Free Republic

WASHINGTON - Non-party groups spending millions of dollars in unlimited donations on ads and get-out-the-vote drives in this year's presidential race will face some new ground rules starting with the 2006 election. The Federal Election Commission (news - web sites) voted 4-2 Thursday to require groups that raise more than $1,000 by telling donors the money will be used to support the election or defeat of a particular presidential or congressional candidate to accept only limited donations from individuals and to divulge the contributions and spending to the FEC. The commission also placed new spending restrictions on groups that collect...

527 surge takes Kerry past Bush By Alexander Bolton Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and his Democratic allies have raised almost twice as much money as the Bush-Cheney campaign so far this year, according to recent government filings. The data show that despite the fears of many Democrats, their White House nominee likely will not be significantly hurt by his funding disparity compared to President Bush this election year. The figures also call into question the effectiveness of campaign-finance reform and whether it has in fact wrung special-interest money out of politics. Twenty-one of the largest Democratic-allied 527 groups — named...

The White House yesterday distanced itself from a political ad that questions John Kerry's Vietnam service and called on the Democratic presidential nominee to join President Bush in demanding an "immediate cessation" of all advertisements by outside groups. "We have not and will not question Senator Kerry's service in Vietnam," White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters aboard Air Force One. "The president is calling for an immediate cessation to all the unregulated soft money activity." He added: "We hope the Kerry campaign will join us." The TV ad features 13 Vietnam veterans who say Mr. Kerry, a Navy lieutenant...

After the U.S. Congress banned unlimited contributions to political parties two years ago to reduce the influence of big donors, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky took to the floor and made a prediction. ``There won't be a penny less spent on issues and campaigns in America because of this bill,'' said McConnell, who led the fight against the legislation, after the Senate passed it on March 20, 2002. Turns out, the 62-year-old Republican was understating his case: More money is pouring into the parties than ever before. Democrats and Republicans collected a record $345 million from Jan. 1, 2003, through...

WASHINGTON - A pro-Republican get-out-the-vote group aimed at counteracting multimillion-dollar organizations that oppose President Bush has logged its first $1 million donation. The Progress for America Voter Fund received $1 million in June from Jerry Perenchio, chief executive of the Univision Communications Inc. Spanish-language media company. Perenchio, a volunteer GOP fund-raiser, has also raised at least $100,000 for Bush's re-election effort. Perenchio's donation was among three accounting for nearly all the $2.26 million the Progress for America Voter Fund raised in the second quarter, a report by the group to the Internal Revenue Service shows. The group also received $500,000...

Video and audio courtesy The Associated Press. (Free Real Player required)Somber images from the Sept. 11 attacks fill the television screen -- twisted steel, then President Bush with his arm draped around a firefighter's shoulders. "He held us together and began to hunt down terrorist killers. But what if Bush wasn't there?" the announcer asks. "Could John Kerry have shown this leadership? The Kerry who voted against billions for America's intelligence even after the first World Trade Center bombing? The Kerry who voted against 13 weapons systems our troops depend on?" A Republican-linked group paid for the ad with the...

I had an interesting encounter today while at my sil's house. First, let me start by saying that we were out in very rural Ohio visiting my sil. As we were leaving, 2 college age men came by with "Americans Coming Together" shirts on knocking at my sil's door. Big deal, right. The dems had their stooges out hitting the pavement trying to muster up votes. Well, here is the big deal about it... They come up to the door as we were leaving, asking for my sil's oldest daughter BY NAME! This girl does not attend college, does not...

The fledgling liberal Air America Radio Network is struggling to reach listeners since its inception earlier this year. The 24-hour talk network can only be heard in only 15 markets around the country, including two stations in Florida. The closest radio station to Southwest Florida that carries the network is WLIB-AM (1190) in Key West. The programming can also be picked up on XM and Sirius satellite broadcasting. The network also streams its shows on the Internet. snip- Franken is being paid $1 million a year to host the noon to 3 p.m. show called "The O'Franken Factor." In a...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal regulators on Thursday refused to impose new restrictions on political groups that are spending millions on the presidential election, and Republicans predicted the decision would open the spending floodgates on their side. Several Democratic groups have already begun spending large donations on advertising and get-out-the-vote activities. Republicans had asked to step in and stop the activities under the campaign law that broadly banned big checks known as "soft money" from federal elections. But four of the six Federal Election Commission members on Thursday refused to step in, tabling the issue for at least three months. Democratic...

WASHINGTON - Federal officials Thursday rejected new limits for political groups pouring millions into ads and voter drives in the presidential election, and Republicans predicted the decision would prompt a surge in big donations for their side. Several Democratic groups have already begun spending large donations on efforts critical of President Bush (news - web sites) or supportive of Democratic candidate John Kerry (news - web sites). Republicans had asked the Federal Election Commission (news - web sites) to stop the activities under the campaign law that broadly banned from federal elections the big checks known as "soft money." But...

