Bloggers push politics aside in fight against FEC

Minneapolis Star Tribune ^ | March 19, 2006 | John Reinan

[RWR8189]

This might be the first time Freepers and Kossacks have agreed on anything. From the conservative website Free Republic to the liberal Daily Kos, Internet users of all ideologies are uniting in opposition to federal regulation of political blogs.

As early as this afternoon, the Federal Election Commission will publish regulations that, for the first time, could put limits on what bloggers can do and say in support of political candidates.

The FEC is trying to define the line between offering political opinions and operating as part of a political campaign. The full commission is expected to vote Thursday on the regulations.

Meanwhile, Congress is considering two separate bills aimed at a similar goal: clarifying the role of bloggers in delivering political messages and using the Internet as a fundraising tool.

At issue is the growing power of the Internet, which has allowed activists to promote candidates and raise money for them without the kind of rules that long have governed similar activities by political parties, individual campaigns and traditional contributors.

The Internet has been exempt from campaign finance regulations. Last year, however, a federal court ruled that the Internet could no longer be excluded.

[DustyMoment]

The real way to beat it is to keep appointing real judges and to rely on off shore hosting and legal loopholes.

I disagree. IMO, the real way to beat it is to remember how and why we have Founding Fathers in the US who created a certain declaration. It may take the repetition of that action to bring the laws of this country back into congruence with the Constitution.

[HKMk23]

Kudos, honorable Sen. McCain! The man is NOT a politician - he is a statesman. McCain/? in '08!

Uh, pardon me, son, but you haven't paid dues enough around here to spew dreck like that. Now, my trigger finger isn't gettin' itchy -- yet -- but I reckon others are already windin' up the generators in preparation for givin' your screen name a ride on the lighting.

[montag813]

The FEC isn't the enemy here. It is Congressional Republicans trying to stab 527's in the heart because so many of them were liberal. Meanwhile they forget how pathetic Bush's campaign was in 2004 until the CONSERVATIVE 527 Swiftboat Vets came along and utterly destroyed John Kerry's campaign. Meanwhile Democrat 527s outraised us 10 to 1 and made almost no difference whatsoever. Hey Republicans, are you stupid? Leave the damn 527's alone you morons!

[StAnDeliver]

"Last year, however, a federal court ruled that the Internet could no longer be excluded."

Talk about burying the lead!

Now ask yourself, why did that happen, John ReamedOut?

I'll tell you why -- because the three DUmmie/Bolsheviks on the FEC kommittee refused to appeal the decision; an appeal which, under any other circumstances than cowardly DUmmies reacting to their royal @ss-beating at the polls since '00, would have been a normal course of action.

[StAnDeliver]

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[StAnDeliver]

You, are a moron. Deal with it.

[BJClinton]

They can take my internet bullets first.

[DustyMoment]

You, are a moron. Deal with it.

Spend more time looking in the mirror. The moron looking back at you is you.

Deal with ir.

[HKMk23]

They can take my internet bullets first.

Yeah, but if they don't stop there, you may have to send real ones, as well.

Welcome to The New People's Republic of Columbia (District of).

"All your beltway are belong to us!!"

[John Filson]

For those who could possibly think that the Feingold-McCain CFR bill is constitutional, there's little question that blogs are under its jurisdiction.

[SunkenCiv]

Of course, it won't be enforced against the sites which promote Dhimmicrats. And "public" TV and "public" radio as well as all those "public art" POS, all of which are supported by our tax dollars, will continue to regurgitate partisan propaganda for Dhimmicrats without any restriction or equal time.

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

[dervish]

Public TV had one conservative program, Journal Report, and it got canned.

[Valin]

No No No...All Freepers think and act EXACTLY alike. Absolutly no differences of opinion, or flame wars...it's a giant love fest.

AND ANYONE WHO DISAGREES IT A PINKO COMMIE!

[supercat]

Another reason W can be accused of being an absentee president. McC-F should've met his veto pen.

My personal belief is that GWB may have been following a variation on Mark Twain's advice, "Substitute “damn” every time you’re inclined to write “very”; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be." Bush probably thought the SCOTUS would negate the bad parts of the McCain-Feingold abomination while leaving in the good ones. Even some people here had expressed that sentiment. Foolish to trust the SCOTUS...

[Eric in the Ozarks]

No doubt he did. Fortunately there may be one more seat to fill on the High Court.

[weegee]

The FEC didn't throw Bubba Clinton and Algore Junior in jail for accepting Chinese donations DIRECTLY.

They don't rule on interstate efforts to intimidate Republican voters (burning signs, painting swastikas on their homes, keying their cars...).

They don't rule on the coordinated efforts to get multiple voting by college students, felon votes, illegal alien votes, foreign contributions to Move On PAC, etc.

They don't rule on Moby's efforts to get Rats to troll FR to sour the conservative vote.

They don't rule on Viacommie CBS' last ditch effort to smear the President with a week's coverage of some phony Vietnam era documents. Nor didn't they rule on Zogby's biased election day "poll".

They didn't rule on the GWBush sound-alike website that stole the Bush campaign's webdesign anytime it was updated to offer a "parody". The goal was simply to catch unwary voters who stopped by on accident.

F'em and they can shove it up their a$$ if they aren't going to address these abuses that are common tactics of the DNC these days.

They WILL NOT silence my unsponsored speech.

[weegee]

Why? Because they sit in ivory towers.

The DNC was a conduit in the fake National Guard memo story.

The FEC should be breathing down Viacom's neck.

[weegee]

This smells of so much FECal matter.

[weegee]

The US will asks Google to block such sites as they already block unfavorable sites the Chinese Communist government doesn't want its citizens to see.