GOP: Massive campaign donations should be secret
“WASHINGTON — During their long campaign to loosen rules on campaign money, conservatives argued that there was a simpler way to prevent corruption: transparency. Get rid of limits on contributions and spending, they said, but make sure voters know where the money is coming from.
Today, with those fundraising restrictions largely removed, many conservatives have changed their tune. They now say disclosure could be an enemy of free speech.
High-profile donors could face bullying and harassment from liberals out to “muzzle” their opponents, Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said in a recent speech.
Corporations could be subject to boycotts and pickets, warned the Wall Street Journal editorial page this spring.
Democrats “want to intimidate people into not giving to these conservative efforts,” said Republican strategist Karl Rove on Fox News. “I think it’s shameful.”
The Times’ story goes on to document a wide-ranging effort by conservative groups to undermine, dismantle and evade laws intended to force disclosure of who is giving how much money to who. They are also aggressively abusing a loophole in regulations that allow nonprofit groups to collect hundreds of millions of dollars in anonymous donations — under the guise that they are social-welfare organizations — and use that anonymous money to buy campaign ads.
The Federal Election Commission, which has the legal authority and even obligation to intervene, has been rendered incapable of doing so. In an all-too-familiar pattern, the commission’s three Republican members are blocking its three Democratic members from taking action to force disclosure that the law clearly requires. (See Van Hollen v. FEC).
As a result, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the public and the media to “follow the money,” the traditional means to trace how big money in the political system produces favorable outcomes for those doing the giving.
The excuse for such secrecy is that large donors fear a backlash should their involvement become public. Poor little sensitive dears.
What do they think happens when John Q. Public writes a letter to the editor of the local newspaper, puts a campaign sign in his front yard or a bumper sticker on his car?
Why should they be exempt from disclosing contributions measured in the millions of dollars, while Jane Q. Public’s little $500 contribution to a candidate ends up in a FEC database accessible to her employer, her family and friends and everyone else with an Internet connection?
As one prominent jurist noted back in 2010:
“Requiring people to stand up in public for their political acts fosters civic courage, without which democracy is doomed. For my part, I do not look forward to a society which, thanks to the Supreme Court, campaigns anonymously and even exercises the direct democracy of initiative and referendum hidden from public scrutiny and protected from the accountability of criticism.”
Of course, given that the jurist in question was Justice Antonin Scalia, he may be singing a different tune now, given the partisan turn this issue has taken.
– Jay Bookman
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757 comments Add your comment
kayaker 71
June 27th, 2012
10:38 am
If Bozo was raising all of this money for his campaign, it would be ignored and Bookman would be talking about some other fault of the evil Republicans. Selective indignation rears its ugly head yet again.
Joe Hussein Mama
June 27th, 2012
10:39 am
A dad — “But hey, certain folk want to protect abortion clinics from picketing, etc. Can’t have it both ways folks, Either open season or we will continue to whittle away at rational thoght in this country.”
Are you not reading what others are posting in this thread? Are you not seeing others saying ‘yeah, okay, make it all public?’
ragnar danneskjold
June 27th, 2012
10:39 am
Dear Joe @ 10:37, one expects disparagement rather than real thought from a leftist.
Adam
June 27th, 2012
10:40 am
to follow your argument then, you would require personal identification of any advocacy up to the point of the casting of a ballot, then and only then excusing public identification?
You may be requiring ID to vote (which I actually only have a problem with in this whole “DO IT NOW” and “DO IT THIS WAY” and “EXCLUDE THESE IDs” thing), but you are NOT requiring every person’s vote to be publicly analyzed. Nor should you.
atler8
June 27th, 2012
10:41 am
0311/….etc. etc.
Re your post at 9:31..
Yeah, sort of like how some right thinking super patriot spread bubble gum all over my anti-Bush bumper sticker & the car itself back in 2004, right? The coward did the bubble-gumming in a quiet corner of a parking deck where there was little foot traffic & risk of his/her being caught in the act.
Adam
June 27th, 2012
10:41 am
If Bozo was raising all of this money for his campaign, it would be ignored and Bookman would be talking about some other fault of the evil Republicans.
Unless the Republicans started complaining about the financing of campaigns. n which case it would still be part of the conversation and I’d be on the Republicans’ side.
I want good policy, not party.
larry
June 27th, 2012
10:41 am
Obviously big and small business’s don’t like the policy’s set forth by Oblama and the demoncrats so they want Conservatives who are more business friendly for job creators to be in power.
