Posted on 08/26/2004 9:08:22 AM PDT by yonif
Las Cruces, N.M. -- Senator John McCain says he's "very appreciative" of a White House offer to help pursue court action against outside political ad groups.
The Arizona Republican has prodded President Bush to condemn ads from a group calling itself "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth." The group has attacked John Kerry's Vietnam record, saying he doesn't deserve his medals and shouldn't be commander-in-chief.
McCain tells The Associated Press he doesn't want the independent political groups "abolished." He says they should just "live under the same campaign finance restrictions" as other groups.
Bush called McCain from aboard Air Force One today while on his way to New Mexico. A Bush spokesman says the men spoke about the issue.
The spokesman says Bush will support McCain in court action against the ads or if that fails, work toward a legislative solution.
Making Kerry and all the Libs look like the Hypocrites that they are
Win round 1 first, then we can fight and win round 2.
Sounds very bad....but do you 1) really think tat McCain will join in a lawsuit against organizations empowered by his own legislation? and 2) do you really think Kerry will join them to silence his own supporters? 3) and do you really think that GW Bush assumes that the both McCain and Kerry will join him in such a lawsuit?
To me it sounds like yet another smart move by that "misunderstimated cowboy".
ScaniaBoy ScaniaBoy
When do the book burnings begin?
So they are going to shut down the 527's. Where are we to go to be heard before an election? I see this as one more step in taking away the freedom to speak freely before an election. When is the assult going to end?
Yes, I support free speech. I trust people to make up their own minds.
Do you believe Soros? Do you think Bush is like Hitler? Are you smarter than everyone else?
Bad anti democratic laws and laws which back into socialism invariably cause unforseen problems (and not exceptionally, forseen problelms). The statists and the socialists then call for more statism or more socialism to fix the ills they have created with their nostroms in the first place.
A group of citizen soldiers, middle aged and middle class, are serving their consciences to affect an election. In the name of Jefferson and Madison and God almighty, that is exactly what they are supposed to do and it is not a thimble full of concern that John McCain finds it unseemly. He has already done the republic enough harm with this law which was justified to stop big money lobbyists, let us not let him compound the mischief.
That is a risky strategy that I won't buy this time. I was fooled once by 'CFR will get shot down by the SCOTUS' line once before. Any other strategies seem like closing the barn door after the horse runs away.
Kinda like signing CFR was necessary so the USSC could declare it unconstitutional?
Whatever happened to "citizens, not serfs"? This is a(nother) slap to conservatives, actually a slap to all Americans. How dare we speak out politically. If not for the war, Bush would've lost my vote over this issue. The threat of suing the SBV's isn't going to gain him one iota of support from anyone, least of all the "moderates" (a.k.a. closet leftists) to whom I guess his handlers think they're appealing.
In historical terms, not long.
Are you kiddin..?
There will never be another Bill. The Dumbs are relying on the 527$$$$ to compete. Without it, this electon would already be over.
This is Window Dressing for the coming torrent. Watch Kerry howl, when the Bush advocates unleash a 100 milllion dollar torrent on him.
He isn't suing the SBV
Explain to me how buying TV ads is free speech compared to voicing your opinion on a street corner? Or how giving a group 15 million is free speech?
You mean like signing CFR, which created the 527's, which are funded by Soros, which Bush is now complaining about. A few more smart moves like that and we won't have a first amendment, at least as far as political speech is concerned. And if you don't believe me, here's a snippet from what Bush's favorite Supreme Court justice said about CFR:
This is a sad day for the freedom of speech. Who could have imagined that the same Court which, within the past four years, has sternly disapproved of restrictions upon such inconsequential forms of expression as virtual child pornography, Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition, 535 U. S. 234 (2002), tobacco advertising, Lorillard Tobacco Co. v. Reilly, 533 U. S. 525 (2001), dissemination of illegally intercepted communications, Bartnicki v. Vopper, 532 U. S. 514 (2001), and sexually explicit cable programming, United States v. Playboy Entertainment Group, Inc., 529 U. S. 803 (2000), would smile with favor upon a law that cuts to the heart of what the First Amendment is meant to protect: the right to criticize the government. For that is what the most offensive provisions of this legislation are all about. We are governed by Congress, and this legislation prohibits the criticism of Members of Congress by those entities most capable of giving such criticism loud voice: national political parties and corporations, both of the commercial and the not-for-profit sort. It forbids pre-election criticism of incumbents by corporations, even not-for-profit corporations, by use of their general funds; and forbids national-party use of "soft" money to fund "issue ads" that incumbents find so offensive.
Oh I'll watch the coming torrent. But to get rid of Kerry at the expense of the First Amendment is unforgivable. I wish I could be as optimistic as you. CFR has shown what both parties are capable of.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.