Posted on 02/14/2002 1:52:44 AM PST by kattracks
(CNSNews.com) - They did it: Following a 16-hour debate, the U.S. House of Representatives early Thursday morning passed a bill that would change the nation's campaign finance laws - for the better, said supporters; and for worse, said critics.
The vote was 240-189, with 41 Republicans and one independent voting for the Shays-Meehan bill, 12 Democrats voting with 176 Republicans and one independent against it.
The measure that passed around 2:30 a.m. is close enough to the Senate version that it could go straight to the Senate floor for a vote, in which case Republicans are promising a filibuster; or if the Senate doesn't accept it outright, it could move into a conference committee first.
President Bush, much to the dismay of some Republicans, is expected to sign the measure once it reaches his desk.
Here's some of what the House-passed bill does: It bans unregulated "soft-money" given to national political parties by corporations, unions, interest groups, and individuals; but it would allow soft-money contributions to state and local parties, up to a $10,000 limit.
It allows individuals to donate up to $2,000 (from the current $1,000 limit) to political candidates. And it also restricts broadcast advertising in the sixty days before an election.
The latter provision may provide the "meat" for a legal challenge. Opponents - who already are threatening to sue -- say restricting broadcast advertising before an election is tantamount to restricting free speech.
As for the soft-money ban, opponents say it is nothing more than a move to protect political incumbents against challengers who are less well known.
On the other hand, campaign finance "reformers" say the bill will help restore public confidence in the political system where money buys influence. Nonsense, say critics, who insist that money talks - always has and always will. They say politicians will find ways around the law, or simply walk through its loopholes.
FEC Chairman Says Shays-Meehan is 'Unworkable' And 'Unenforceable'
Carolyn
| AYES | NOES | PRES | NV | |
| REPUBLICAN | 41 | 176 | 5 | |
| DEMOCRATIC | 198 | 12 | 1 | |
| INDEPENDENT | 1 | 1 | ||
| TOTALS | 240 | 189 | 6 |
|
| ||
| Abercrombie | Green (TX) | Napolitano |
| Ackerman | Greenwood | Neal |
| Allen | Grucci | Oberstar |
| Andrews | Gutierrez | Obey |
| Baca | Hall (OH) | Olver |
| Baird | Harman | Ortiz |
| Baldacci | Hastings (FL) | Osborne |
| Baldwin | Hill | Ose |
| Barrett | Hinchey | Owens |
| Bass | Hinojosa | Pallone |
| Becerra | Hoeffel | Pascrell |
| Bentsen | Holden | Pastor |
| Bereuter | Holt | Payne |
| Berkley | Honda | Pelosi |
| Berman | Hooley | Petri |
| Berry | Horn | Phelps |
| Bishop | Houghton | Platts |
| Blagojevich | Hoyer | Pomeroy |
| Blumenauer | Inslee | Price (NC) |
| Boehlert | Israel | Quinn |
| Bonior | Jackson (IL) | Ramstad |
| Bono | Jackson-Lee (TX) | Rangel |
| Borski | Jefferson | Reyes |
| Boswell | John | Rivers |
| Boyd | Johnson (CT) | Rodriguez |
| Brady (PA) | Johnson (IL) | Roemer |
| Brown (FL) | Johnson, E. B. | Ros-Lehtinen |
| Brown (OH) | Jones (OH) | Ross |
| Capito | Kanjorski | Rothman |
| Capps | Kaptur | Roybal-Allard |
| Capuano | Kennedy (RI) | Rush |
| Cardin | Kildee | Sabo |
| Carson (IN) | Kilpatrick | Sanchez |
| Carson (OK) | Kind (WI) | Sanders |
| Castle | Kirk | Sandlin |
| Clay | Kleczka | Sawyer |
| Clayton | Kucinich | Schakowsky |
| Clement | LaFalce | Schiff |
| Clyburn | Lampson | Serrano |
| Condit | Langevin | Shays |