My boss, a small business owner, liked the nice tax credit he recieved from the ACA to give his employees health insurance. He, along with 359, 999 other small business owners are worried he might have to pay that back after tommorrow.
Joe Hussein Mama
June 27th, 2012
10:41 am
R. Danneskjold — “That is why leftists reject, without any consideration, logical arguments forwarded by Chairman Ann or Dr. Sowell or Dr. Walter E Williams. The “citation to authority” guides the opinions of leftists.”
And “citation to authority” is exactly what you just did here.
Furthermore, calling Ann Coulter “Chairman Ann” is absolutely emblematic of the behavior you *pretend* to decry. (laughing)
Adam
June 27th, 2012
10:42 am
larry @ 10:41
Boom!
stands for decibels
June 27th, 2012
10:42 am
I’m dumbfounded that anyone outside of the immediate benefactors (i.e., these crooked politicians) would seriously oppose full disclosure of superPAC money.
Good luck selling that crap to the public.
Recon 0311 2533
June 27th, 2012
10:43 am
I hope the Romney campaign gets all the money it needs to evict Obama from the White House. In fact I’m writing a check in the amount of $50.00 for the Romney campaign. There full disclosure. Feel free to report me for inclusion on Obama’s enemies list.
Joe Hussein Mama
June 27th, 2012
10:43 am
R. Danneskjold — “Dear Joe @ 10:37, one expects disparagement rather than real thought from a leftist.”
You’ve long since abandoned any credible claim you might have had to “real thought” when you sold out your *claimed* Libertarianism for your *actual* Statism.
Given that your true nature is now on display, you needn’t play the wounded — a Statist like you is *far, far* more dangerous than any Socialist.
Adam
June 27th, 2012
10:44 am
In fact I’m writing a check in the amount of $50.00 for the Romney campaign.
Better think about raising that, because I’ve already donated more than that to Obama 2012.
kayaker 71
June 27th, 2012
10:44 am
Adam, 10:41,
Ever heard of McCain-Feingold?
Cosby
June 27th, 2012
10:44 am
Hmm…when the annoited one – The self appointed Ruler – outstripped the GOP in the last election no no one said a word..now that the GOP is at least matching or even doing better does the retoric come out against money raising….but I somewhat agree but since the ruler wants to TAX THE RICH…lets just TAX THE CONTRIBUTIONS to a candidate, any candidate local, state and federal, at 75% and apply that money directly to Social Security, then we would not ahve to be punished by all the thrash and lies they will put on the air – radio, TV, internet. On top of that, if The Ruler uses Air Force One to Campaign with..then charge him a fair rate for use. But then The Dear Ruler would not like that would he….
JamVet
June 27th, 2012
10:46 am
The moniker Chairman Ann is hysterical on several levels.
Is it a reference to her Adam’s Apple?
Code for Commie speak?
Or just the sad human condition of adoring an utterly depraved, hyper-bigoted, anit-Semitic human being?
Joe Hussein Mama
June 27th, 2012
10:46 am
Recon — “In fact I’m writing a check in the amount of $50.00 for the Romney campaign. There full disclosure. Feel free to report me for inclusion on Obama’s enemies list.”
Why would anyone treat you like an enemy for exercising your rights?
Adam
June 27th, 2012
10:46 am
kayaker: Yes and I support McCain and other Republicans who are on board with disclosure and with limiting donations. I disagree with some other policies. But the scenario I was referring to is the make believe one in which Obama simply outraising people post-Citizens United would somehow make me opposed to the things I support.
Batman
June 27th, 2012
10:46 am
Unions hid the amounts they gave and continue to give. And of course, they were giving Union’s dues of both Democrats and Republican Union Members, whether the members liked it or not.
But of course, this is a huge deal because finally, the GOP has the upper hand in financing.
Having Obama in office for four years has been a good thing. Every time the overt propaganda that the mainstream media puts out results in some liberal joke in the White House, they always mess it up and Republicans will have power again for years, so THANKS, BARRY. Now back to Chicago with you.
larry
June 27th, 2012
10:47 am
I am all for full disclosure. I dont care if the President is getting campaign contributions from Dubai or if Mr. Romney is getting them from the president of British Petrolium, i want to know about it.
And with that , im out.
