Here's the fix for the fix for the fix....these guys sound like Microsoft.
Posted on 02/02/2005 12:52:32 PM PST by SmithL
WASHINGTON (AP) --
Sen. John McCain and others pushing for tougher campaign finance rules won a surprising ally Wednesday as they announced a renewed effort to block partisan interest groups from spending millions of dollars in big donations in congressional and presidential races.
Sen. Trent Lott, chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, said he voted against sweeping campaign fund-raising restrictions won by McCain, Sen. Russ Feingold and others in 2002 but now agrees with the law's supporters that further legislation is needed to stop groups from circumventing the new rules.
Lott called six- and seven-figure checks that independent political groups poured into last year's presidential election "sewer money" that must be stopped. The Mississippi Republican said his committee would vote next month on legislation that would put strict new limits on fund-raising and spending by partisan tax-exempt groups active in congressional or presidential races.
The proliferation of new groups that spent millions in the presidential race was an unintended consequence of the 2002 law that banned national party committees and congressional and presidential candidates from accepting big checks, Lott said. Money that used to go to the political parties simply moved to other partisan groups, he said.
"It's been used by both sides and it's going to be abused by both sides," Lott said at a news conference with the bill's sponsors.
The legislation proposed by McCain, R-Ariz., Feingold, D-Wis., Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., and Rep. Martin Meehan, D-Mass., targets partisan tax-exempt groups known as 527s because of the section of the tax code that covers them.
President Bush supports the proposal, McCain said.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Eventually they'll try to abolish money too, with the same success they've had so far.
it is an attack on free speech but sometimes there are just limits IMHO......this stuff has gotten out of hand in certain areas. I agree with McCain on this one issue but I"m open to other suggestions.......
McCain and Shays really just should retire already.
Didn't this jackass "FIX" campaign finance reform a few years back? Why should I think he's going to do a better job this time?
McCain, please retire.
Tell you what, Lott and McCain. First, cut your franking budget by 95 percent - you know, the taxpayer-funded mailings that y'all use to keep your names and faces front and center with your constituents and then give you a considerable initial advantage over challengers. Then we'll know you are serious about trying to level the playing field instead of trying to keep opponents off of it.
As P.J. O'Rourke once noted, when buying and selling are legislated, the first thing to be bought and sold are legislators.
Money is going to get into elections, one way or the other. The government has so much power now that groups have to play.
When the hole is too deep - dig some more.
I don't know.
If free speech includes Soros spending 15 million or so to fund moveon.org, then I'm supporting it, but not without a look at how it might boost MSM stature.
Here's the fix for the fix for the fix....these guys sound like Microsoft.
What you said, dude!
well I know and it was impossible to imagine some of the odd loop holes that all those lawyers found.......It just seems like the standards are always all over the place and it probably costs us more money in the long run actually trying to figure out what all this crap means
McCain needs to retire and jump off a cliff. he is a danger to our Republic. The only way to get $$$ out of politics is to severely reduce the size of government. The pols cause all the problems and then blame others. If we had a government the founders desired for us, there would be no $$ in politics; the reason being, government would be so small it would be inconsequential to our lives. But the monster that is government is devouring more and more wealth of the productive class. The demos and RINOs will do nothing to reduce it.
...The legislation proposed by McCain, R-Ariz., Feingold, D-Wis., Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., and Rep. Martin Meehan, D-Mass...
Sickening!
Haven't they done enough damage already?
Because everyone knows all you need to win an election is money. Now that Soros has bought an election....errr...you mean Bush won despite Soros?
Morons. When the government taxes and spends trillions, rational people (and 'rats too) will want to influence the government. By spending money.
Might as well try to legislate oxygen consumption.
Remove all contribution limits and have immediate Internet reporting. And retire already McCain, you dope.
I don't trust one of those idiots.
Memo to Senator McCain: Please stop taking on issues that you believe will get you favorable press.
Isn't McVain already famous for inventing the 527?
John McCain is just doing a little "fixing" (in his own favor, no doubt) before 2008.
He is definitely running.
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