GOP Greases Skids to Sink Campaign Finance Bill

CNSNews.com ^ | 2/20/02 | Jeff Johnson

[Molly Pitcher]

Thanks, Nita! This is great!

[Charlotte Corday]

I want to thank you for one of the most honest posts I've seen on this forum since I joined (admittedly only a couple of months ago).

What I think I hear you saying is that you support the Republicans because they only advocate X number of unconstitutional things, whereas the Democrats advocate (X times 3) unconstitutional things.

Now I may not think you are right in doing so, but at least you've stated the issue clearly.

[SusanUSA]

Thanks for the ping. I don't understand why this ever passed the House in the first place?

[alrea]

Daschle, Gephardt, and Kennedy

It is their plan to make journalists the "fifth branch of government."

It is their last chance to bring about nationalized healthcare.

It is an attempt to install Clinton Progressive media driven Socialism as the new form of Government with the Democratic Party controlling the political process unopposed.

They know that the Clinton Administration was a creation of the media. They know they are at a critical point where Americans are waking up to their brand of Socialism and the dangers it presents. They know that the events of 911 are bringing light to the dangers of liberal government. They must act now before the next election.

[anniegetyourgun]

Isn't it fascinating how they legislators are taking their cues from what the President has said. It took some training to get them to understand that he means what he says and says what he means. Now if the media would learn that lesson.

[rwfromkansas]

Let's make sure Bush knows this fails his principles and we are watching. Call the WH! Call and support senators who will fight against this thing passing there!

[rwfromkansas]

I really don't have a prob with him keeping his mouth shut myself....it keeps Congresscritters guessing.....but then again, the bad part is that it makes us uneasy and makes us guess what he is going to do.

[Ole Okie]

When did money metamorphosize into speech?

Don't know if you're serious with this question, but the metamorphasis occurred when the Supreme Court of the United States rendered an opinion that curtailing money in politics is the same as curtailing speech, and therefore infringes on the First Amendment.

[E.G.C.]

Thanks, Molly very much for the bump and the article. I'm glad to see JimRob chime in with comments on this too.

This bill will most likely have some sort of impact on the activities of Free Republic so we really need to watch this very carefully.

It looks like Sen. McConnell is in a good position to send the bill to it's death. Everybody cross your fingers.

[N. Theknow]

Something that puzzles me about this bill is the magic "60 days" period.

If the 60 days doesn't work does the law get changed to 120 days? And if that doesn't work does it go to 180 and so on and so on....

[Valin]

don't want no stinking campaign finance bill but muzzling the NAACP, NARAL, People for The American Way, ADA, NOW and other left wing fringe groups is fine by me.

Free speech for me but not for thee? If groups like these get muzzled the next thing you know they are coming right here.

[Valin]

Thanks for posting this...it's made my day.

[DJ88]

I don't know why it did either....but I know the Shays-Meehan Bill did not get my Congressman's vote...both of them voted "NO" to that amendment on the bill. (Thank goodness)...even though I live in FLORIDUH, at least my county has two Republican Congressmen that have common sense and know the Constitution. One of them is the youngest member of Congress.

[serinde]

"The sponsors of this bill were lying to America about what it does and doesn't do. Their bill only pretends to fix things, while making things worse with attacks on free speech, a brand-new set of huge loopholes, and more confusion than ever,"

Just a typical day at the office for our elected officials.

[MeekOneGOP]

(President's Politics of Pragmatism Helped Undermine GOP Opposition)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12678-2002Feb14.html

go and read

Hmm? Here is an excerpt from that:

---

President Bush's press secretary, Ari Fleischer, told reporters at an off-camera briefing that the proposal Republican leaders were struggling to thwart would, "in the president's opinion, improve the system." Fleischer was delivering a message agreed to by top White House officials.

The split between the White House and GOP House leaders became public Wednesday morning when Fleischer told reporters that if campaign finance reform is enacted, "I believe that you can thank President George W. Bush." Fleischer all but endorsed the two leading measures, saying the Shays-Meehan proposal and a rival would improve the system, "and that is at the end of the day what he is looking for."

That afternoon, Fleischer further backed away from his morning support for Shays-Meehan by attacking a provision in the bill that would allow party committees to pay off old debts with money that was being banned by the legislation. Officials said Bush had not known about the provision when he talked to reporters, although House Republican officials had pointed it out at the morning caucus. "People were going ballistic, so we knew we had a real unifier," a House GOP strategist said.

That the White House's actions proved to be a turning point in the House passage of campaign finance reform is an extraordinary irony. Bush opposed the proposal vigorously during the presidential campaign, although he offered a version of his own. As president, he warmed to the idea, saying he could not be counted on to veto the legislation. But he was no supporter.

---

What is at work here? At first I thought Fleischer screwed up, but Bush really will sign this as long as the Senate doesn't put in something he opposes. That is opposed to what he ran and campaigned on. This, to my knowledge, is the first major 180 he's done.

[DJ88]

Well, even though I agree in spirit, you can't have it both ways...if you muzzle one group, you have to muzzle the others. Unfortunately, we may have to put up with the NAACP, NOW, etc in order to hear from the NRA, etc.

[ohioWfan]

the bad part is that it makes us uneasy and makes us guess what he is going to do.

This troubled me too for a while, but then I considered his character and his words and actions of the past year, I came to the conclusion that he cannot rubberstamp this bill.

The fact that he does indeed 'say what he means, and mean what he says,' as Dick Cheney has also voiced several times in the past few days, reassures me that he will do the right thing.

We may be guessing, but as others have stated, we've seen before that he was playing chess when his opponents were playing checkers. What matters here is that he's not guessing.

[Valin]

The day a person paid to have a political flyer printed and distributed or paid to start a newspaper.

[MeekOneGOP]

Thanks for the ping. I don't understand why this ever passed the House in the first place?

See post #55. That may help you out. I'm not sure either still, but that's a good article, from the WashingtonCOMpost pile. It was also partial text posted on FR:

Bush's Pragmatism Helped Undermine GOP Opposition
http://209.157.64.200/focus/fr/628490/posts

[DJ88]

:-) I think his "stateregy" is playing out well. Yesterday we heard Shays implode on Sean Hannity, and we saw the fallout....methinks GWB is giving them enough rope to hang themselves with...then he'll veto it if it gets to his desk. I have faith.

Keep in mind..although most people don't even know what CFR is, they have been hearing about it non-stop now for over 2 weeks. Not just from the liberals, either...they have been hearing about the un-Constitutional-ality (is that a word???LOL!!) of this bill (if they are listening) and one would have to have hope that the "sheeple" are wondering WHY the left is putting up such a stink about getting this passed "so quickly".

The demorats are making it worse for themselves everyday. :-)