Dirty Dawg
June 27th, 2012
10:47 am
As much I cherish the thought of waking up on Nov 7 to the realization that all those greedy-a$$ billionaires pi$$ed away hundreds and hundreds of millions and got nothing for it and Obama gets another term, but alas they’ve got enough money to buy all the local elections which means even more obstruction and gridlock…along with some trumped-up impeachment charges. No, the only hope for this country is dramatic changes to campaigns and campaign financing. Extreme limits on the amount to be spent, the length of time when active campaigning can exist, public financing of all campaigns and the subsequent banning of all campaign contributions. Unless and untill we get rid of the legalized bribery this is the ‘democracy’ we’ll have. Of course there’ll still be those that’ll take bribes, but at least they’ll be easier to catch and lock up.
Adam
June 27th, 2012
10:47 am
Cosby: when the annoited one – The self appointed Ruler – outstripped the GOP in the last election no no one said a word.
Donations were disclosed, and limited, at that time. Apples and oranges.
John Christopher
June 27th, 2012
10:48 am
Secret donations! I’m shocked, flabbergasted! Please……
Recon 0311 2533
June 27th, 2012
10:48 am
“Better think about raising that, because I’ve already donated more than that to Obama 2012.”
Adam. one up man ship, huh!
Jay
June 27th, 2012
10:50 am
Some of you may remember a recent spate of Drudge-inspired blog comments about Charles Barron, “an anti-semite, former black panther in New York” whom conservatives were certain was about to be elected to Congress as a Democrat. Fox News also highlighted Barron as part of its ongoing marketing campaign to frighten white people into watching more Fox News.
For the record, Barron lost in yesterday’s Dem primary, drawing 25 percent of the vote to the winner’s 75 percent.
Tundra Dude
June 27th, 2012
10:50 am
Jesse Ventura:
“I wish they would pass a law where all Democrats and Republicans had to wear Nascar racing suits, because if you look at the Nascar drivers, it tells who their sponsors are. And if they do that, we could then become informed voters, because we would know who owns them. “
Brosephus™
June 27th, 2012
10:51 am
Dear Brosephus @ 10:26, to follow your argument then, you would require personal identification of any advocacy up to the point of the casting of a ballot, then and only then excusing public identification?
Nope. If you’re speaking out in public, it’s kind of hard to hide your identity unless you’re on an internet blog or wearing an Elmo costume. If you’re spending money to drive a political message, then I think it’s only fair that those who are subjected to that messgage know who’s peddling it.
As to voting, there is no fee paid or cost to vote. Voting has never been by public ballot in elections, so why start now? It has nothing to do with your leftists/conservative crap. That whole lame assed argument is your method of trying to hide your motivations in that you want nothing more than a nanny state government that acquiesces to what YOU want or think is right. Sorry bud, but that ain’t how the US worked in the past, and you and your other flunkies are not gonna get it now.
Not a Neal Boortz Redneck
June 27th, 2012
10:51 am
Sadly, Sheldon Adelson is spending hundreds of millions to buy a full ground war with Iran.
The GOP is the home of the Jewish neocons – a small subset of rational Jews.
Adam
June 27th, 2012
10:52 am
Recon: If it’s true you want him to have more money than Obama, then surely you can do better than $50. After all, you must make more money than someone who is assumed to be a tent dweller that gets paid to write on blogs
JamVet
June 27th, 2012
10:53 am
“The self appointed Ruler – outstripped the GOP in the last election no no one said a word.”
Rubbish.
I wrote repeatedly ont his very forum that for the first time in American history that the Dem candidate outraised the corporatist candidate in corporate money.
And when it returns to the historic norm, as it will this time, your faux outrage will disappear quicker than a UGA Young Republican from a ROTC recruiter…
stands for decibels
June 27th, 2012
10:53 am
alas they’ve got enough money to buy all the local elections which means even more obstruction and gridlock…
oh, it’s worse than that, and I really want people to start thinking about what’s really evil about the CU decision + no disclosure requirements.
these superPACs, they won’t necessarily have to get “their guys” elected if they’re not happy with some official. (won’t matter if the official is GOP or Dem.)
They can simply pay a visit and have a quiet chat, and quite legally inform the official that if he doesn’t play ball with them on a bill they want passed, they can begin funding a crapstorm of TV ads calling him a child molester, or what have you. It will be completely legal. And it would be beyond naive to imagine it won’t happen–and probably already is.
