Daily Campaign Finance Reform thread-day 19

With the Supreme Court upholding McCain-Feingold, the political hue has been changed. No longer will large corporations or labor unions be able to pad the pockets of politicians and their political parties. That coupled with the ban on political advertising by fringe groups in a period prior to elections are the mainstays of the McCain-Feingold law, which President Bush signed into law. But questions about free speech violations are running rampant across the country. Not to worry my liberal friends, groups like MoveOn.org and America Coming Together continue to search for ways around the law, as they always do.

That could be the very reason behind the need for the McCain-Feingold law that political action groups, politicians and fringe organizations keep searching for ways “around the law.” If there ever was a time when the self-absorbed didn’t try to circumvent what they knew was the right thing to do, if there ever was a time when the narcissistic simply resigned themselves to “playing by the rules” I can’t remember it. There have always been those who had to make sure they had the edge, even if it meant concocting some argument that effectively made it legal to do what in essence everyone knew was exactly what we were trying to avoid.

Under the guise of “getting the vote out” organizations like MoveOn.org and America Coming Together are still trying to exert their influence on the American political system. The only change to their tactics, now McCain-Feingold is here to stay, is that they have to lobby the American people directly and without the help of the political parties. While this disengages them from the immediate political groups it does not remove their messages of semi-truths, disingenuous propositions, unfounded facts, rumor and innuendo from the public eye. With the help of people like George Soros and Peter Lewis their messages of extremism will be in the forefront of the public eye, now without validation of a political endorsement and without any political party to stand accountable for their statements and positions. For those who do not do their homework on the political issues of the day votes become dangerous weapons of ignorance.

While I am a bit wary of the restriction on fringe groups being able to buy ad time to espouse their opinions prior to an election I can understand why this has become a concern. Responsibility and a sense of fairness have left the political action group’s arena. The “win at all cost” smear campaign tactic has injected a cancer into our political system. Were the political system today only about the issues at hand; taxation, immigration, the economy and the like, we wouldn’t be seeing a need for the Supreme Courts decision. But today it is as much about whether or not the candidate wore an inappropriate Halloween costume when he or she was six-years old more than it is about the issues. Groups like MoveOn.org and America Coming Together thrive on such mundane and inconsequential matters and then shield themselves from criticism for using smear tactics by saying it reflects on the character of the candidate.

So, soft money may be removed from the immediate political process but we should all rest uneasy that it has not been removed from organizations with extreme agendas. But this can all be for naught should the American public do something unique and noble and that would be to start taking responsibility for their votes instead of following blindly the propaganda of such groups. If we all start to take an active interest in the candidates themselves instead of what they are saying about the other candidates, if we start looking at the voting records and position stances of those who are on the ballot without listening to the fringe groups who are trying to influence us for their own gain there would be a bright and brilliant new era in American politics. It can happen but we all must commit to doing our homework on the candidates and the political issues sans the lobbying efforts of the propaganda organization. I believe we can.

Frank Salvato is a political media consultant, a freelance writer from the Midwest and the Managing Editor for www.TheRant.us . He is a contributing writer to The Washington Dispatch, OpinionEditorials.com and AmericanDaily.com. He has appeared as a guest panelist on The O’Reilly Factor and his pieces are regularly featured in Townhall.com and occasionally featured in The Washington Times as well as other national publications.

Remember better to light a candle than curse the darkness.

Hugh & Series, Critical & Pulled by JimRob
Special to FreeRepublic | 17 December 2003 | John Armor (Congressman Billybob)

This is nothing like the usual whine by someone whose post was pulled. JimRob pulled my previous thread for a good reason. "If direct fund-raising were permitted on FR, it would soon be wall-to-wall fund-raising."

So, let's start again correctly. This is about civil disobedience to support the First Amendment and challenge the TERRIBLE CFR decision of the Supreme Court to uphold a terrible law passed by Congress and signed by President Bush.

All who are interested in an in-your-face challenge to the 30- and 60-day ad ban in the Campaign Finance "Reform" Act, please join in. The pattern is this: I'm looking for at least 1,000 people to help the effort. I will run the ad, and risk fines or jail time to make it work -- AND get national support.

But there should be NO mentions of money in this thread, and not in Freepmail either. This is JimRob's electronic home, and we should all abide his concerns.

Put your comments here. Click on the link above, and send me your e-mail addresses. I will get back to you by regular e-mail with the practical details.

This CAN be done. This SHOULD be done. But it MUST be done in accord with JimRob's guidelines.

Fair enough?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1042394/posts

Thank you for your durable efforts on this subject. You remind me of Cicero in the Roman Senate who ended every speech with the phrase, "Carthage must be destroyed." It took some years, but eventually Carthage was destroyed. May CFR suffer the same fate.

Congressman Billybob

Click here to stick a thumb in the eye of CFR, "Hugh & Series, Critical & Pulled by JimRob."

"The only change to their tactics, now McCain-Feingold is here to stay, is that they have to lobby the American people directly and without the help of the political parties."

Here to stay? Here TO STAY!!!???? Not so fast, bucko! The other shoe hasn't dropped; the fat lady hasn't sung; it's only the 7th inning stretch; 4th down and a couple of yards; pick yer own cliche but, the bottom line is that this fight ain't over yet.

As we speak, John McCain is working on another CFR bill to "fix" presidential campaign funding. This should lead to an even greater erosion of our rights because now the politicians have the formula. Pass-the-buck politics that someone upstream will fix whatever is wrong with the bill and then, like the DEMS, hope that the leftists on the Supreme Court crawl into bed with them and REFUSE TO PROTECT OUR RIGHTS AS GUARANTEED UNDER THE CONSTITUTION. Yeah, that's the ticket!!

Abraham Lincoln once warned that America would never be conquered by enemies from without, but by enemies from within. He was talking about John McCain, GW Bush and the Supreme Court.

At a time when we are at war, our economy has been in a major slump, jobs have been lost, trade is down, illegal immigrants are subsuming American culture, the highest priority in John McCain's warped world is political campaign finance reform. Why?? What's his real agenda (aside from erasing provisions in the Constitution)? If we accept the premise of the majority SC opinion on McCain-Feingold, why are John McCain and so many of his colleagues willing to stand up and announce to America and the world that, "Yes!! By God we ARE corrupt and it's all your fault!!!"

I have a much simpler solution to campaign finance reform that doesn't require the erosion of Constitutional rights: WITHHOLD ALL DONATIONS TO ALL POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS!!!!

Think the politicians will get the point?

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