MoveOn Staffer Moves on to Kerry Campaign 1 hour, 51 minutes ago By SHARON THEIMER, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - A strategist with MoveOn.org, a group that Republicans accuse of being too closely tied to Democrat John Kerry (news - web sites)'s presidential campaign, is leaving to work for Kerry. Zack Exley will be the Kerry campaign's director of online communications and organizing. He was the MoveOn political action committee's special projects director, focusing on research and mobilizing MoveOn supporters, Eli Pariser, the PAC's executive director, said Wednesday. President Bush (news - web sites)'s campaign last week filed a government...

Presidential candidate Senator John Kerry is hoping that reporters will be so intimidated by his Vietnam War medals that they will not explore his pro-communist political career. It's true that he fought bravely against the communists. Later, however, he turned against his fellow soldiers, accused them of genocide, marched with those seeking a communist victory in Vietnam, and abandoned Vietnam POW/MIAs. Then, as a senator, he strongly opposed the efforts of the Reagan administration to prevent a communist takeover of Central America. Instead of raising these issues, which go the heart of Kerry's patriotism and integrity, the media have run...

SPARTANBURG, SC (Talon News) -- Liberal anti-Bush online political activist group MoveOn.org sent a warning message to its members this week regarding the upcoming ruling by the Federal Election Commission about the legality of so-called 527 groups accepting soft campaign contributions to run political ads."The Republican National Committee is pressing the Federal Election Commission to issue new rules that would cripple groups that dare to communicate with the public in any way critical of President Bush or members of Congress," MoveOn.org charged in an e-mail to supporters.In the e-mail, MoveOn.org attempts to scare "conservative, progressive, labor, religious, secular, social...

WASHINGTON – President Bush's campaign and the GOP on Wednesday accused Democrat John Kerry's campaign of illegally coordinating political ads and get-out-the-vote activities with independent groups. The Bush campaign and Republican National Committee said they would file a complaint with the Federal Election Commission accusing Kerry and pro-Kerry groups of violating a campaign law that broadly bans the use of "soft money" - corporate, union and unlimited individual donations - to influence federal elections. The Bush campaign and GOP say that pro-Kerry groups are illegally spending soft money in the presidential race, and that Kerry's campaign is illegally coordinating that...

<p>President Bush's re-election campaign and the Republican National Committee yesterday accused Democratic challenger Sen. John Kerry's campaign formally of illegal coordination of political advertising with anti-Bush groups and donors, including billionaire George Soros.</p> <p>"Senator Kerry, who supported the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act, is now the beneficiary of the single largest conspiracy to violate campaign-finance laws in history," RNC Chief Counsel Jill Holtzman Vogel said yesterday at a press conference with Bush campaign and other RNC officials.</p>

<p>WASHINGTON - President Bush's campaign yesterday accused John Kerry of illegally coordinating political ads with anti-Bush groups and donors - including billionaire George Soros.</p> <p>Team Bush and the Republican National Committee said they would soon file a complaint with the Federal Election Commission accusing Kerry and pro-Kerry groups of violating a campaign law that bans the use of "soft money" - corporate, union and unlimited individual donations - to influence federal elections.</p>

Washington, DC—The Republican National Committee and the Bush Cheney campaign today announced they are filing a complaint against third party 527 groups and the John Kerry for President campaign. “Senator Kerry, who supported the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act (BCRA) is now the beneficiary of the single largest conspiracy to violate campaign finance laws in history,” said RNC Chief Counsel Jill Holtzman Vogel. The complaint which will be filed with the Federal Election Commission today outlines violations of campaign finance law including using soft money to advocate for or against a candidate for federal office and illegally coordinating campaign activity...

WASHINGTON - President Bush (news - web sites)'s campaign and the GOP on Wednesday accused Democrat John Kerry (news - web sites)'s campaign of illegally coordinating political ads and get-out-the-vote activities with independent groups. The Bush campaign and RNC said they would file a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (news - web sites) accusing Kerry and pro-Kerry groups of violating a campaign law that broadly bans the use of "soft money" — corporate, union and unlimited individual donations — to influence federal elections. The Bush campaign and GOP say pro-Kerry groups are illegally spending soft money in the presidential...

<p>Sen. John McCain threatened yesterday to sue the Federal Election Commission if it fails to enforce federal election laws against groups that use "soft money" to influence presidential and congressional races.</p> <p>"Senator [Russell D.] Feingold is right, use of soft money contributions by '527 groups' whose major purpose is to affect federal elections is not legal," the Arizona Republican said in a Senate Rules and Administration Committee hearing yesterday.</p>