Posted on 08/26/2004 8:20:20 AM PDT by mondoman
Politics: Campaign finance reform hasn't ended attack ads. It hasn't stopped MoveOn.org or the Swifties. Good. Let's hear it for loopholes that allow free speech.
Both John Kerry and President Bush have done some play-acting in recent days on the issue of negative campaigning. Kerry, stung by ads by fellow Vietnam vets questioning his claims to be a war hero and reminding voters of his over-the-top antiwar rhetoric, says Bush should stop these attacks.
As if Bush could. Kerry knows better.
Bush, for his part, says he'd be glad to join Kerry in squelching all this nastiness being funded outside normal party channels. He knows, of course, that Kerry would never take him up on that offer.
Kerry's campaign couldn't survive without the 527s, those groups that have taken over the task of raising unrestricted "soft" money since the passage of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law.
The Swifties are a tiny 527, with less than $1 million raised so far. Most of the big ones, such as the anti-Bush attack dog MoveOn.org, align with the Democrats (see table).
And the fat cats funding the right aren't in the same league with billionaires like George Soros, who are throwing their wealth into the cause of defeating Bush.
Bush signed McCain-Feingold. Kerry voted for it. Both could be accused of hypocrisy in winking at activities that seem to violate the law's spirit, if not its letter.
But we'd rather see hypocritical winks than the kind of zeal displayed by the law's co-author, Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold.
Feingold said this week that 527 groups working to defeat either Bush or Kerry should be subject to the same tight contribution limits that apply to political action committees.
To do so would close a loophole, to be sure. But a loophole in a misguided law isn't always a bad thing.
The gaps in McCain-Feingold let the public hear opinions that party leaders, for whatever reason, don't want to be identified with.
As a result, political debate is less inhibited and more robust. Voters get the full story on the candidates, with less gate-keeping by the parties and the mainstream media.
When a man asks voters to elect him president, those voters have a right to subject his past to intense scrutiny, and to let his critics be heard. Indeed, our democracy depends on it.
This year, with the nation at war and the stakes so high, is an especially bad time to stifle such voices.
It looks like Bush and Kerry agree that free speech should be curtailed.
I don't believe that Bush wants to curtail free speech. if he did then we would have heard from him on this a long time ago when he was being smeared.
This is politics, IMO and nothing more. If he stands up there and distances himself from the SBV then he removes something that the democrats can cry about and it leaves Kerry forced to continue to fight their charges. Yes, they will still cry about how mean the republicans are but Bush just needs to keep saying the ads should go away. Notice how the democrats aren't calling for a ban on all 527s?
Good move Mr. Rove.
thank you, my browser does not ID the source for graphics.
He signed the repeal of the first amendment, and now is calling for silence from so called 527s. Fox news just reported that he will embrace some form of regulation "reform" to close the "loopholes" on 527s. It remains to be seen if Fox is correct.
Please note:
JFK has attempted legal threats to silence the SBV.
JFK has asked the FEC to silence and fine SBV.
JFK has attempted to link Bush and GOP to SBV.
JFK has NOT repudiated the facts presented by SBV, only modified two of his claims.
Which is why I disagree with GWB's stance on 527s. But then, it'd be pretty idiotic of the president to SIGN CFR and then SUPPORT 527s. If you are going to muzzle free speech, might as well go all the way.
The Supreme Court could have overturned M-F. The SC shirked their responsibility just as did the President.
Chickens coming home to roost.
Posted on 08/26/2004 10:20:00 AM CDT by gopwinsin04
Scott McClellan tells the press pool that the President this morning called Senator John McCain to ask for his help in pursung court action to shut down activities of the 527 groups.
Bush went on to say that if McCain that if court action does not work, he would look forward to working on legislation on the issue.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
A repeal of the first amendment? Not so sure about that.
Campaign finance reform was an idea that had some merit but ultimately failed. Trying to clean up the cesspool of politics is a fool's errand.
It restricts freedom of speech. Read the first amendment.
Campaign finance reform was an idea that had some merit but ultimately failed.
What was the merit?
Too bad Bush and Kerry do not.
Oui! D'accord!
I truly believe we have seen the seeds of the destruction of our Republic. I worry less about this current crop of candidates, than the ruthless Jr. Senator from NY, plotting in the wings. Think of how she will use the Patriot Act and McCain-Feingold?
Until the media (perhaps with help from Kerry-Edwards) told us all who the largest single contributor to SBVT was, Bush-Cheney would've had no way to know who is was. Thus Mr. Perry wouldn't have gained any influence for his contribution.
It's the influence peddling, not the ads, that's the issue.
But this point is getting lost on EVERYBODY.
The frog is cooked.
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