| Conyers | Lantos | Sherman |
| Costello | Larsen (WA) | Simmons |
| Coyne | Larson (CT) | Skelton |
| Cramer | LaTourette | Slaughter |
| Crowley | Leach | Smith (MI) |
| Cummings | Lee | Smith (WA) |
| Davis (CA) | Levin | Snyder |
| Davis (FL) | Lewis (GA) | Solis |
| Davis (IL) | LoBiondo | Spratt |
| DeFazio | Lofgren | Stark |
| DeGette | Lowey | Stenholm |
| Delahunt | Lucas (KY) | Strickland |
| DeLauro | Luther | Stupak |
| Deutsch | Lynch | Tanner |
| Dicks | Maloney (CT) | Tauscher |
| Dingell | Maloney (NY) | Taylor (MS) |
| Doggett | Markey | Thompson (CA) |
| Dooley | Mascara | Thune |
| Doyle | Matheson | Thurman |
| Edwards | Matsui | Tierney |
| Engel | McCarthy (MO) | Towns |
| Eshoo | McCarthy (NY) | Turner |
| Etheridge | McCollum | Udall (CO) |
| Evans | McDermott | Udall (NM) |
| Farr | McGovern | Upton |
| Fattah | McHugh | Velazquez |
| Ferguson | McIntyre | Visclosky |
| Filner | McKinney | Walsh |
| Foley | McNulty | Wamp |
| Ford | Meehan | Waters |
| Frank | Meek (FL) | Watson (CA) |
| Frelinghuysen | Meeks (NY) | Watt (NC) |
| Frost | Menendez | Waxman |
| Ganske | Millender-McDonald | Weiner |
| Gephardt | Miller, George | Weldon (PA) |
| Gilchrest | Mink | Wexler |
| Gilman | Moore | Wolf |
| Gonzalez | Moran (VA) | Woolsey |
| Gordon | Morella | Wu |
| Graham | Nadler | Wynn |
|
| ||
| Aderholt | Goss | Pence |
| Akin | Granger | Peterson (MN) |
| Armey | Graves | Peterson (PA) |
| Bachus | Green (WI) | Pickering |
| Baker | Gutknecht | Pitts |
| Ballenger | Hall (TX) | Pombo |
| Barcia | Hansen | Portman |
| Barr | Hart | Pryce (OH) |
| Bartlett | Hastert | Putnam |
| Barton | Hastings (WA) | Radanovich |
| Biggert | Hayes | Rahall |
| Bilirakis | Hayworth | Regula |
| Blunt | Herger | Rehberg |
| Boehner | Hilleary | Reynolds |
| Bonilla | Hilliard | Rogers (KY) |
| Boozman | Hobson | Rogers (MI) |
| Boucher | Hoekstra | Rohrabacher |
| Brown (SC) | Hostettler | Royce |
| Bryant | Hulshof | Ryan (WI) |
| Burr | Hunter | Ryun (KS) |
| Burton | Hyde | Saxton |
| Buyer | Isakson | Schaffer |
| Callahan | Issa | Schrock |
| Calvert | Istook | Scott |
| Camp | Jenkins | Sensenbrenner |
| Cannon | Johnson, Sam | Sessions |
| Cantor | Jones (NC) | Shadegg |
| Chabot | Keller | Shaw |
| Chambliss | Kelly | Sherwood |
| Coble | Kennedy (MN) | Shimkus |
| Collins | Kerns | Shows |
| Combest | King (NY) | Shuster |
| Cooksey | Kingston | Simpson |
| Cox | Knollenberg | Skeen |
| Crane | Kolbe | Smith (NJ) |
| Crenshaw | LaHood | Smith (TX) |
| Culberson | Largent | Souder |
| Cunningham | Latham | Stearns |
| Davis, Jo Ann | Lewis (CA) | Stump |
| Davis, Tom | Lewis (KY) | Sununu |
| Deal | Linder | Sweeney |
| DeLay | Lipinski | Tancredo |
| DeMint | Lucas (OK) | Tauzin |
| Diaz-Balart | Manzullo | Taylor (NC) |
| Doolittle | McCrery | Terry |
| Dreier | McInnis | Thomas |
| Duncan | McKeon | Thompson (MS) |
| Dunn | Mica | Thornberry |
| Ehlers | Miller, Dan | Tiahrt |
| Ehrlich | Miller, Gary | Tiberi |
| Emerson | Miller, Jeff | Toomey |
| English | Mollohan | Vitter |
| Everett | Moran (KS) | Walden |
| Flake | Murtha | Watkins (OK) |
| Fletcher | Myrick | Watts (OK) |
| Forbes | Nethercutt | Weldon (FL) |
| Fossella | Ney | Weller |
| Gallegly | Northup | Whitfield |
| Gekas | Norwood | Wicker |
| Gibbons | Nussle | Wilson (NM) |
| Gillmor | Otter | Wilson (SC) |
| Goode | Oxley | Young (AK) |
| Goodlatte | Paul | Young (FL) |
|
| ||
| Brady (TX) | Hefley | Roukema |
| Cubin | Riley | Traficant |
Yes, but that never bothered them before. Why should it bother them now?
