Statement by the President: "... I will sign (CFR) into law."

Office of the Press Secretary ^ | March 20, 2002 | George W. Bush

[erk]

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 20, 2002

Statement by the President

Like many Republicans and Democrats in the Congress, I support common-sense reforms to end abuses in our campaign finance system.  The reforms passed today, while flawed in some areas, still improve the current system overall, and I will sign them into law.

The legislation makes some important progress on the timeliness of disclosure, individual contribution limits, and banning soft money from corporations and labor unions, but it does present some legitimate constitutional questions.  I continue to believe the best reform is full and timely disclosure of campaign contributions.

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Return to this article at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/03/20020320-21.html

[hchutch]

Especially when they can't bring up their next step or two in the process. Because they have lost. The current rules are it.

[Dan from Michigan]

DAMNIT! DAMNIT! DAMNIT!

This SUCKS. And NO, I DON'T TRUST THE SUPREME COURT on this.

[concerned about politics]

Sometimes the "tapping of the fingers" actually works. :-) I don't just spout off the first thing that comes to mind. It takes a little work, but it's sometimes useful. ;-)

I just whip it out. What the heck, it's just cyberspace - words on a computer screen.
Go for it. What would you have to lose? If if becomes work, just click the shut down button!
POOF! Gone!

[Sangamon Kid]

The words are important because they give us a way around them.

Is that a quote from Marx or Lenin ?

No, it was Wee Willy Clinton when considering the meaning of the word "is".

[TrappedInLiberalHell]

to=too (god, I hate it when other people do that, and I just did it).

[Dan from Michigan]

Bush won't lose two points in the polls. In terms of hard money, the GOP will make out like bandits with this bill.

It's not the soft money that irks me. It's the ban on issue ads. This bill sucks as bad as anything Klinton signed.

[hchutch]

That ban will be toast before you can say "Solicitor General."

A lot of the other provisions will be toast, too. In the end the only thing left standing could be the hard money provisions and disclosure requirements.

The last attempt to fix the system had far fewer conservatives on the court, and they lose in Buckley v. Valeo. This one will go down the tubes, and what is left will set us up in the long run, and kill this issue for another 20 years.

[Texasforever]

It's not the soft money that irks me. It's the ban on issue ads. This bill sucks as bad as anything Klinton signed.

Dan as I read the new law, the ban on advocacy ads only applies to the national parties and to a lesser extent state operations. There is an exception for independent organizations and individuals.

[anniegetyourgun]

I presume you never voted for Bush, but I'm curious about who you will be voting for in 2004?

[concerned about politics]

It's not the soft money that irks me. It's the ban on issue ads. This bill sucks as bad as anything Klinton signed.

All kinds of groups are lining up at the door of the Supreme court. NRA,NAACP,Seira Club, unions.....all ready to fight - from bith sides of the isle. Heck, they'll kill it for Bush! He comes out smelling like a rose!

[Sangamon Kid]

The goal of electorial politics is to reward your friends and punish your enemies. If you think its anything other than that, you're naive. The courts are the referees.

You mean Mr Smith never went to Washington?

I am quite sure that even the idealistic notions of those who wrote the Constituion were likely tempered by baser motives from time to time.

[anniegetyourgun]

I understand that you think that. It's not, however, what he said in this statement.

[DJ88]

Yeah. I'm not gonna pull my hair out on this one. I'm gonna go to sleep. ;-) This thing will fester until Bush signs it into law (which he hasn't done yet and could still change his mind), and we will hear from him about it, I'm sure.

I'm not jumping ships.

[Rome2000]

Think about it.

McCain , the Rats, and the media have conspired to hatch a a blatantly unconstitutional non-issue like campaign finance reform and coerce the President and a majority the Congres to support it under the threat of being portryed in the press as "corrupt" and in the pocket of "special interests"

Unfortunately for the cabal, the law is unconstitutional, so Bush signs it to take away this issue from them once and for all.

They wanted this for one reason and one reason only, so Bush would veto it, thus ensuring that they could attack him and the GOP in 2002 and 2004.

They are not very bright and have actually become pathetic, this being the best they can do.

[anniegetyourgun]

re: your unease about it - I see the same thing in his statement. I wouldn't say he is joyous about this thing. He'll probably be signing with fingers crossed behind his back and a prayer that the courts will extract the bad stuff.

[DJ88]

"Especially when they can't bring up their next step or two in the process. Because they have lost. The current rules are it."

Right...and you and I both know that the Dems are not finished with this yet. They said so themselves today. Very, very interesting. ;-)

[Scott from the Left Coast]

Very sad.

It seems there is no limit to the extent that modern politicians will go to in order to get positive press coverage from the leftist media. There is no greater sign of their power over society than that all politicians -- even those to whom that press is an enemy -- must kowtow to their power.

Yes, it's a stain on Bush, but it says even more about the degradation of our system of government as a whole.

[Dan from Michigan]

BTW - Bush, you are a CHICKEN@%## like your old man. I guess you can't get the Northeastern Establishment out of your blood.

Damn This bill. This is a gun vote. This directly affects me and my organazation in a couple of federal races we may jump into.

I'm going to call an NRA board member I know, who is a lawyer and I'll see if I can put my name in as a plaintiff.

Bush, Stabenow, and Levin - I owe you one.

BTW - Let's not abandon the GOP as a whole for this. Most of them didn't back this POS bill. Just a few liberals, weaklins, pansies, and backstabbers.

[goodnesswins]

Welllllll....I don't think NON-citizens should be allowed to donate either. My point is that there are certain things which should have age limitations on them.....make the age 18 - when military service signed up for....then I think it's fine. I DO NOT think very many children have the experience/insight/information to make good decisions. I KNOW there are some....BUT, yes, volunteering, by all means.

[Sunnyvale CA Eng.]

So, is Bush going to actually say this on camera. I want to see his face when he signs on to trashing the First Amendment!!!

It will be a sad day indeed. I just hope the cameraman gets a good wide shot so that we can see McCain and Dashole urinating on a copy of the Constitution in the background.