Free Republic

Rep. Allen West, who is retired military, knows more than a thing or two about the government procurement process. So when he grills Obama admin lackey Douglas Gordon on the executive order drafted to force companies that do business with the government to disclose their employees’ political contributions, he knows what he is talking about. The bureaucrat insists that contract officers would “never” actually use that information in weighing the awarding of contracts, but never justifies that assertion. West finally gets the bureaucrat to admit that he isn’t even in a position to assess the draft executive order, West cuts...

Washington (CNSNews.com) – In what the White House calls a push for transparency, a pending executive order would require companies doing business with the federal government to disclose political contributions to independent groups, but would not place the same requirement on public employee unions or federal grant recipients that typically donate to Democrats. Entitled the “Disclosure of Political Spending By Government Contractors,” the order would implement parts of the DISCLOSE Act, which failed to get through Congress last year. The legislation sought to restrict campaign speech after the landmark Citizens United vs. Federal Elections Commission U.S. Supreme Court ruling that...

Says our source: "They lost in the Supreme Court, they lost in Congress, they lost at the FEC, so now the president is just going to do it by edict." An impeccable source has provided me with a copy of a draft Executive Order pdf that the White House is apparently circulating for comments from several government agencies. Titled “Disclosure of Political Spending By Government Contractors,” it appears to be an attempt by the Obama administration to implement — by executive fiat — portions of the DISCLOSE Act. This was the bill introduced last year by Sen. Chuck Schumer and...

***SNIP*** So I'm delighted the Democrats are finally hitting back at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other Republican front groups for dumping millions of dollars of untraceable corporate contributions into the election, with the total likely to exceed $300 million. But since Democrats haven't exactly been innocent of taking special interest money in the past, we, ordinary citizens, need to be the ones driving this issue. We need to make the buying of our democracy the salient issue of the coming election and beyond, because it affects everything else that we need to change. ***SNIP*** We also need to...

Tuesday afternoon, I spoke with Bruce Josten, executive vice president for government affairs at the US Chamber of Commerce, about the White House pressing the Chamber to release its donors list, after President Obama seized on a ThinkProgress report suggesting that since some Chamber money comes from foreign multi-nationals and foreign-based Chamber affiliates, foreign money may be being spent on the Chamber’s political ads. [Snip] TAPPER: But why not just settle the dispute by opening your books? JOSTEN:  I've explained to you, we're not going to subject our contributors to harassment, to intimidation, and to threats and to invasions of...

Now that the free speech-killing Disclose Act has yet again failed to go anywhere in the Senate, it's time to set the record straight on whom we have to thank for its rightful death: the National Rifle Association of America. Yes, the same group miscast to so many people by bloggers and drive-by journalists as the villain in this drama. First, a little history is in order.  ]In 2002, the NRA learned what so many Tea Party activists already know: you can't trust the political establishment. When campaign finance "reform" passed Congress that year, Republicans controlled the House, Senate, and...

When Barack Obama was elected president on the back of an army of small donors in 2008, the commonly held wisdom in Washington was that a new model had emerged in how elections would be funded in the future. Mr Obama’s supporters, giving donations of $25 each over the internet, coupled with substantial support from traditional big Democratic givers, gave him a distinct advantage over rival John McCain. Republicans, unmotivated and lacking the Obama campaign’s organisation, lost the money war. But 34 days before the congressional elections, the table has turned on Democrats. An influx of cash from a relatively...

Senate Republicans on Thursday stood fast in blocking legislation requiring special interest groups running campaign ads to identify their donors.....The 59-39 vote fell one short of the 60 needed to advance the legislation. Two Republicans didn't vote. ...

Anti-gun Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (NV) is giving voters yet another reason why he must be defeated in November. Preparing for heavy losses in the general election, anti-gun Democrat leaders like Reid and Charles Schumer (D-NY) appear to be readying for a vote on the so-called DISCLOSE Act, possibly this week. While Reid has not yet officially taken the necessary steps to move the bill, his communications director sent out this Tweet on Tuesday: "We're debating DISCLOSE Act tomorrow [Wednesday] w/ vote Thursday." You may recall that the DISCLOSE Act, which passed the House in June, died in the...

The free speech of their political opponents, that is. Barack Obama continues his efforts at changing the tone in Washington: President Obama on Saturday slammed congressional Republicans for opposing efforts that would force special-interest groups to disclose their donors for campaign-related activities. He argued that eliminating free speech was critical to the country: “It’s up to all of us to defend that most basic American principle of a government of, by, and for the people. What’s at stake is not just an election. It’s our democracy itself,” Obama said. This outrage bulls#@t comes from the ahole who intentionally disabled the...

Can you win by losing? Democrats are about to give it a try. With time running out, congressional leaders have all but given up hope of passing any more legislation this year and are scheduling "message" votes to bolster their chances in the fall elections. On Tuesday they brought up a campaign finance reform bill popular with liberal constituencies. The Disclose Act failed, 57-41, shy of the 60 needed to break a GOP filibuster. But Democrats argued the defeat gives them an election edge

Sen. Charles Schumer, the sponsor of the stalled campaign finance bill, promised Tuesday that Democrats would hold round-after-round of votes on it until it passes.

