'Shadow' funding endures scrutiny Daily Campaign Finance Reform thread-day 23

WASHINGTON — Leading campaign finance watchdog organizations as well as Republican activists intend to challenge the new “shadow” Democratic Party — a network of independent groups preparing to spend as much as $300 million on voter mobilization and pro-Democratic TV ads.

The organizations — the Center for Responsive Politics, the Campaign Legal Center and Democracy 21 — contend that the pro-Democratic groups are violating prohibitions on the use of corporate and labor money for partisan voter registration and mobilization drives.

Trevor Potter, chairman of the Campaign Legal Center, said the groups have become “the new soft-money loophole. ... This is the beginning of an important discussion about how these groups are going to operate.”

Judith L. Corley, who represents America Coming Together (ACT) and other groups under fire, disputed Potter’s contention. “The law has permitted this type of activity all along,” she said.

Harold Ickes, who runs the pro-Democratic Media Fund, contended the Republican and watchdog critics are “one, trying to tie us up; two, divert our attention; three, force us to spend money on legal fees rather than electoral activities; and four, to try to chill our contributors.”

Republican activists have created a group, Americans for a Better Country (ABC), in part for the purpose of getting the Federal Election Commission to rule on the legality of the objectives and practices of the pro-Democratic groups.

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

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.