USinUK - pro-gay-marriage thug and former Girl Scout
June 27th, 2012
10:54 am
yet you don’t call CA, “racist” and “Homophobic”…like you did with NC
Ty – sorry for the delay – if you remember the CA campaign, it was primarily run by a bunch of out-of-staters (Idaho, to be specific) – makes a huge difference
ty webb
June 27th, 2012
10:54 am
Jay,
Good for NY…though that doesn’t quiet make up for reelecting the ethically challenged Rangel.
martin the calvinist
June 27th, 2012
10:54 am
I disagree with Adam, no tax payer funded campaigns. Instead, I think we ought to do this:
1. raise the personal contribution by individuals to 10,000 per election cycle
2. no bundling
3. no corporation, non profits entities, no policy group, no unions, no outside the US money
4. Full disclosure of who donates to ensure you only donate what you are allowed.
5. Only allow candidates to fund their campaigns by the personal limit to individuals. ie don’t allow millionaires to spend their wealth trying to buy an elected position
DBCOOPER
June 27th, 2012
10:54 am
Sounds like the LIBS are a little frightened. Countdown to November!
This mistake has to be corrected.
Joe Hussein Mama
June 27th, 2012
10:55 am
Adam — “After all, you must make more money than someone who is assumed to be a tent dweller that gets paid to write on blogs.”
Indeed!
Come on, Recon, I bet Adam scrapes that much in change out of fountains on a good night, and my gubmint checks add up to at LEAST four or five times that much in a month.
(laughing)
getalife
June 27th, 2012
10:55 am
We need a choice to dissolve corrupt congress.
They are out of control.
USinUK - pro-gay-marriage thug and former Girl Scout
June 27th, 2012
10:55 am
“Charles Barron, “an anti-semite, former black panther in New York” whom conservatives were certain was about to be elected to Congress as a Democrat”
vs.
Leaders of the Republican Committee of Luzerne County, Pa., are trying to figure out whether they can oust a reputed white supremacist who was elected to the committee with one vote – his own.
Steven Smith, co-founder of a racist group called the Keystone State Skinheads, was elected to one of two committee seats for his district, Pittston City’s Ward 4, during Pennsylvania’s April 24 primary election.
http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/06/07/12107097-steve-smith-reputed-white-supremacist-causes-stir-by-winning-election-to-pennsylvania-county-gop-seat?lite
stands for decibels
June 27th, 2012
10:55 am
drawing 25 percent of the vote to the winner’s 75 percent.
golly, Sargent Carter, maybe it’s ok to let the coloreds vote after all!
ty webb
June 27th, 2012
10:56 am
UsinUk,
the Idahoans didn’t vote for Prop 8…”Homophobic” Californians cast the ballots…and a majority of ‘em too.
Recon 0311 2533
June 27th, 2012
10:56 am
Adam,
I’m not a one percenter like you, so I have to send my contributions in installments. BTW…do you get paid under the table or must you report your blog earnings?
mm
June 27th, 2012
10:57 am
“The moniker Chairman Ann is hysterical on several levels.”
I still wonder why someone would name their son Ann.
Jm-pass TSPLOST silly people
June 27th, 2012
10:57 am
Please leave adelson out of this. Whack away at the rest of the guys
Personal heartburn……
cranky old man
June 27th, 2012
10:58 am
When making decisions about which products and services to buy, I think I have a right to know if some of the profits from the money I spend will be used to broadcast a political message with which I disagree. Isn’t that a major complaint conservatives have about lobbying by unions? That some union members might object to the way their dues are spent?
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
June 27th, 2012
10:58 am
Let’s not forget to monitor all of those diverted “wedding gifts” that Obama is asking for.
Good grief ……… is that pathetic or what?
JamVet
June 27th, 2012
10:58 am
“This mistake has to be corrected.”
Republispeak for…
BRING BACK GEORGE! BRING BACK GEORGE! BRING BACK GEORGE!
Granny Godzilla - Union Thugette
June 27th, 2012
10:59 am
Cosby
“On top of that, if The Ruler uses Air Force One to Campaign with..then charge him a fair rate for use”
What’s your problem with the rate he pays now?
Is it lower than the rate George Bush paid?
Please enlighten us……
mm
June 27th, 2012
11:00 am
All the money in the world is not going to get liar Romney elected.
And the flood of negative ads by the super pacs aren’t going to do him any favors either.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
June 27th, 2012
11:01 am
“They say when the cat’s away the mice will play… which seems to be the case whenever First Lady Michelle Obama isn’t around to watch over her husband’s daily dose of healthy foods.
Tuesday afternoon, President Obama sneaked in another fast-food pit stop st The Varsity ………..”
