What Hath McCain-Feingold Wrought?

Campaign finance "reformers" want to limit campaign spending and hold politicians more accountable. To them political speech and the money that buys the ads required to advance a message in our high-powered media age "corrupt" government. But what has the campaign finance reform First Amendment restriction law actually done? Radio yappers have been sued, concerned citizens have to keep detailed donation records, newspapers have been shut down, and political activists need permission from federal courts to run ads naming Senators and Congressmen. George Will reports on what's happening in Washington State:

When the state's government imposed a 9.5-cents-per-gallon increase in the gas tax, John Carlson and Kirby Wilbur of station KVI began advocating repeal by initiative. Proponents of repeal put up a Web site, hoping to raise 1,000 volunteers and $25,000. In two days they had 6,500 and $87,000. Needing 224,880 signatures to put repeal on the ballot, they got 400,996.

Appalled by this outburst of grass-roots democracy, some local governments, which stood to gain many millions from the tax, unleashed a law firm that would gain substantially from handling the bond issues the tax would finance. The firm set out to muzzle Carlson and Wilbur, using the state's campaign regulations.

It got a judge to rule that the broadcasters were not just supporters of the repeal campaign, they were agents of it. Why, they had even used the pronoun "we" when referring to proponents of repeal. Their speech constituted political advertising, and their employer was making an "in-kind contribution" to the repeal campaign. The judge said a monetary value must be placed on their speech (he did not say how, he just said to do it that day). The law says reports must be filed and speech limits obeyed or fines imposed.

State law restricts to $5,000 the amount a single giver can contribute in the three weeks before an initiative. If Carlson's and Wilbur's speech were monetized at radio-advertising rates, they would be silenced for all but about 15 minutes in each of the campaign's crucial last three weeks. They continued to talk (the repeal campaign, outspent almost five to one, lost 54.6-45.4) and, aided by the libertarian litigators of the Institute for Justice, have taken the issue to the state Supreme Court.

Will writes, "As a result, attempts to use campaign regulations to silence opponents are becoming a routine part of vicious political combat." Just ask Rep. Mark Green. Such tactics are the cornerstone to Gov. Doyle's re-election campaign.

Thanks, President Bush.

First, it's the commercials, then radio talkers, then the local newspapers. As the internet becomes more influential and important in the mediasphere websites and webloggers (professional and amateur) will be the next targets. Sen. John McCain would love to silence the DailyKos crowd if he nabs the GOP Presidential nomination just like Sen. Russ Feingold would love to shut up Matt Drudge.

Blue Crab Boulevard writes about the ominous time we now live in:

This is the disaster that McCain-Feingold hath wrought. This is what the men who would be president think of your right to say what you want politically. There is a horrible stifling effect here where people can be silenced by creative application of campaign laws. We are headed down an ugly road - and everyone, left or right should be frightened by this. Far from being the way the left will gain power. In the long run this will be the tool that crushes them.

It is wrong, whichever side advocates it. And it will be the downfall of this country in the long run.

Campaign speech restriction isn't about Left or Right; it's about right and wrong. It's about the right to unfettered political speech and how wrong it is for McCain, Feingold, and the "reformers" (with plenty of help from President Bush) to squelch it.

"Speechless in Seattle"

Charlie's Show Prep #171

• At study says the nation's ill-maintained highways are costing drivers higher car maintanence bills. Here in Wisconsin our road problem is we'll build a four-lane highway to just about anywhere.

• Xenophobia similar to what happened with the Dubai Ports World plan to buy some U.S. ports could be the biggest sticking point from leasing Mitchell Airport.

• A judge approved a settlement between the Journal Sentinel and Shorewest Realtors over inflated circulation numbers.

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Charlie's Show Prep at 03:37 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Foley Talking about "Sickos"

From the Pot Calling the Kettle Black Department:

Ex-Congressman Mark Foley had the audacity to go on America's Most Wanted and talk about "these sickos," criminals preying on kids.

[via Netscape]

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Politics at 12:51 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

October 01, 2006

Foley Scandal Could Damage Like Dems Bank Scandal

The Mark Foley scandal could be to the House GOP what the House bank scandal was to House Democrats in 1992. At the time Rep. Newt Gingrich, then House Minority Whip, used the scandal to tar Democrats for corruption and incompetent management of the House. It was part of Gingrich's plan to paint the Democrats as out-of-touch, arrogant political fossils who no longer deserved to run the House. Rush Limbaugh and talk radio latched onto the story and bludgeoned anyone in its path.

The Foley scandal as the potential to seriously harm Republicans. The scandal could hurt Republicans by undercutting two foundations of their leadership. First, Republicans are known as the "law and order" party. They're the ones who want to be tough on crime and criminals and lambast liberals for being too soft. It could turn out House GOP leaders were too soft on an alleged lawbreaker in their caucus who was allowed to be the chairman of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children. Second, the Foley story argues against Republicans being the party better able to protect Americans generally. Security moms (and dads) could look at what's happening on Capitol Hill and ask, "Why didn't they do something about that pervert?"

There's also the question of the GOP's management skills. ABC News quotes two political analysts:

"It's a basic management issue," Torie Clarke, a former Republican Party operative, said on "This Week." "Republicans are in charge of the House and this looks like a House out of order."

Political analyst Stu Rothenberg agreed.

"It's another problem the House Republicans have to deal with on top of all the other stuff they've been buried under over the last two years," Rothenberg said. "It's more evidence of confusion among the House Republicans as they point fingers at each other."

I can see the Democratic Congressional ads: "Why vote for a Republican? They run things so badly they let a pedophile stalk children."

The Foley story has more potential for damage than Bob Woodward's State of Denial. With the book Woodward pieces together a lot of information that was already in public. It won't change minds. Bush backers will say Woodward is part of the liberal MSM that hates the President and is trying to get back into good graces for previous books that spoke well of the President. With the Foley story there's still more to be learned. Reporters are digging into what Speaker Hastert and Majority Leader Boehner knew and when they knew it--which could have been as far back as 2001. In Hastert's case there seems to be some confusion about if he knew about the creepy but not graphic e-mails and the disgusting IM message [PDF]. They'll also look into what the FBI did when they first received information about Foley's disturbing e-mails. Using Owen Robinson and dad29 as any indication of how rank-and-file conservatives feel the GOP could take a serious hit from their base. That's bad news with about a month left before Election Day. Hastert asking the Justice Department to investgate Foley and any possible cover-up is the right thing to do, but it makes for lousy political timing.

"Foley Scandal Sends Tremors Through Other House Races"

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Tom Maguire wonders about the source of the electronic messages and who fed them to the media.

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Politics at 06:49 PM | Comments (11) | TrackBack

Muhammed Bobblehead Sure to Agitate

Muhammad's been turned into a bobblehead. And the added bonus is the sparkling fuse attached to his head/bomb.

The figure's creator Timothy Ames may be an ex-Marine, but he should still watch his back. Islamists have killed and threatened to kill people for less.

"Bobblehead Muhammed?" [via Michelle Malkin]

Posted by Sean Hackbarth in Islam at 02:06 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

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