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.
Incumbent supporters of CFR in both parties have had their plans in place for a long time concerning how they will deal with the provisions of Shays-Mehan-McCain-Feingold-Judas-Benedict Arnold.
They will circumvent the provisions easily.
The portions that hurt challengers are another story...opponents were accurate in portraying this as an 'incumbent protection act'.
But there are ways...and some of us have been preparing for this day for awhile ourselves.
They can legislate trash like this til the cows come home, but it doesn't change the fact that we have a God-given right to speak and to give our resources to anyone we please; and an inalienable right to choose our own representatives.
There are ways, my friend, there are ways.
Time for us to start thinking like Sam Adams.
I understand your feelings, and appreciate the irony and sarcasm of your words; but I think a better plan is to simply eliminate from office every single elected official who was so lacking in understanding that they voted for this bill.
I know this is one particular list that I will be looking at regularly as a reminder who not to support or trust.
Bulls**t.
Cf: Soviet Union, China, North Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia, etc. etc. etc.
In fact, this one was kinda cute: I was google-searching for free speech in china and came across, on the first page, "China Implements New Law to Prohibit Free Speech". The domain name of the link ended in .hk, as in Hong Kong, which China took over recently.
Curiously, the page is gone. Who'da thunk it???
Let's get one thing straight here: Politicians WILL be controlling our speech WITHIN our lifetimes. They have already taken the first step: Controlling political speech prior to an election. The First Amendment was written specifically for this issue. Not for pornography. Not for urine-soaked 'art'. Not for crappy movies. But for POLITICAL speech. And this is what they have DIRECTLY attacked.
Make no mistake about this, dutiful Citizen, you will comply, or you will be killed.
That particular scenario, while understandable, is not an attractive one...basically you are describing our utter and total defeat.
A better plan, IMO, is to quadruple our efforts to make sure that conservatives win their primaries in the next few months...thereby making sure that we are sending reinforcements to the troops who have staunchly defended our liberties.
This should not be a signal for retreat...it should be a trumpet call to do battle with all of our hearts, minds and strength.
TERM LIMITS is the only form of campaign finance reform that this country needs. And it is the only form that will ever work.
All the Bush lovers on this site and across America, including my father, easily forget Bush's promise to uphold the Constitution. And he turns around and says he will sign a campaign finance bill.
The United States that we live in today is not the same country that I was born in and it most certainly not the country that is promised by the Declaration of Independence and it most certainly not the country that is promised by the Constitution of the United States. I want my freedom back and I want the country that is promised by our founding documents. Until the present United States dies, we are not going to be free. Politicians have no intention of ever turning back the clock. Their power, job security, egos and careers depend on it. Until enough Americans recognize that one state has to secede from the union, we face declining freedom and progressive enslavement.
Then I will die.
Like I said...over my dead body.
The ultimate goal of those who are not conservatives, but come here anyway to sway the conservative to vote for a smaller party, and lose everything to the democrats.
"A house divided will not stand."
Why else would they hang out at a conservative website rather than their own?
NOT ONE CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN VOTED FOR THIS BILL!
I didn't state that I felt the idea of the demos picking up thirty seats was an attractive idea; rather, it spells the doom of our Republic. Unfortunately, most Americans have no idea what has just been done to free speech in this country; they are too busy watching the Olympics. I just don't feel there enough Americans left who care about stemming the tide of encraoching socialism.
Oh, I didn't mean to imply that many of us will be surviving it. I just mean to point out that it will be occuring.
This is pure politics on the part of some folks in swing districts because of the Enron fiasco. They don't want to be seen as supporting the donations from Enron so please don't get so uptight and do something about it.
Donate to the NRA and other organizations that are going to challenge this in the Courts. President Bush knows what he is doing, his people know what they are doing, and you will too if you think about it.
This is Unconstitutional but has become a political football thanks to Enron. It will never survive a court challenge as it infringes on Free Speech. Go to the NRA website, contribute, and support them in total in their fight against this bill through the Courts. The SCOTUS has struck down bills like this in the past and expect them to do so again.
to read George Will's latest.
The concluding paragraph:
Because this is campaign finance reform week in Congress, herewith a question:
Steel tariffs and quotas would cost domestic steel users many billions of dollars - perhaps hundreds of thousands of dollars for every steelworker's job saved. Suppose electoral considerations are, say, one-third of the motive for imposing any new tariffs and quotas. Then one-third of the cost of tariffs and quotas would be, in effect, a campaign contribution of billions of taxpayers' involuntary dollars, coerced by the recipients - politicians. Is this kind of political contribution going to be regulated? Or will regulations limit only the much smaller and voluntary contributions by individuals?
The fact we lost this battle at all, saddens me very much.
We don't have any right to criticize any other totalitarian regime, what with our headlong rush into it ourselves.
Why yes, it sure can.
See liberals Jon Corzine and Mike Bloomberg for further information.
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