P.S. I hear the Dems. want to shut down that den of obesity !
Recon 0311 2533
June 27th, 2012
11:02 am
Oh well another boring blog but I’m sure things will heat up tomorrow. Later and y’all enjoy the day.
Money Wasted
June 27th, 2012
11:02 am
Millions will be spent and Barack Obama will get re-elected. The GOP and corporations will realize that they could have used those million$ to put people back to work!! Just imagine how many teenagers could be in the workforce at this very moment restoring America! There is so much work to be done and money is being thrown in the wind!!
Adam
June 27th, 2012
11:02 am
Recon: I’m not a one percenter like you, so I have to send my contributions in installments.
I sent mine in installments. $50 is less than my total donation so far. Just sayin.
Joseph
June 27th, 2012
11:03 am
Poor poor Oblama is falling flat with his fundraising obviously. Hence the Bookman tripe whining about how the GOP raises money. Why no blog on how dems are running from Oblama in an alarming way. Why don’t they want to campaign with him Jay?
Adam
June 27th, 2012
11:04 am
The GOP and corporations will realize that they could have used those million$ to put people back to work!!
Don’t hold your breath on that one….
Brosephus™
June 27th, 2012
11:04 am
Isn’t that a major complaint conservatives have about lobbying by unions? That some union members might object to the way their dues are spent?
Your problem there is that you’re using logic instead of emotion. See, when you mention the word union, it’s all emotion for some conservatives. They lose any semblance of logic. Also, you can choose not to buy a company’s product, but you can’t choose to work at a job without collective bargaining or union representation. Unions force people to take those jobs so that they have more people paying dues and stuff….
TaxPayer
June 27th, 2012
11:04 am
Poor cowardly GOP donors. Scared of getting boycotted. Someone needs to write them a song.
Lord Help Us
June 27th, 2012
11:04 am
‘P.S. I hear the Dems. want to shut down that den of obesity !’
Someone is all emotional again today…
stands for decibels
June 27th, 2012
11:05 am
Paul, if you’re around–from downstairs:
When I was a kid my dad had a Heinkel scooter.
Incredibly cool.
Also, given this fact, if you (or your dad) never read this:
http://www.amazon.com/See-My-Outfit-Cross-Country-Adventure/dp/1585790478
you oughta.
(the .c 1960 cross-country adventure documented therein having been done on Heinkels.)
Money Wasted
June 27th, 2012
11:05 am
Why no blog on how dems are running from Oblama in an alarming way.
_______
Is that the same reason that George W. Bush is running from the GOP? Where is he? Does he support Mitt Romney?
207 more days
June 27th, 2012
11:06 am
It’s kind of like the O/Bama/Holder transparency, but that is covering up a murder isn’t it?
I don’t have a problem with transparency but it must be both sides doing it and it must be consistent.
stands for decibels
June 27th, 2012
11:06 am
Poor poor Oblama is falling flat with his fundraising obviously.
poor poor Joseph read Drudge yesterday and doesn’t have any new talking points.
Someone, please give? for only pennies a day, you can give a little troll like Joseph hope for a better tomorrow.
Granny Godzilla - Union Thugette
June 27th, 2012
11:06 am
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
You big silly! Your confusion must come from the fact that you never get the whole story.
FLOTUS thinks it ok to splurge a little once and a while.
and YES, that means you can put a scoop of ice cream in your ensure for lunch!
josef
June 27th, 2012
11:06 am
USinUK
“Ty – sorry for the delay – if you remember the CA campaign, it was primarily run by a bunch of out-of-staters (Idaho, to be specific) – makes a huge difference”
Oh? Sounds to me like that old “outside agitator” line so beloved by our own natives…
Sorry, but on this one, Ty’s right…it’s that old double standard…let the South show its sheets, and its front page news for weeks on end, let the rest of the country show theirs, and it’s at best a flash in the pan…
Sauce for the goose is not always sauce for the gander…
Not a Neal Boortz Redneck
June 27th, 2012
11:07 am
Romney collected more in May only. Obama still has a big money lead.
stands for decibels
June 27th, 2012
11:08 am
It’s kind of like the O/Bama/Holder transparency
ya know, FFS, is it really asking too much for you schmucks to address the freaking issue at hand?
Do you really think this pathetic “but you guys kinda do it too, if you squint and look sideways through a glass of your own urine!” response is gonna cut it?
