LIAR - President Bush Outlines Campaign Reform Principles

White House Web Site ^ | March 15, 2001 | George W. Bush

[jimkress]

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 15, 2001

President Bush Outlines Campaign Reform Principles

March 15, 2001

The Honorable Trent Lott
Senate Majority Leader
S-230, The Capitol
Washington, DC  20510

Dear Senator Lott:

     As the Senate prepares to consider campaign finance reform legislation, I wanted to highlight my principles for reform.  I am committed to working with the Congress to ensure that fair and balanced campaign reform legislation is enacted.

     These principles represent my framework for assessing campaign finance reform legislation.  I remain open to other ideas to meet shared goals.

     I am hopeful that, working together, we can achieve responsible campaign finance reforms.

Sincerely,

George W. Bush

---

Campaign Finance Reform

President Bush's Reform Principles

Protect Rights of Individuals to Participate in Democracy: President Bush believes democracy is first and foremost about the rights of individuals to express their views.  He supports strengthening the role of individuals in the political process by: 1) updating the limits established more than two decades ago on individual giving to candidates and national parties; and 2) protecting the rights of citizen groups to engage in issue advocacy.

Maintain Strong Political Parties: President Bush believes political parties play an essential role in making America's democratic system operate.  He wants to maintain the strength of parties, and not to weaken them.  Any reform should help political parties more fully engage citizens in the political process and encourage them to express their views and to vote.

Ban Corporate and Union Soft Money:  Corporations and labor unions spend millions of dollars every election cycle in unregulated 'soft? money to influence federal elections.  President Bush supports a ban on unregulated corporate and union contributions of soft money to political parties.

Eliminate Involuntary Contributions: President Bush believes no one should be forced to support a candidate or cause against his or her will.  He therefore supports two parallel reforms:  1) legislation to prohibit corporations from using treasury funds for political activity without the permission of shareholders; and 2) legislation to require unions to obtain authorization from each dues-paying worker before spending those dues on activities unrelated to collective bargaining.

Require Full and Prompt Disclosure: President Bush also believes that in an open society, the best safeguard against abuse is full disclosure.  He supports full, prompt and constitutionally permissible disclosure of contributions and expenditures designed to influence the outcome of federal elections, so voters will have complete and timely information on which to make informed decisions.

Promote Fair, Balanced, Constitutional Approach: President Bush believes reform should not favor any one party over another or incumbents over challengers.  Both corporations and unions should be prohibited from giving soft money to political parties, and both corporations and unions should have to obtain permission from their stockholders or dues-paying workers before spending treasury funds or dues on politics.  President Bush supports including a non-severability provision, so if any provision of the bill is found unconstitutional, the entire bill is sent back to Congress for further adjustments and deliberations.  This provision will ensure fair and balanced campaign finance reform.

[jimkress]

LIAR!

[jimkress]

Fax a copy of this article to Bush at the White House. The Fax number is 1-202-456-2461

We should BURY him in faxes. I already sent mine!

[Holden Magroin]

legislation to require unions to obtain authorization from each dues-paying worker before spending those dues on activities unrelated to collective bargaining.

Too bad no such provision is in McLame-Feingold.

[joan_30]

I agree He wont get my vote for another term

[RAT Patrol]

Your post #1 looks exactly like the email I just sent to him. He has lost my trust. He's a liar. I didn't blame his dad for the tax thing, he was tricked. This is different. The man is a politician first. He's a liar. I want a refund due to false advertising.

[illbenice]

I never thought I would say this... Bush is a punk.

He forgot the country he is suppose to serve. He forgot the constitution he swore to serve. Maybe we will learn a lesson this November, vote for a fence rider and you take in the rear.

[eric_da_grate]

President Bush supports including a non-severability provision, so if any provision of the bill is found unconstitutional, the entire bill is sent back to Congress for further adjustments and deliberations.

Who the hell is he kidding?...He knows it's as unconstitutional as murder, WE know it, his entire staff knows it and anyone with a thread of respect for the 1ST knows it.

This is precisely what happens when you entertain "moderation" for the sake of popularity....Moderates believe in NOTHING, Mr. President!.

Here's a bill that limits free speech months before an election, protects incumbency and ensures that the remaining FEW who still bother to vote in this country and actively participate in protecting our FUNDEMENTAL RIGHTS will be effectively handcuffed from doing their duty as AMERICAN CITIZENS!

Lead or get the hell out.

[Chuck N]

Embarrassed for my oountry that we the people are being led by fools who only care for a dollar. A bunch of crooked lawyers finaygaling more and more of the people's money to spend in the constant pursuit of power. When the good Lord returns will he find faith? If President Bush signs this unconstitutional bill he will be considered as ignorant as his dad for reneging on "read my lips, no new taxes". This will stick, another dumb decision made by out of touch polsters and "advisors". What a fool. The democrats and crook McCain must be drooling and salivating like mad dogs and laughing and breaking out the booze and toasting their victory.

