MoveOn Balks at Proposed FEC Rules Changes by Scaring Nonprofits (FEC Email Needs FReeping! NOW!)

Talon News ^ | April 2, 2004 | Jimmy Moore

[mware]

The campaign of Democrat John F. Kerry has hired a new director of online communications -- and the new guy comes from MoveOn.org, the anti-Bush group that Republicans view as a shadow Kerry campaign.

Check out this my friend....The campaign of Democrat John F. Kerry has hired a new director of online communications -- and the new guy comes from MoveOn.org, the anti-Bush group that Republicans view as a shadow Kerry campaign.

[Gen. Longstreet]

Yeah, the RNC (which is currently a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Bush-Cheney campaign) doesn't care what happens to other conservative groups. In fact, they'd like to shut them down too, and have the RNC and Bush-Cheney campaigns be the sole recipients of conservative dollars. May not be best for conservatives, for the Constitution, nor even for the party or even, perhaps, for Bush-Cheney, but it's best for the folks running the campaign and the party.

[Liz]

Suit yourself. That's how politics works, like it or not. The point is to reelect Bush. Nothing more, nothing less. If you choose to ignore concerns about 527's, then you'd best go over to DU and play. You'll be more welcome there.

[Gen. Longstreet]

The point is to reelect Bush. Nothing more, nothing less.

Perhaps for you. Not for me. First, let me ask you this: if Bush announced that he had decided to support repeal of all his tax cuts plus an increase in the top bracket beyond that, appoint pro-choice judges to the bench, etc., would you still say that? Of course not. So the point is not only to reelect Bush - presumably we care about why we reelect Bush. I care about the First Amendment and our rights to free speech over the long term.

Second, one element in this discussion has been whether or not the GOP approach would work. I've laid out reasons why it is very unlikely to work. I don't think you've offered much in the way of a convincing response. So now you throw in the towel - well, let's just do it anyway, you say, because the purpose is to reelect Bush. Well, the purpose of massive welfare programs is to improve society. The question is do they work? Same question here, will it work? Should we abandon principle and long-term objectives for possible, but in no way certain, short term gain?

There is no guarantee that what is done with 527s will be a determining factor in Bush's reelection one way or the other. It's quite likely he'll win either way; it's certainly possible he'll lose either way. It's possible - in my view likely - that the GOP strategy on this issue is harming the campaign - they're discouraging conservatives from giving, while the liberals are going ahead. Meanwhile, the effort to shut down the 527s is firing up the most liberal Democrats - especially the Deaniacs and such, who might otherwise sit it out or vote Nader.

you'd best go over to DU and play. You'll be more welcome there.

Cheap, really cheap. That's the kind of thing people say when they're out of real arguments.