Ahem
June 27th, 2012
11:08 am
It is stunning to read this opinion as if only one political party were involved in the BIG money game. Absolutely stunning. Shamelessly stunning indeed.
josef
June 27th, 2012
11:10 am
As for the topic…so what else is new? Money talks and bullsh*t walks. Campaign finance reform is bullsh*t…
Joseph
June 27th, 2012
11:10 am
Money Wasted:
Bush took part in the 08′ convention because he was still President of course. Past Presidents normally don’t have a part in Conventions but all candidates usually attend. You won’t see Bill Clintoon in Charlotte.. Is it not obvious that Obama has failed and no one wants to be tied to a failure..
stands for decibels
June 27th, 2012
11:10 am
it’s all emotion for some conservatives.
that’s unpossible. Conservatives constantly inform me that they are all about logic, never emotion. Why talk to them about…
abortion
gun control
the death penalty
taxes
and yeah, workers’ rights
… it’s all clear as a bell, right-down-the-middle.
TaxPayer
June 27th, 2012
11:10 am
and YES, that means you can put a scoop of ice cream in your ensure for lunch!
Just be sure to cinch that depends waistband a little snugger just in case you are lactose intolerant though.
Granny Godzilla - Union Thugette
June 27th, 2012
11:11 am
207 more days….while I agree all should do it…
I certainly have been raised well enough to know that waiting for somebody else to do the right thing is a really crappy excuse for not doing the right thing.
ty webb
June 27th, 2012
11:11 am
Josef,
yeah, for a minute I though she might go with the oldie but goodie, “It’s because of the Mormons!”
FEAR (False Evidence Appearing Real)
June 27th, 2012
11:13 am
I just want my country back. The grotesquely in-your-face radical Supremes sitting on our land’s highest court seem perfectly happy to turn our democracy into a plutocracy. Where’s the poutrage from those tea people???
godless heathen
June 27th, 2012
11:13 am
Just imagine how many teenagers could be in the workforce at this very moment restoring America!
And keeping high paid Union members at home on their duffs.
Joseph
June 27th, 2012
11:13 am
Funny Jay wants transparency from political donors but not from the Oblama administration to find out what really happened with Fast & Furious…
gm
June 27th, 2012
11:13 am
0311/8541/5811/
1811/1801
Please vote for Willard (Gekko) so he can send the rest of American jobs overseas and tell you idiots how much he believes in America, you people are the most sick Americans of any rep generations,
Lord Help Us
June 27th, 2012
11:13 am
‘You won’t see Bill Clintoon in Charlotte.’
I bet you will see both Bill and Hil…
stands for decibels
June 27th, 2012
11:13 am
It is stunning to read this opinion as if only one political party were involved in the BIG money game.
Both parties stand to leverage big money through the CU decision horrors; obviously the Goopers are in a better position at the present, but the Dems will find a way.
I don’t want them to do that. I don’t want anyone beholden to what the highest bidder dictates. There’s enough indirect bribery going on pre-CU; this enshrines it as a constitutional right, and by not requiring disclosure, we’re committing (I don’t think this is overstating things) a slow suicide from a thousand cuts.
TaxPayer
June 27th, 2012
11:13 am
Conservatives constantly inform me that they are all about logic, never emotion.
And they prove it too with all their posting of links to unemotional fact-based analysis, studies conducted by experts, etc. Okay, I made another funny.
too little time
June 27th, 2012
11:14 am
Who? How many is “many”? One? Two? Of course there are some in the GOP who feel this way. There have been Democratic donors and bundlers who didn’t want to go public, too. I can pretty well assure you the majority base of conservative voters supports transparency.
Bingo. This time, JB paints “the GOP” with a massively broad brush. The only folks who want to keep it secret are those who donate big amounts. And the reasons are varied. Some want to keep it secret are to prevent lawyers and “journalists” from sticking their collective noses in every nook and cranny of the donor’s lives, looking for dirt. Some want to keep it secret to prevent the non-stop picketing outside of their home, threatening their families and children.
Republicans don’t generally use these tactics. Nobody went to Obama’s bundler’s houses and threatened their families, or funded legions of attorneys to bribe local officials to pry open closed court documents, etc, etc, etc. I certainly don’t want someone reading MY name off of a list of donors and showing up at MY house to yell epitaphs, threaten my family, and ruin my quality of life. No one deserves that, but Democrats think it is perfectly find to be obnoxious azzwholes in this way. It’s like bringing the occupy crowd to your front door.
Steve - USA ("None of the Above")
June 27th, 2012
11:15 am
Transparency is the way to go.