[StopDemocratsDotCom]

Let's keep bashing Bush guys....maybe electing Hillary in 2 years ,since many of you will vote for a 3rd party candidate, will make you fell better.

[NovemberCharlie]

Well, I guess the good news is that Shays-Meehan violates at least two of them, so we could be looking at a veto.

Fingers crossed on both hands...

[tbg681]

Wow -- and I only thought liberals got hysterical about non-issues (yes, and I know the Constitution IS an issue)

Folks, this is bullshit! Calm down. There's enough loopholes in this thing to drive a Harvester thru...

...Mitch McConnell made sure.

Calm down, please...I LOVE Freepers, but we're going off the deep end here

[demkicker]

"Let's keep bashing Bush guys....maybe electing Hillary in 2 years ,since many of you will vote for a 3rd party candidate, will make you fell better."

Awwwww come on. You have to understand the strong urge of wanting to barf on every politician who is pretending to support CFR! Let those of us who want to rant and throw fits do so!

It's a big game a la Dog and Pony. So far Bush is good at it, though it may cost him some votes even when the Supremes declare it unconstitutional. He knows to do otherwise would subject him to the condemnation of the socialists, commies and the great uneducated. His poll numbers would tank.

Moral of the story? To Hell with principal. It's all about power and getting elected.... just as it's always been.

[Salvation]

Freep this poll: Should President Bush Sign the Campaign Finance Reform Bill Into Law?

[jonboy]

Ahem (sound of voice clearing). Perhaps I should put on my flame proof suit for stating the obvious. Everyone said that he would pick a pro-choice VP. He didn't. Everyone said that he would allow funding for continued stem cell research. He didn't. Now everyone is saying here at this forum that President Bush is going to BLATENTLY go against EASILY verifiable campaign rhetoric to sign a terrible and UNCONSTITUTIONAL bill that guts the First Amendment. They say that he is an idiot, a liar, a sellout, etc. etc. etc. and HE HAS NOT EVEN SIGNED THE BILL!!!! If the President wants to play politics and keep people guessing to the end that is his call. I'm banking on the fact that when he says something he means it. Maybe I'm naive and setting myself up for a fall. But I believe that he will come out of this somehow smelling like a rose with the bill NOT HAVING BEEN SIGNED. I don't think for a minute that he is so stupid to sign something that will hurt him with a substantial number in his base but which will not really help him. Do we all REALLY think that he is going to allow the Democrats to come back and bang him over the head with this as they say, "While we are glad the President NOW agrees with us on campaign Finance reform, we find it very troubling that he would say one thing in the campaign and do another for political reasons, VERY troubling."

I'll make my prediction. BUSH WILL NOT SIGN THIS BILL! Write it down and either eat crow or tell me so later.

[GhostofWCooper]

Well, what happened to the old refrain..?
"He hasn't had enough time to act like a conservative yet, he needs more time!"
After the events of September, we got the "Patriot Act". It was written up years before, they just never had the wherewithal to get it passed into law before. Convenient, these terror attacks. GW and Teddy flew around the country, with him telling everyone in earshot how much he respects the fat commie.
Pilots asked for guns to defend their passengers, OH NO, can't do that!
Next, the Office of Homeland Security (an admission of Empire) to accelerate the descent to a Police State, and now CFR. Oh, and lets open the borders to Mexico, we need to hold wages down.
Let's not fail to notice the continuing rampages of the various alphabet agencies, they are not exactly being reined in...All things considered, I don't think liberals could be all that much worse. A disappointing performance, to put it mildly. That's why we aren't gonna lap up the puke this time. I was against him in 2000, but voted out of fear of Algor. Now we're supposed to vote for fear of Hildebeast.

Hey, I have an idea! I think I'll vote for someone I know is on my side, and encourage others to do the same. After all, if the 'silent majority' would vote, they could elect anyone they want.
25% of the people pick our leaders. Let's change that.
It'll be a good object lesson for the other RINOs.
We want our country back. Liberals are liberals no matter what letter precedes their names.

Let him twist in the wind.

[firebrand]

She's probably doing the fandango right now. What a nightmare.

[M. Thatcher]

BUSH WILL NOT SIGN THIS BILL!

Oh yeah?

----

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 20, 2002
Statement by the President

Like many Republicans and Democrats in the Congress, I support common-sense reforms to end abuses in our campaign finance system. The reforms passed today, while flawed in some areas, still improve the current system overall, and I will sign them into law.

The legislation makes some important progress on the timeliness of disclosure, individual contribution limits, and banning soft money from corporations and labor unions, but it does present some legitimate constitutional questions. I continue to believe the best reform is full and timely disclosure of campaign contributions.

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