "How not to elect a president 2004."

87 posted on 04/04/2004 7:44:12 AM PDT by Liz
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To: Liz
Morning bump...
88 posted on 04/04/2004 7:48:36 AM PDT by Libloather (It's still OK to blame the *Crintons for everything...)
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To: Liz
Unvelievably, he saw no downside to such a statement. Sure gives one hope.

Backpedal 25-30 years and replay the statement. Imagine the implications: I actually decided against pushing the button, before I pushed the button, said against a backdrop of charred ruins, the candidate sitting on an enamel throne, utterly confused and alone.

89 posted on 04/04/2004 8:19:42 AM PDT by WhiteyAppleseed (2 million defensive gun uses a year. Tell that to the Gun Fairy who'd rather leave you toothless.)
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To: WhiteyAppleseed
Yeah, I want that man at the helm. Maybe fishing will have to wait until there is a significant shift in the polls.
90 posted on 04/04/2004 8:20:53 AM PDT by WhiteyAppleseed (2 million defensive gun uses a year. Tell that to the Gun Fairy who'd rather leave you toothless.)
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To: cvq3842
MoveOn was already caught last year accepting FOREIGN donations to campaign against President Bush. They are crooks (of course they are also Clinton Cronies).
91 posted on 04/04/2004 12:27:37 PM PDT by weegee (I'm anti-establishment. I oppose the liberal media elites.)
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To: Gen. Longstreet
527 MoveOn.org bump.
92 posted on 04/04/2004 1:42:46 PM PDT by Sir_Ed
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To: WhiteyAppleseed
Kerry's voter base lives in the Clinton-era a parallel universe where true is false, bad is good, black is white, villians are heroes, and so on, and so forth, ad infinitum, ad nauseaum.

Kerry is the face of evil secularism. He epitomizes the confusion of moral relativity. Kerry would strengthen secularists stranglehold on American culture, and impose the religious-hating left's bogus belief system on us----The Secular Credo:

1. Capitalism creates oppression; government creates opportunity.

2. Traditional gender roles are artificial but feminism, homosexuality, and transgender-sexuality are government-protected lifestyles.

3. Self-esteem is paramount; government must undertake to guarantee each citizen-victim self-esteem with as many billion dollar programs as it takes.

4. The ACLU is good, because destroying religion and silencing believers are protected by the Constitution and the First Amendment; The NRA is bad because it defends the Constitution;

5. Standardized IQ tests are racist; racial quotas and affirmative action are not.

6. Conservatives are racists; everybody knows that Black people can't make it on their own without big-buck government assistance programs and warped Hollyweirdos to proselytize the message 24/7.

7. Normal sex is perverted. Threesomes, bestiality, necrophilia, homosexuality are just new ways to get a thrill.

8. Moral indignation is our standard strategy for endowing our ideals with superiority.

9. Victimization is our basic belief system by which we blame and find others responsible for our own personal failures, then expect taxpayers, deep pocketed individuals, or the courts to bail us out. It feels good to be in the throes of "victimization" and either A) causing victims, B) concocting victims, C) playing victim, D) commiserating over victims, or E) creating another class of victims to bleed over.

10. It's a secularists' duty to treat voters in the manner of raising mushrooms, that is to say, keep them in the dark and feed them lots of horse manure.

93 posted on 04/04/2004 1:55:59 PM PDT by Liz
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To: Liz
Done! E-mail your friends!
94 posted on 04/05/2004 9:32:26 AM PDT by 1stFreedom
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To: ElephantMan
Re-bump!
95 posted on 04/05/2004 10:26:26 AM PDT by talleyman (Never question the patriotism of Democrats - there's none to question)
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To: M Kehoe
the RNC should start these 527s
But so far they don't want to. Why not? Anyone know?
96 posted on 04/05/2004 10:57:42 AM PDT by samtheman
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To: ElephantMan
bttt
97 posted on 04/06/2004 8:48:59 PM PDT by Kudsman
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To: ElephantMan
oooo....
little georgie soros is upset.


GOOD.
98 posted on 04/06/2004 9:41:11 PM PDT by King Prout (You may disagree with what I have to say... but I will defend to YOUR death MY right to say it.)
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To: Liz; WhiteyAppleseed
Alright. Let's hear your strategy. What do you suggest?

Quit whining, quite scaring conservative donors, quit having party officials discourage conservatives from giving to conservative groups other than the party and Bush-Cheney, get our groups going, and beat the Democrats.

99 posted on 04/07/2004 8:14:40 PM PDT by Gen. Longstreet
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To: Gen. Longstreet; WhiteyAppleseed
Email from Bush-Cheney 04 Relection Chair Marc Racicot
Take action to overcome John Kerry's (527's) special interests!

April 5, 2004


The President's re-election campaign needs your help with a simple e-mail. As you know, special interest groups called "527s" have been spending millions in unregulated soft money to defeat President Bush. We need you to write a letter TODAY to the Federal Election Commission asking that John Kerry's soft money special interest groups obey the law at:

http://www.GeorgeWBush.com/Letters/

The Bush-Cheney campaign is taking steps to ensure that these groups comply with federal election law. Last week, the Bush-Cheney campaign and the Republican National Committee filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission to take the first step toward getting these groups into court before a federal judge.

Now the campaign can use your help. The Federal Election Commission is considering implementing new rules that would force these groups to comply with federal law. The special interest groups are running a nationwide e-mail campaign opposing these rules. To make sure that everyone plays by the same rules we need you to tell the Commissioners they should force these groups to comply with federal law.

If you have just a few minutes, please send an e-mail as soon as possible by going to:

http://www.GeorgeWBush.com/Letters/

Onward,

Marc Racicot

Chairman Bush-Cheney '04



100 posted on 04/08/2004 4:23:57 AM PDT by Liz
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