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Grassroots Lobbying "Reform" Bill Fails in Senate
Senate/C-SPAN 2 | 1/18/07

Posted on 01/18/2007 5:54:31 PM PST by conservative in nyc

The Senate just voted for the Bennett Amendment to strip the ill-conceived Grassroots Lobbying "Reform" provision of the Ethics Reform Bill, 55-43. The vote was pretty much party-line, with some exceptions (Landreiu, Dorgan and Bayh voted for the amendment, for example).

This provision could have had far-reaching implications by potentially forcing grassroots organizations who asked members of the public to call their Congressmen to register as lobbyists. Some articles said it could even have applied to Internet bloggers.

Unless this ill-conceived provision gets put back in by the Conference Committee, it's dead for now.


TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: firstamendment; grasrootslobying
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More to follow when the media catches up.
1 posted on 01/18/2007 5:54:34 PM PST by conservative in nyc
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To: conservative in nyc
For background, see, for example:
McCain does about-face on grassroots reform bill
Political Bloggers Could Be Required To Register Or Face Jail Time
2 posted on 01/18/2007 5:56:54 PM PST by conservative in nyc
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To: conservative in nyc

Divided by party lines eh? Well if that isn't enough proof for any non-comatose American to realize that Dems are commies and enemies of freedom, nothing will.


3 posted on 01/18/2007 5:57:44 PM PST by American_Centurion (No, I don't trust the government to automatically do the right thing.)
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To: conservative in nyc

Just testing the waters,,,we'll be back..


4 posted on 01/18/2007 5:59:12 PM PST by silentreignofheroes (When the Last Two Prophets are taken there will be no Tommorrow!)
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To: neverdem; conservative in nyc
A bit weird write up, but it looks like the democrats listed who voted "against the party" voted for the repubbies.

Again, notice the bias = NO mention of the DEMOCRATS who were pushing FOR restriction of free speech!

NOR any mention that the REPUBLICANS were voting to RETAIN free speech!
5 posted on 01/18/2007 5:59:47 PM PST by Robert A Cook PE (I can only donate monthly, but Hillary's ABBCNNBCBS continue to lie every day!)
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To: American_Centurion
Simple math tells us there had to be at least 6 Democrats who have half a brain. Dingy Harry, Hillary!, Schumer, Kerry, Sheets Byrd, "you don't have children - so you can't possibly run a war!" Boxer, and the dumbest man in the Senate (Biden), among others, voted no.
6 posted on 01/18/2007 6:01:12 PM PST by conservative in nyc
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To: Robert A. Cook, PE; conservative in nyc

Thanks for the info!


7 posted on 01/18/2007 6:04:38 PM PST by neverdem (May you be in heaven a half hour before the devil knows that you're dead.)
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To: Robert A. Cook, PE; Mo1
The write-up is mine. Trust me, there's no liberal bias on my part. The Democrats were voting for restrictions on free speech. I'm just shocked that McCain didn't go along, as usual. As I said on another thread, both of my Senators voted to stop campaigns that would cause them the inconvenience of actually listening to their pesky constituents.

Yes, there were at least 6 Democrats who voted with the Republicans. Mo1 and I caught the name of three while they were reading the role call.
8 posted on 01/18/2007 6:05:00 PM PST by conservative in nyc
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To: conservative in nyc

They make it sound like Republicans voted for the amendment, as they said it was mostly along party lines, as there are more democrats than Republicans.


9 posted on 01/18/2007 6:06:09 PM PST by DrGunsforHands
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To: DrGunsforHands

They is ME - and I certainly didn't intend that.


10 posted on 01/18/2007 6:06:48 PM PST by conservative in nyc
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To: conservative in nyc

Reid is so saddened.


11 posted on 01/18/2007 6:07:43 PM PST by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: conservative in nyc; All

THIS WILL BEAR, REQUIRE

ETERNAL VIGILENCE.

The traitorous, treasonous globalists will try every trick in the book to get this on the books one way or another as soon as they can catch enough patriots napping.


12 posted on 01/18/2007 6:08:02 PM PST by Quix (LET GOD ARISE AND HIS ENEMIES BE SCATTERED. LET ISRAEL CALL ON GOD AS THEIRS! & ISLAM FLUSH ITSELF)
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To: conservative in nyc

Its a sad world when only 6 Democrats could see the danger in this manure ridden bill.

I applaud them and condemn the rest.


13 posted on 01/18/2007 6:10:15 PM PST by sgtbono2002 (Peace through strength.)
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To: sgtbono2002
Well, we don't know for sure it was only 6 Democrats. One Senator is missing. And a Repuiblican or two MIGHT have voted against it.

Unlike in the House, C-SPAN doesn't list a party breakdown on the screen when Senators vote. Someone reads the roll, and I'm not quick enough to remember all of the names. We have to see the roll, which should be posted on the Senate website, soon.
14 posted on 01/18/2007 6:12:50 PM PST by conservative in nyc
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To: sgtbono2002
7 Democrats voted Aye. Brownback missed the vote. From the Senate website:
Grouped By Vote Position
YEAs ---55
Alexander (R-TN)
Allard (R-CO)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bond (R-MO)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burr (R-NC)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Coleman (R-MN)
Collins (R-ME)
Conrad (D-ND)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Craig (R-ID)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Dole (R-NC)
Domenici (R-NM)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagel (R-NE)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lott (R-MS)
Lugar (R-IN)
Martinez (R-FL)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Nelson (D-NE)
Roberts (R-KS)
Salazar (D-CO)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Smith (R-OR)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (R-PA)
Stevens (R-AK)
Sununu (R-NH)
Thomas (R-WY)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (R-VA)
NAYs ---43
Akaka (D-HI)
Biden (D-DE)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Byrd (D-WV)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Clinton (D-NY)
Dodd (D-CT)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Kohl (D-WI)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (ID-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
McCaskill (D-MO)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Obama (D-IL)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schumer (D-NY)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Tester (D-MT)
Webb (D-VA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)
Not Voting - 2
Brownback (R-KS)
Johnson (D-SD)

15 posted on 01/18/2007 6:16:46 PM PST by conservative in nyc
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To: conservative in nyc
Thanks for the summary - I (mis) understood to anticipating the MSM bias.

Now, wait until tomorrow - then you'll see the same thing.
16 posted on 01/18/2007 6:17:32 PM PST by Robert A Cook PE (I can only donate monthly, but Hillary's ABBCNNBCBS continue to lie every day!)
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To: Robert A. Cook, PE

I'm willing to bet that no one in the MSM will call the original grassroots lobbying provision "ill-conceived". Twice.


17 posted on 01/18/2007 6:19:22 PM PST by conservative in nyc
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To: conservative in nyc

This is good news, without conservative talk we likely would never have heard about this to begin with and would have passed.


18 posted on 01/18/2007 6:30:01 PM PST by Teflonic
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To: conservative in nyc

This is good news! But, we need explanations for the Dems who voted the "right" way. I saw that the ACLU actually agreed with Dr. Dobson in opposing this attempted unconstitutional and dastardly squelching of grassroots (us) "lobbying". Is that why the "right" votes from some Dems?


19 posted on 01/18/2007 6:40:31 PM PST by Freedom'sWorthIt
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To: Freedom'sWorthIt

All the Democrat Senators who voted for the amendment are from red states. That pretty much explains it to me.


20 posted on 01/18/2007 6:44:45 PM PST by conservative in nyc
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