Carolyn
Carolyn
And the GOP continues it's morphing process....
I have a long memory.
Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.
Yes, but that never bothered them before. Why should it bother them now?
Which Congresscritter was it that said "if the Constitutional test were applied, we couldn't do 95% of what we do up here."
(Please pardon the terrible paraphrase).
On Capitol Hill yesterday, the hypocrisy was so thick you could slice it with a knife.Democrats who, during the Clinton years, blithely shrugged off damning evidence of high level bribery, kickbacks, and payoffs suddenly morphed into born-again "reformers" yesterday, railing sanctimoniously against the 'corrupting' 'influence' of "soft money" contributions on politics. All the talk was Enron, Enron, Enron -- as if Chinagate had never happened.
The tartuffery was naueating.
Here was Rep. Marty Meehan of Massachusetts, a 'see-no-evil-hear-no-evil' apologist for Clinton corruption, breathlessly lecturing his colleagues on integrity and probity, sans the faintest hint of shame or irony.
Or take Democrat Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, who in 1998 condemned the House impeachment probe as a "coordinated effort to harass...to really undermine the ability of the [Clinton] White House to do the business expected of it."
Three years later, Hoyer turns a new leaf. Yeah, right.
So, now that Shays-Meehan has passed the House, what's next?
Much to the chargin of the McCainiacs, it ain't over quite yet. The bill now heads for the Senate, where it likely will face new challenges. Sen. Robert Torricelli of New Jersey has already labeled "problematic" the House's decision to drop a key provision in the Senate-passed version requiring broadcasters to offer politicians ad time at special low rates. McCain-Feingold won with less than 60 votes in the Senate, so a filibuster is not out of the question.
If Torricelli switches sides and joins a filibuster, all bets will be off. The beauty of this scenario: The McCainiacs will only have themselves to blame.
Initially, the so-called "reformers" tried to muscle this turkey through the House sans legitimate debate on amendments. Their 'my-way-or-the-highway' hubris was illustrative. It underscored the sinister -- but thinly concealed -- purpose behind this bare-knuckle attack on the Bill of Rights, namely, to gag and de-fund the right.
Here's the deal: To lefties, the only thing standing in the way of socialist paradise here in America is 'evil' campaign money. Particularly donations from business interests.
The demise of Hillary-care was widely "blamed" on those memorable 'Harry and Louise' ads, which the media branded "misleading" and "deceptive".
But they weren't. Those ads exposed the fangs behind the smile of Hillary-care, an attempted coup detat over 1/7 of the U.S. economy.
In fact, the ads were devastating precisely because they were honest and candid. They conveyed the fatal flaws of Hillary-care in language everyone could understand and relate to.
Make no mistake: Just as Hillary-care was but the first step towards the total Sovietization of healthcare, McCain-Feingold/Shays-Meehan is merely the first phase towards the complete nationalization of American politics. The left aims to squelch all Harry and Louise voices of dissent.
Mandatory public financing of all elections and a ban on all independent political advertizing would pave the way.
To achieve that ultimate objective, McCain-Feingold/Shays-Meehan constitute the necessary opening preamble. By compromising even an inch on the first amendment -- and these bills go well beyond that -- the precedent for government control over grassroots/independent political activities will have been set, greasing the skids for more draconian controls down the road -- after the next round of "reforms". The "reformers", newly emboldened, will come back for more -- again and again.
McCain-Feingold is only dress-rehersal.
At the end of this slippery-slope, in a world where private campaign expenditures are outlawed, politicians will no longer feel constrained to bend to business and corporate interests. Ergo: Socialism flows inexorably out of this new political landscape.
I'm convinced that's the cynical purpose behind the mad rush for "campaign finance reform".
But, for the "reformers", there's still one major hurdle: The U.S. Constitution.
The McCain-Feingold/Shays-Meehan provision prohiting independent political advertizing weeks prior to elections can not pass constitutional muster. Not under the judiciary as currently constituted, that is.
Despite eight years of leftist appointments to the bench under Clinton-Gore, constitutionalists still out-number usurpers where it matters most: The U.S. Supreme Court.
That's where McCain-Feingold/Shays-Meehan would ultimately land, where it would ultimately be vetted IF -- and that's a big IF -- it were to become law.
My two cents...
"JohnHuang2"
but..but.."tartuffery?"......
Basically, it means *phoniness*, an fitting depiction of our "courageous" congrescritters.
Those who SWITCHED must be identified. Who are they? Did they inform their constituency that they were switching?
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