Responding to charges of inaccuracy from Rep. Joe Sestak's Senate campaign, two Pittsburgh-area television stations have agreed to stop airing a commercial, sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which sharply attacks the Democrat's voting record

Brown Opposes DISCLOSE Act In Response Letter Dear Members of the Campaign Legal Center, Common Cause, Democracy 21, League of Women Voters, and Public Citizen: Thank you for your letter in which you urge me to support the DISCLOSE Act. As stated in your letter, my election to the U.S. Senate sent a message that the American people are tired of the politics-as-usual mentality, and want to restore real checks and balances in Washington. Unfortunately, the DISCLOSE Act does not do enough to require transparency, accountability and fair play. Therefore, I cannot support the DISCLOSE Act. Rather than reform our...

Dear Ted: First, I personally thank you for the valuable work you have done, and are doing, for the Second Amendment. You have used your talent, success, wit, and celebrity to fight for our freedoms. Additionally, you are a member of the Board of Directors of the NRA. So this letter is directed to you in strictly that capacity. Why? Because I believe that you will listen. And you have the standing and respect within the NRA to actually do something regarding the issues I’d like to bring to your attention. We at JPFO recently received a letter from an...

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed HR5175, also known as the Disclose Act, by a 219-206 vote. "Disclose," you see, is an acronym for "Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections." The measure's author, Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., also happens to chair the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee -- so you know that the bill has nothing to do with helping Democrats retain their seats. (Just kidding.) Two Republicans voted for the measure; 36 Democrats voted against it. The bill now goes to the Senate, where it deserves to molder. This bill may have passed...

Leave it to Rep Hank Johnson (D-GA), yes that Hank Johnson, to tell everybody exactly why some in congress want so desperately to restrict businesses free speech: Yup. Its all about rigging the election process. Which is just a bit unconstitutional as Cubachi points out: But we all know this bill is unconstitutional because its purpose is to undo the Supreme Court’s decision in January, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. The Court said corporations, unions, and non-profits like the Tea Party and conservative groups are free to use their money to express themselves, especially with the November elections coming....

A firestorm was ignited this week when it was announced that House Democrats had carved out an exemption for the National Rifle Association in proposed new federal campaign legislation and that the NRA was no longer going to oppose the bill... ... "snip" ... NRA's opposition to the rape of the First Amendment should not be based solely on how such rape will affect them directly, but also how it will affect the movement as a whole, their state affiliates and fellow rights organizations – and the integrity of the Constitution itself. When they accepted this deal, NRA abdicated the...

The House just passed the DISCLOSE Act, by a vote of 219-206. As with so much in this Congress, the only thing bipartisan about the bill was the opposition to it.

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 17, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Delayed, but not undaunted, the leadership of the Democrat-controlled U.S. Congress may force a Thursday vote on a new campaign finance bill, the Orwellian-named “Democracy is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections (DISCLOSE) Act” that has pro-life, pro-family groups, and even the ACLU crying foul. Critics say the measure will have a chilling effect on political free speech, especially with mid-term elections just around the corner. Late Wednesday afternoon, National Right to Life Legislative Director Douglas Johnson told LifeSiteNews.com that the House Rules Committee was meeting at that moment to make...

Lars Larson grills Wayne LaPierre on the NRA's controversial decision to make a deal with House Democrats and the Obama Administration in exchange for not opposing a new campaign-finance bill. The DISCLOSE ACT is back on the calendar for tomorrow June 23, 2010 Sources are reporting that the vote is expected to take place tonight or tomorrow.

Washington is shocked top Democrats gave the National Rifle Association – one of the most powerful lobbies in town – its own loophole in legislation designed to increase disclosure requirements on campaign spending following the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. The untold story is that Democrats assuaged organized labor’s early opposition to the bill by tailoring its provisions to eke out space for unions. For example, restrictions on companies that received government bailouts during the financial crisis apply to businesses, but not unions: Under the DISCLOSE Act, General Motors can’t tell you who to vote for, but the United Auto...

·11250 Waples Mill Road ·   Fairfax, Virginia 22030    ·800-392-8683           Response from David Keene, NRA First Vice President, to DISCLOSE Act Criticism "As an NRA member, I am writing to express my outrage that the NRA would do a backroom deal with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to regulate and limit the First Amendment right to political free speech of other groups, while carving out an exemption for the NRA. Your unsavory and unprincipled deal with the Democratic leadership makes it likely that the House will now pass the DISCLOSE Act, H. R. 5175. Besides being unconstitutional, the DISCLOSE Act could...

Just as opposition was building in the House to the unconstitutional and burdensome DISCLOSE Act, which is intended to help Democrats in the November election by stifling the political speech of corporations and many non-profit advocacy organizations (but not unions), the NRA has apparently sold out.  Politico and others are reporting that the NRA has reached a deal to withdraw its opposition to the bill in exchange for an exemption for the NRA from its disclosure provisions. The exemption would apply to “organizations which have qualified as having tax exempt status under section 501(c)(4) of the tax code for each of the...

