Campaign finance vote said 'Super Bowl tight' (Freepers, you need to contact your congressmen!)

CNN ^ | 2/11/01

[rwfromkansas]

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- While a Democratic legislator predicted his campaign finance reform bill will pass the House this week, a leading Republican congressman called for amendments and described the contest as "Super Bowl tight."

After being stymied last year, the Shays-Meehan bill will come to the floor this week after its supporters got 218 House members -- a majority of the chamber's 435 voting members -- to sign a discharge petition that forced the hand of House leaders.

[rwfromkansas]

Freepers, it is very important that you act to stop campaign finance "reform." This is a bill that threatens our very political liberty and we need to take a stand to oppose it. It bans political ads, so groups like FR could not pool resources to spread the conservative view on the air, all the while the media get to say whatever they wish with NO CONSEQUENCES. The bill scarily works against all sorts of political common causes in addition to banning soft money. By banning soft money, free speech is stifled. However, unions are not restricted by this bill, which is patently unfair. Contact your congressmen TODAY AND DO IT OVER AND OVER. We need to send a message that we will not support an incumbent protection act.

Call toll free #'s: 1-800-648-3516 and 1-877-762-8762.

Make sure to get your congressional office and the offices of the leadership.

Encourage your congressmen to vote against it due to the unfair advantage it places on unions and the media, as well as the fact it destroys free speech. Encourage them to do all they can to stop others from supporting it as well.

We can not count on a veto from President Bush. He is under lots of pressure from the media and may allow pretty much any bill to pass, quietly working to get Republicans to challenge it in the courts. We need to call the White House as well.

Call 202-456-1414.

Make sure to say that Bush needs to stand firm on this because it will hurt the GOP, hurt America, and destroy our Constitutional principles. Also, state that you believe he is doing a good job and should not cave in to pressure. Furthermore, state you hope that if it passes Congress, he will use his bully pulpit to show the American people why he had to veto the bill. This could include such extreme measures as a presidential address to the nation if necessary. The President should take a firm stand and let Americans know what the bill really is about.

Lastly, we can hope that the courts will take this on and stop the enforcement of this law, but hoping is not an excuse to sit back and do nothing. If you want to see this stopped, make your voice heard. Contact our leaders in Washington...they need to know we are watching their moves.

Freepers, Let's Roll.

[dittomom]

OK FOLKS! HERE'S THE FOLKS TO FOCUS ON! Senator McCain just sent out the following e-mail to his Straight Talk Express Supporters...

SUBJECT: ACTION ALERT!

The Shays-Meehan campaign finance reform bill is scheduled for a vote on Wednesday, February 13. In addition to banning soft money, the bill strengthens other campaign finance laws making it more difficult for special interest to hid behind sham issue ads and skew the political climate during elections.

Senator McCain wants you to know that those who oppose reform are determined to stop the Shays-Meehan legislation, amend it to death or replace it with a bogus alternative - the Ney Bill. But, we are not going to miss this historic opportunity for change. Please help us by using your email and faxes to get the message to some wavering members that now is the time or courage. It's time for the House of Representatives to put the country’s interest ahead of their own political interest.

Below are a list of House Members that need to hear that we need their support on both passage of Shays-Meehan and fending off poison pill amendments. Please phone or fax each one with that message. Thanks for your continued support and commitment.

· Congressman Bud Cramer (D- AL) - (202) 225-4801 - (202) 225-4392 fax

· Congressman Mike Ross (D-AR) - (202) 225-3772 - (202) 225-1314 fax

· Congressman Elton Gallegy (R-CA) - (202) 225-5811 - (202) 225-1100 fax

· Congressman Doug Ose (R- CA) - (202) 225-5716 - (202) 226-1298 fax

· Congressman Timothy Johnson (R-IL) - (202) 225-2371 - (202) 226-0791 fax

· Congressman John Shimkus (R-IL) - (202) 225-5271 - (202) 225-5880 fax

· Congressman Jim Barcia (D-MI) - (202) 225-8171 - (202) 225-2168 fax

· Congressman Fred Upton (R-MI) - (202) 225-3761- (202) 225-4986 fax

· Congressman Mark Kennedy (R-MN) - (202) 225-2331 - (202)225-6475 fax

· Congressman Ronnie Shows (D-MS) - (202) 225-5865 - (202) 225-5886 fax

· Congressman Mike Ferguson (R- NJ) - (202) 225-5361 - (202)225-9460 fax

· Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ) - (202) 225-5034 - (202) 225-3186 fax

· Congressman Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ) - 202) 225-6572 - (202)225-3318 fax

· Congressman Jim Saxton (R-NJ) - (202) 225-4765 - (202) 225-0778 fax

· Congresswoman Sue Kelly (R-NY) - (202) 225-5441 - (202) 225-3289 fax

· Congressman John McHugh (R-NY) - (202)225-4611 - (202)226-0621 fax

· Congressman Jack Quinn (R-NY) - (202) 225-3306 - (202)226-0347 fax

· Congressman James Walsh (R-NY) - (202) 225-3701 - (202)225-4042 fax

· Congressman Paul Gillmor (R-OH) - (202) 225-6405 - (202)225-1985 fax

· Congressman Ralph Regula (R-OH) - (202) 225-3876 - (202)225-3059 fax

· Congressman Robert Brady - (D-PA) - (202) 225-4731 - (202) 225-0088 fax

· Congresswoman Melissa Hart (R-PA) - (202) 225-2565 - 226-2274 fax

· Congressman John Duncan (R-TN) - (202) 225-5435 - (202)225-6440 fax

· Congresswoman Shelly Moore Capito (R-WV) - (202) 225-2711 - (202) 225-7856 fax

The House of Representatives uses an e-mail system called "Write Your Rep". You can only send e-mails to your Representative by entering your zip code into the e-mail form. Please call these Members and let them know that passing Shays-Meehan is important to you.

++++++++++

LET THEM KNOW WHY DEFEATING SHAYS-MEEHAN IS IMPORTANT TO YOU!!!

[Ligeia]

Today's email from Southeastern Legal Foundation

Dear SLF Friends:

The U.S. House will debate and vote this week on Shays-Meehan so-called campaign finance "reform." Don't be fooled -- Shays-Meehan and its partner in the U.S. Senate, McCain-Feingold, is nothing short of a hijacking of the First Amendment free speech protections. Rest assured, our constitutional lawyers and allies, former U.S. Attorney General Ed Meese and former Independent Counsel Ken Starr, will sue to stop this effort should it become law.

We are told by our friends on Capitol Hill that Shays-Meehan, which bans certain political speech and is a price-fixing scheme for issue advocacy, is likely to pass the U.S. House. Unfortunately, President Bush is being advised to sign the bill. Just as Southeastern Legal Foundation protected the integrity of the U.S. Census from the Clinton statistical sampling scheme by winning a U.S. Supreme Court decision, we will challenge campaign finance "reform" with the same dedication and confidence in our final victory. You will find a link below to an article I wrote for The Washington Times, published today, outlining the critical free speech issues raised by Shays-Meehan/McCain-Feingold.

Washington Times
AOL Users Click Here

As the national debate begins this week, SLF will be a strong voice in favor of free speech. Please stay tuned to national media outlets, and visit our web site for regular updates.
< SNIP >
The liberals who talk about free speech won't be there, but we will. Thank you ahead of time for your support.

Sincerely yours,

Phil Kent, President