President Bush Outlines Campaign Reform Principles

The Whitehouse ^ | March 15, 2001 (One year ago) | George W. Bush

[Jim Robinson]

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

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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.

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Return to this article at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/03/20010315-7.html

[Jim Robinson]

Received the above via email from Brian Buckley along with this note:

Jim: Here is what Bush said a year ago about what he would require for CFR, including:

"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."

He lied. No new liars!

-BLB

Thank you, Brian.

[FreedominJesusChrist]

BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. This one doesn't come as a surprise. W. needs to remember that he can't keep blowing off his core supporters like this.

[Fish out of Water]

index bump

[Fish out of Water]

fyi

[Howie66]

"BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. This one doesn't come as a surprise. W. needs to remember that he can't keep blowing off his core supporters like this."

Yeah! And just in case he forgets, we'll show him by electing algore or maybe Josef LIEberman in 2004! Then he'll see!

[LarryLied]

Not the type of switch one can blame on a changing situation.

[LarryLied]

Yeah! And just in case he forgets, we'll show him by electing algore or maybe Josef LIEberman in 2004! Then he'll see!

I'm open to less drastic action. Got any ideas?

[america-rules]

Hillbillary 2004 !

[rface]

bump for later

[SusanUSA]

The closed door and the sealed lips are prerequisites to tyranny.
~Frank L. Stanton

[Scholastic]

When ever I read the word "Bush" and "principles" in the same sentence, I roll on the floor and die laughing.

[Ff--150]

???

[gortklattu]

When ever I read the word "Bush" and "principles" in the same sentence, I roll on the floor and die laughing.

I know what you mean. For the last eight years we didn't see the president's name and the word "principles" in a sentence, unless it was connected with a crime or connected with the phrase "the lack thereof."

I have to hand it to you, that's funny!

[Uncle Bill]

Statement by the President

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.

###

Return to this article at:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/03/20020320-21.html

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The George W. Bush Lie

ABC News's This Week on January 23, 2000:

GEORGE F. WILL: I want to see if you agree with those who say it would be bad for the First Amendment? I know you're not a lawyer, you say that with some pride, but do you think a president, and we've got a lot of non-lawyer presidents, has a duty to make an independent judgment of what is and is not constitutional, and veto bills that, in his judgment, he thinks are unconstitutional?

GOV. BUSH: I do.

WILL: In which case, would you veto the McCain-Feingold bill, or the Shays-Meehan bill?

BUSH: That's an interesting question. I — I — yes I would.
Source

LIAR - George W. Bush

[Jesse]

"Read my lips..."

George W. Bush *LFLS

*Like Father, Like Son.

One term.

[chainsaw]

President Bush's Reform Principles

Read my Lips principles.

[n.y.muggs]

I'm no fan of CFR, and parts of it will be ruled unconstitutional. The politicians of both parties have a hard time obeying the existing laws.

Let me remind the freeper formerly known as Clarity, that changing your mind over an issue a year later is not a lying. For him to call the President a liar is a bold statement. We should not abandon our President over this issue.

[VikingsRazeAVillage]

THAT SPEAKS VOLUMES!!!!!!!!!!!! It should be illegal to say it. You're under arrest!!!!!!!!! ;-)

[Centurion2000]

bump

[VikingsRazeAVillage]

"that changing your mind over an issue a year later is not a lying."

He hasn't changed his mind, he's just being a weasel. He figures the USSC will handle it and that he can skate from the issue. He IS a liar, if he signs it. .....and, YES, we should ditch the jackass over this. We can do MUCH better.