BIG Money for Republicans; Court Overturns Independent Political Fund Caps:

BIG Money for Republicans; Court Overturns Independent Political Fund Caps:
By Marc Chamot

“The ruling could provide a boost to Republicans and their allies as they try to win back Congress in 2010 and the White House in 2012. Outside conservative groups could become particularly important in countering the fundraising juggernaut of President Obama, who shattered past records by raising more than $750 million during his 2008 campaign.

Experts suggested that the court's decision could provide a boon to those groups tapping into the fervor of anti-Obama activity and "Tea Party" events this year. It will certainly allow groups across the political spectrum to raise and spend money without pause, potentially leading to a more acerbic campaign environment.”

Former presidential candidate Senator John McCain was a real ass. Back around 2002, he co-sponsored a bill regulating campaign financings into federal elections, known now as the infamous McCain-Russ Feingold campaign reform ACT.

When Republican Senator John McCain proposed this bill with his Democratic lackey Russ Feingold; John McCain knew too damn well that Republicans would suffer behind this horrendous bill, while Democrats would have the bigger advantage in unlimited political fundraisings over this bill.

The bill would practically eliminate big donor groups for Republicans, such as American corporations and wealthy individuals from contributing and financing political advertisements and propagandas.

It was a great idea at the time, but the problem? This bill did not include multi-million dollars contributions from American labor, and unions, tort lawyers, and Democratic Left-Wing organizations like MoveOn.org.

Since the bill became effective, Democrats and labor unions, tort lawyers, and MoveOn.org prospered politically. Well, they were able to let’s just say buy their politicians OUT far better than Republicans, while American corporations, and wealthy individuals, who were the usual Republican money groups, were being left out in the cold.

This was very UNFAIR restrictions of independent political groups to raise, spend their money and to influence elections into both parties equally. Equal rights into political fundraisings were being violated by this law.

While the 2004 Swift Boat Veterans for Truths were heavily fined for their millions spent during the 2004 George Bush re-election presidential campaigns, which was a big violation of the 2002 McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform ACT, but MoveOn.org didn’t even get a slap on their wrists for their GROSS violations during the 2008 presidential campaign for Obama.

During the 2008 presidential elections, the Democrats benefited far more than the Republicans, due to this traitorous and idiotic 2002 McCain-Feingold campaign finance bill.

The then presidential candidate Barack Obama broke fundraising records never seen before in any American presidential elections. meanwhile John McCain was struggling for money, while trying to abide by his own idiotic law that he co-authored.

I personally don’t like wealthy, corporations, unions, tort lawyers, and other groups financing any American campaign elections, they have way more influence over election results than Peoples’. I don’t like this one bit, its part of the American political corruptive culture that we can’t seem to clean up.

But, when John McCain and Russ Feingold authored this horrible and unfair bill, they should have included LABOR UNIONS, tort lawyers, and other Democratic money groups into the bill, but they didn’t. This bill was intentional money grab for the Democrats, which John McCain was privy to, and it cost him dearly, his fundraising efforts and the 2008 U.S. presidency.

Now a panel of three judges within the federal appeals court struck down the McCain-Feingold, thus re-opening opportunities for Republicans to get some of their financial groove back.

Believe me when I tell you this, this anti-Republican bill was passed when the Republicans were the majority in the house and Senate, and signed into law by another Republican, the then President George Bush. How much more ignorant and dumber can these bunches be? No wonder this country went down to hell in a hand basket with this group.

Until congress decides to come up with a fairer and more across the board bill to restrict all influential groups equally, then this is great news for KEEPING balance in government.

Court overturns independent political fund caps
Del Quentin Wilber,Dan Eggen, Washington Post

A federal appeals court overturned hard-fought campaign finance reform regulations in a ruling on Friday that will make it easier for independent political groups to raise and spend money to influence elections.

The three-judge panel struck down regulations that were intended to blunt the power of such organizations, including the controversial Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and MoveOn.org, which drew heavy criticism for spending tens of millions of dollars on aggressive advertisements during the 2004 presidential campaign.

The ruling could provide a boost to Republicans and their allies as they try to win back Congress in 2010 and the White House in 2012. Outside conservative groups could become particularly important in countering the fundraising juggernaut of President Obama, who shattered past records by raising more than $750 million during his 2008 campaign.

Experts suggested that the court's decision could provide a boon to those groups tapping into the fervor of anti-Obama activity and "Tea Party" events this year. It will certainly allow groups across the political spectrum to raise and spend money without pause, potentially leading to a more acerbic campaign environment.

The groups "are now free to accept unlimited contributions, to spend unlimited funds independently supporting or opposing federal candidates," said Richard Hasen, a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles and an expert in election law. "One of the things we know about outside groups, as opposed to political parties, is that they run more negative ads. ... This could lead to a more negative campaign season."

The decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit came in a lawsuit brought by Emily's List, a nonprofit political organization that backs female Democratic candidates who support abortion rights.

The group challenged several Federal Election Commission regulations, arguing that the rules violated its First Amendment rights by limiting its ability to spend and raise money to influence elections.

"The First Amendment, as the Court has construed it, safeguards the right of citizens to band together and pool their resources ... to express their views about policy issues and candidates for public office," wrote Judge Brett Kavanaugh in his opinion.

A spokeswoman for the FEC, Judith Ingram, said officials were reviewing the opinion.
The challenge by Emily's List is just one of several assaults on campaign finance laws and regulations in the courts. Last week, in a case with high stakes for campaign finance advocates, the Supreme Court heard arguments in an appeal that seeks to strip decades of restrictions on corporate support of political candidates.