Wisconsin Right to Life declares SCOTUS victory
Monday, June 25, 2007, 12:33 PM
By Jim Dick
The U.S. Supreme Court hands Wisconsin Right to Life a victory and it's not about abortion. Reformers will call the court's 5-4 ruling a blow for the McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Law but Barbara Lyons, Executive Director of Wisconsin Right to Life sees it differently. To her group it's a victory for free speech and grass roots lobbying. Democracy at its finest, Lyons says.
Lyons says the court made a distinction between advocacy ads and the group's attempt at grass roots lobbying in 2004. That's when it wanted to air an ad against a senate filibuster on court nominations. The ad asked people to contact Senators Kohl and Feingold to let them know how they felt on the filibuster issue.
Feingold was running for re-election at the time so the ads could not air by law. Now they can.
While so-called issue ads during campaigns, paid by unnamed sources, that state a case for or against a particular candidate are still covered, some feel it's the beginning of the end for McCain-Feingold and campaign finance reform.
Fyi...