Free Republic

FEC Commissioner Bradley Smith has announced his (expected) resignation and his intention to return to his (preferred) life teaching law. I'm told he'll remain at the Commission through the summer, hopefully to cast one of his final votes on the rules governing political activity on the internet. I've said it before and it remains true: to find a more effective advocate for free speech, to find a more important conservative in Washington, DC - you'll have to look very, very hard. (for a glimpse at his work, check out this letter to Messrs. McCain and company in response to a...

E-mail Author Send to a Friend Print Version March 16, 2004, 8:29 a.m. Correcting the Election Reporters A common mistake in last week's news. Allison R. Hayward You read it often enough it is almost a cliché: Campaign-finance law is so complicated (how complicated is it, Johnny?) that...take your pick. It's so complicated that even the experts don't agree on the rules. It's so complicated you need to hire a lawyer to run for office. And so on. But here's a rule everyone agrees on. Corporations can't make contributions to federal campaigns. Period. Moreover, contributions by partnerships and other donors...

The three Democrats on a federal panel have blocked any action on a proposal that would impose new limits on partisan groups raising money to benefit candidates in this year's election. The three members of the Federal Election Commission told Chairman Bradley Smith they needed more time to review comments the FEC had received on the proposal from political groups and campaign finance watchdogs in recent days. Smith is one of three Republicans on the six-member commission. The FEC now plans to consider the proposal later this month. At the heart of the issue is whether independent groups can raise...