Posted on 03/27/2002 6:23:59 PM PST by TLBSHOW
Today I have signed into law H.R. 2356, the "Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002." I believe that this legislation, although far from perfect, will improve the current financing system for Federal campaigns.
The bill reforms our system of financing campaigns in several important ways. First, it will prevent unions and corporations from making unregulated, "soft" money contri-butions -- a legislative step for which I repeatedly have called.
Often, these groups take political action without the consent of their members or shareholders, so that the influence of these groups on elections does not necessarily comport with the actual views of the individuals who comprise these organizations. This prohibition will help to right that imbalance.
Second, this law will raise the decades-old limits on giving imposed on individuals who wish to support the candidate of their choice, thereby advancing my stated principle that election reform should strengthen the role of individual citizens in the political process.
Third, this legislation creates new disclosure requirements and compels speedier compliance with existing ones, which will promote the free and swift flow of information to the public regarding the activities of groups and individuals in the political process.
I long have believed that complete and immediate disclosure of the source of campaign contributions is the best way to reform campaign finance.
These provisions of the bill will go a long way toward fixing some of the most pressing problems in campaign finance today. They will result in an election finance system that encourages greater individual participation, and provides the public more accurate and timely information, than does the present system. All of the American electorate will benefit from these measures to strengthen our democracy.
As a policy matter, I would have preferred a bill that included a provision to protect union members and shareholders from involuntary political activities undertaken by their leadership.
Individuals have a right not to have their money spent in support of candidates or causes with which they disagree, and those rights should be better protected by law. I hope that in the future the Congress and I can work together to remedy this defect of the current financing structure.
This legislation is the culmination of more than 6 years of debate among a vast array of legislators, citizens, and groups. Accordingly, it does not represent the full ideals of any one point of view.
But it does represent progress in this often-contentious area of public policy debate. Taken as a whole, this bill improves the current system of financing for Federal campaigns, and therefore I have signed it into law.
GEORGE W. BUSH
THE WHITE HOUSE,
March 27, 2002.
I'm not the one who plans to vote for someone who has signed into law one of the most egregious bills since the Alien and Sedition Act (which was signed into law by Preident JOHN ADAMS).
If they don't then the bill is constitutional and you should have no beef with Bush's principles.
An Embryo is a human being too and any manipulation of technology used to create human life does not make human life any less human than before.
I am confused by your post. Are you saying that you disagree that the RATS base won't need some explanation as to why their speech was shut down by Feingold and Daschle who made sure it got thru the Senate ?
I actually voted for Bush, cmotormouth, believing that the alternative, Al Bore-Joe LIE-berman, would be much worse. I stood outside of Cheney's house in bitter cold weather protesting Gore's hijacking of the election. And this is what happens. Knowing that Bush signed this perversion of the Constitution, I will not make the mistake of voting for him again, nor of voting for you.
We all know why Democrats voted for this bill. Since when had they ever have a firm respect for the U.S. Constitution? What worries most of us here, is why exactly the firm defenders of the Constitution--Republicans, voted for this garbage.
The C-Span script doesn't fool anyone. Your previous replies contradict what you claim.
I like that line. The blurring of Democrat and Republican principles will be fatal to the Republican party in the near future ( can you say "Whig"? I knew you could) unless the Repubs wake up, which is becoming doubtful given this year's and last year's stellar performances in DC by them.
We differ on the embryo funding. I though Bush had least took a stand on that one. Not the one I would have taken, but at least he took one. On CFR he just plain ducked. Not acceptable.
You are getting closer to realizing that a politician can never be too far from where the majority of the people are. Your disapointment with any politician is merely a symptom of your disapointment with the majority. (Even St. Paul knew this when persuading people to believe in Jesus. He always started where the people were and moved them from there. )
I happen to believe that Bush would move farther right in a heart beat if the population did so but it takes time or a crisis to move people to new thoughts.
Heck if it didn't the gospel would have been preached to all nations in the first year.
Keep the cheerleading going..... it is fun to watch.
No, it means that the court failed in its duty to uphold the 9th, 10th, and, more likely than not, the 1st amendments (not to mention Article I, Section 8) via judicial review. Do you really think I'm stupid enough to swallow your bull?
I know that previous statement sounded cliche', but it was true.
I actually volunteered for Bush while I was helping with other campaigns for the Lake County Illinois Republican Party Headquarters this summer. I was also there when Bush came to Naperville and called Adam Clymer an ***hole.
Except many of their supporters are fervent 1st ammenders. They are not going to be very happy when they wake up and find out they not only were raped they didn't get paid.
I will keep supporting and helping out candidates that adhere to the U.S. Constitution and have a firm respect for human life. I like Howard Phillips, Alan Keyes, Larry Klayman...all of them--the underdogs of truth.
He lied on both counts.
He's lost my vote, he will not regain it unless he gets serious about upholding the Constitution.
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