Money Wasted
June 27th, 2012
11:15 am
Joseph@11:10 Is that the reason that George W. Bush can wear the crown as “The Worst U.S. President” EVER?
The partial tally of what this nation lost under President Bush so far:
• The World Trade Center
• A piece of the Pentagon
• Five or six trillion dollars–again, so far
• A doubled national debt
• Over six-thousand dead American soldiers and over forty-seven-thousand wounded (not to mention billions of dollars in weapons, supplies, and equipment blown up, wasted, or stolen)
• Untold numbers of Iraqis, Afghanis, and Pakistanis dead and wounded, and thousands of refugees
• The sympathy and the cooperation of almost every nation on the planet
• A big chunk of New Orleans
• The housing market
• Every amendment in the Bill Of Rights except the second
• A valuable CIA agent specializing in nuclear counter-proliferation
• Safe airline travel
• Safe food
• Safe water
• Safe, regulated exploration for and extraction of coal, oil, and gas
• Impartial climate science
• The integrity of the Justice and Interior departments
• Years of government research on climate change
• Eight years of stem cell research
• The nation’s moral standing on war crimes and torture
• Two million jobs
• Fair elections
• The integrity of the private property system
• Trillions of dollars swindled from Americans by banks you refused to regulate
• The Kyoto Treaty
• Three-thousand points off the Dow
(I would list the American automobile industry but President Obama mitigated that one…)
Joseph
June 27th, 2012
11:15 am
A lib talking about transparency is like a fat person talking about going on a diet… They talk about it all the time but never live up to it….
Joseph
June 27th, 2012
11:16 am
Money Wasted:
Wow you know how to copy and paste…. LOL… You fruits are insane…
SwamiDave
June 27th, 2012
11:16 am
So long as there are lunatic-fringe liberals who are engaging in “SWAT”ing of their political opponents putting both citizens and law enforcement personnel at grave risk, the concerns are valid.
There should be transparency for all donations, but membership of organizations is none of your business or mine.
Maybe law enforcement and the criminal courts should identify, arrest, and convict these “SWAT”ers of filing a false claim, assault, destruction of property, and attempted murder to address this problem!
-SD
Lord Help Us
June 27th, 2012
11:16 am
‘Funny Jay wants transparency from political donors but not from the Oblama administration to find out what really happened with Fast & Furious…’
Joseph, you like many others, have no idea about the actual facts of the case. I strongly suggest you read this article to keep from appearing like an uninformed hack:
http://features.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2012/06/27/fast-and-furious-truth/?hpt=hp_t2
Once you separate the reality of the situation from the manner in which it has been contorted for political gain, it is sickening…
getalife
June 27th, 2012
11:16 am
cons should self deport to planet kolob.
USMC
June 27th, 2012
11:16 am
“Full disclosure. I don’t want ANY campaign for national, state, or local office receiving foreign money. NONE of them.”–Adam
Wise words from Adam which I think we can all agree on.
stands for decibels
June 27th, 2012
11:17 am
Past Presidents normally don’t have a part in Conventions
Did I hallucinate in 1988, when RR told HW Bush to “win one for the Gipper?”
why no. I did not.
http://www.reagansheritage.org/html/reagan_rnc_88.shtml
(Clinton was ill at the time of the 2004 DNC, but he was there speechifyin’ in 2008, as well.)
Joseph
June 27th, 2012
11:17 am
John Barrow(D) will vote to hold Holder in contempt… Wow finally we are getting some bipartisanship going on in Washington. All agree that Oblama/Holder is a failure….
Money Wasted
June 27th, 2012
11:17 am
Joseph, again I ask you “Where is George W. Bush?”
Lord Help Us
June 27th, 2012
11:17 am
‘Maybe law enforcement and the criminal courts should identify, arrest, and convict these “SWAT”ers of filing a false claim, assault, destruction of property, and attempted murder to address this problem!’
Are you suggesting that these felonies are not being investigated?
CJ
June 27th, 2012
11:17 am
Joseph @11:13,
What really happened with Fast and Furious?
Jay
June 27th, 2012
11:18 am
Ahem, you seem to be easily stunned. Perhaps the result of too many earlier concussions?
Yes, both parties are attempting to bring in big-money donations, because that’s the way the game must be played at the moment.
However, one party wants to reinstitute limits if possible, and at least mandate full disclosure if limits are not politically or legally feasible.
The other party opposes limits and opposes letting the American people see where the campaign funds are coming from.