One of most ironic and stupid things about Congress is its propensity to name bills in a manner that has nothing to do with the substance of the bill. One example is the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009. It had nothing to do with responsibility. The newest boondoggle is a monstrosity called DISCLOSE. It stands for Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections Act, or DISCLOSE Act. It won't strengthen democracy and it wouldn't cast light on anything. An analysis reported in the WSJ shows how wrong things would go. The Disclose Act exacerbates many of these...

As is par for the course these days from an Aminstration drunk with power, Congress is set to pass legislation that would ultimately lead to a clamp down on free speech. More specifically, it would lead to a policing and patrolling of bloggers writing about politics. Disguised as the DISCLOSE Act, we are told the original intent was to counteract some of the findings from the Citizens United decision where the Supreme Court rejected disparate treatment of media corporations and other corporations (including nonprofit groups) in campaign finance law. “Differential treatment of media corporations and other corporations cannot be squared...

Both FOIA lawsuits by Bloomberg & FoxNews to force the Federal Reserve to reveal the names of participants in its emergency lending programs are on appeal. Bloomberg won at the trial level and FoxNews lost. Link to Reuters article.

WASHINGTON - John McCain's campaign is asking staff members to disclose all previous lobbying ties following the resignation of two officials linked to a firm that worked for Myanmar's military junta. A memo from McCain's campaign manager, Rick Davis, also instructs staff to make certain they are no longer registered as lobbyists or foreign agents. It was issued following the resignations of Doug Goodyear, who was to run the Republican National Convention, and Doug Davenport, a regional campaign director for the mid-Atlantic states. Both worked for DCI Group, a consulting firm hired to improve the image of Myanmar's military junta....

RICHMOND, Va. - For the past five years, Sen. George Allen (news, bio, voting record), has failed to tell Congress about stock options he got for his work as a director of a high-tech company. The Virginia Republican also asked the Army to help another business that gave him similar options. Congressional rules require senators to disclose to the Senate all deferred compensation, such as stock options. The rules also urge senators to avoid taking any official action that could benefit them financially or appear to do so. Those requirements exist so the public can police lawmakers for possible conflicts...

SAN FRANCISCO Google Inc. is paying The Associated Press for stories and photographs, settling a dispute with a major provider of the copyrighted news that the online search engine finds and displays on its popular Web site. Both Mountain View-based Google and New York-based AP disclosed the business relationship Wednesday. But neither would divulge financial terms or other details because of a nondisclosure agreement. Google indicated AP's content will serve as the foundation for a new product that will be introduced in the coming months as complement to its popular Google News service. That aspect of the deal could be...

Republican Rep. Bill Thomas, chairman of the influential House Ways and Means Committee, was set to announce Monday whether he would retire from Congress or seek a 15th term. Thomas, 64, scheduled a morning news conference in his hometown of Bakersfield, Calif., amid speculation that he would leave the House of Representatives. Because of House Republicans' self-imposed term limits for committee chairmen, the mercurial but brainy former college professor is serving his last year as head of the powerful committee that writes tax laws. GOP officials are working under the assumption that Thomas will retire, according to a Republican election...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - State Controller Steve Westly, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate, called Thursday for his potential rivals in next year's election to release 10 years worth of tax returns. He said voters deserve at least that much disclosure. Westly made millions as a top executive and shareholder in the online auction house eBay. He told reporters during a news conference that he released 10 years of tax records months ago, while Treasurer Phil Angelides, also running for the Democratic nomination, has not. Westly also noted that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has not released tax records to the same extent. Westly's records...

Scores of lawmakers disclose travel files One representative missed the reporting deadline by years. The Associated Press Scrutiny of Majority Leader Tom DeLay's travel has led to the belated disclosure of at least 198 previously unreported special interest trips by House members and their aides, including eight years of travel by the second-ranking Democrat, an Associated Press review has found. At least 43 House members and dozens of aides had failed to meet the one-month deadline in ethics rules for disclosing trips financed by organizations outside the U.S. government. The AP review of thousands of pages of records covered pre-2005...

March 28, 2005 How safe is online romance?Lawmakers want dating sites to disclose background check informationBy DAVID EGGERTAssociated Press Writer State Sen. Alan Cropsey, R-DeWitt, shown during a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting March 15 in Lansing, is sponsoring a bill that would require an Internet dating service to disclose prominently on the Web site whether it had conducted criminal background checks on users. AP File Photo Online dating safetySome tips when meeting people through Internet dating: Start slowly. Communicate by e-mail at first, looking for signs of the other user's behavior. Trust your instincts. Guard your anonymity. Sites often allow...

Meet Joe Dirt Stuart K. Hayashi In 2001, comedian David Spade came out with a movie titled "The Adventures of Joe Dirt." It now appears that the film was about Joe Conason, the author of "Big Lies: The Right-Wing Propaganda Machine and How It Distorts the Truth" and an editorialist for the liberal-biased Salon.com. In the person of Brad Pitt, you've already Met Joe Black. Now Meet the Real Joe Dirt. His book purports to expose how right-wingers harness the corporate media to brainwash society. Instead of demonstrating such, however, Joe is too busy flinging his Dirt around. In two...