Pretty simple but important difference.
Oh, and Joseph? GW Bush did not attend the ‘08 convention, explaining by satellite that “my duties have me here in Washington tonight to oversee the federal government’s efforts to help citizens recover from Hurricane Gustav.”
Yeah, he just couldn’t manage to get away.
Joseph
June 27th, 2012
11:18 am
stands for decibels:
Reagan is an exception. Anyone with a brain loved him. Did Clintoon speak in 08′ for Oblama or did I miss that?
stands for decibels
June 27th, 2012
11:18 am
read this article to keep from appearing like an uninformed hack:
where’s the fun for us in that?
Oscar
June 27th, 2012
11:18 am
ll disclosure. I don’t want ANY campaign for national, state, or local office receiving foreign money. NONE of them.”–Adam
_____
Under present law, there is no way to stop it, or even know about it.
Brosephus™
June 27th, 2012
11:19 am
It’s kind of like the O/Bama/Holder transparency, but that is covering up a murder isn’t it?
Although I generally avoid off-topic posts for the attention-whore aspect they permeate, I’ll indulge this one here simply because I think this article is an interesting read on the whole “Bad Holder” thingie that’s got some conservatives springing woodies like a Viagra convention.
http://features.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2012/06/27/fast-and-furious-truth/
Conservatives have pummeled the Obama administration, and especially Holder, for more than a year. “Who authorized this program that was so felony stupid that it got people killed?” Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, demanded to know in a hearing in June 2011. He has charged the Justice Department, which oversees the ATF, with having “blood on their hands.” Issa and more than 100 other Republican members of Congress have demanded Holder’s resignation.
The conflict has escalated dramatically in the past ten days. On June 20, in a day of political brinkmanship, Issa’s committee voted along party lines, 23 to 17, to hold Holder in contempt of Congress for allegedly failing to turn over certain subpoenaed documents, which the Justice Department contended could not be released because they related to ongoing criminal investigations. The vote came hours after President Obama asserted executive privilege to block the release of the documents. Holder now faces a vote by the full House of Representatives this week on the contempt motion (though negotiations over the documents continue). Assuming a vote occurs, it will be the first against an attorney general in U.S. history.
As political pressure has mounted, ATF and Justice Department officials have reversed themselves. After initially supporting Group VII agents and denying the allegations, they have since agreed that the ATF purposefully chose not to interdict guns it lawfully could have seized. Holder testified in December that “the use of this misguided tactic is inexcusable, and it must never happen again.”
There’s the rub.
Quite simply, there’s a fundamental misconception at the heart of the Fast and Furious scandal. Nobody disputes that suspected straw purchasers under surveillance by the ATF repeatedly bought guns that eventually fell into criminal hands. Issa and others charge that the ATF intentionally allowed guns to walk as an operational tactic. But five law-enforcement agents directly involved in Fast and Furious tell Fortune that the ATF had no such tactic. They insist they never purposefully allowed guns to be illegally trafficked. Just the opposite: They say they seized weapons whenever they could but were hamstrung by prosecutors and weak laws, which stymied them at every turn.
Indeed, a six-month Fortune investigation reveals that the public case alleging that Voth and his colleagues walked guns is replete with distortions, errors, partial truths, and even some outright lies. Fortune reviewed more than 2,000 pages of confidential ATF documents and interviewed 39 people, including seven law-enforcement agents with direct knowledge of the case. Several, including Voth, are speaking out for the first time.
How Fast and Furious reached the headlines is a strange and unsettling saga, one that reveals a lot about politics and media today. It’s a story that starts with a grudge, specifically Dodson’s anger at Voth. After the terrible murder of agent Terry, Dodson made complaints that were then amplified, first by right-wing bloggers, then by CBS. Rep. Issa and other politicians then seized those elements to score points against the Obama administration, which, for its part, has capitulated in an apparent effort to avoid a rhetorical battle over gun control in the run-up to the presidential election. (A Justice Department spokesperson denies this and asserts that the department is not drawing conclusions until the inspector general’s report is submitted.)
TaxPayer
June 27th, 2012
11:19 am
Those poor wealthy donors so worried about being exposed and having people boycott their private residences in hopes of picking the right gated entrance and disrupting the security guard’s nap. Where’s my nano-violin. I have the hardest time keeping up with that thing.
Joseph
June 27th, 2012
11:19 am
stands for decibels:
And will they wheel Jimmy Carter out and prop him up for a speech as well??