This feels like the first in a series of efforts that will attempt any and all strategies anyone can think of in this next battle for the American presidency. I don't think there is any kind of strategy that won't be used, no matter how dirty or unbelievable, and, unfortunately, many of them will work.
Selma ----- Original Message ----- Sent: Sunday, December 14, 2003 2:30 PM Subject: Democratic 'Shadow' Groups Face Scrutiny > GOP, Watchdogs to Challenge Fundraising > > http://tinyurl.com/z65d > > Washington Post > Democratic 'Shadow' Groups Face Scrutiny > By Thomas B. Edsall > Washington Post Staff Writer > Sunday, December 14, 2003; Page A05 > > Leading campaign finance watchdog organizations as well as Republican > activists intend to challenge the new "shadow" Democratic Party -- a > network of independent groups gearing up to spend as much as $300 million > on voter mobilization and pro-Democratic TV ads. > > The organizations -- the Center for Responsive Politics, the Campaign > Legal Center and Democracy 21 -- contend that the pro-Democratic groups > are violating prohibitions on the use of corporate and labor money for > partisan voter registration and mobilization drives. > > Trevor Potter, chairman of the Campaign Legal Center, said the groups have > become "the new soft money loophole. . . . This is the beginning of an > important discussion about how these groups are going to operate." > > Judith L. Corley, who represents America Coming Together (ACT) and other > groups under fire, disputed Potter's contention. "The law has permitted > this type of activity all along," she said. > > Harold Ickes, who runs the pro-Democratic Media Fund, contended the > Republican and watchdog critics are "one, trying to tie us up; two, divert > our attention; three, force us to spend money on legal fees rather than > electoral activities; and four, to try to chill our contributors." > > Republican activists have created a group, Americans for a Better Country > (ABC), in part for the purpose of getting the Federal Election Commission > to rule on the legality of the objectives and practices of the > pro-Democratic groups. > > "There is this gray area that right now liberal groups are operating in," > said Craig Shirley, one of the founders of ABC. "We'd like to operate in > that area if it is legal. . . . We are still at the starting gate, and > they are four furlongs ahead of us." > > The 2002 McCain-Feingold law upheld by the Supreme Court last week banned > parties from raising "soft money." Although supported by overwhelming > Democratic majorities in the House and Senate, Democrats were far more > dependent on those donations than the GOP, which has been more successful > raising smaller, and still-legal, "hard money" contributions. > > New pro-Democratic organizations such as ACT, Voices for Working Families > (VWF), America Votes and the Media Fund have stepped in this year to > attempt to fill the vacuum created by the soft money ban. These groups are > accepting large contributions from labor unions that the parties are > prohibited from accepting. Most are explicitly opposed to President Bush. > > In the process, ACT, VWF, America Votes and the others are taking over > many of the functions traditionally associated with the parties, including > voter registration, canvassing, turnout. The Media Fund plans to run radio > and television "issue" ads critical of Bush and supportive of Democrats. > > Now the watchdog organizations contend that ACT and some of the other > groups have become "pass-throughs" or "conduits" for labor unions seeking > to use treasury money for partisan registration and turnout efforts. The > unions, they argue, are effectively violating federal law and FEC > regulations prohibiting corporate or labor treasury money from being used > for partisan purposes with the general public. They cite FEC regulations > that say: > > "The corporation or labor organization shall not make any communication > expressly advocating the election or defeat of any clearly identified > candidate[s] or candidates of a clearly identified political party as part > of the voter registration or get-out-the-vote drive. . . . The > registration drive shall not be directed primarily to individuals > previously registered with, or intending to register with, the political > party favored by the corporation or labor organization." > > Corley said the Campaign Legal Center and allied organizations are "trying > to expand the soft money ban to all activities, but they are doing it > increment by increment by increment." > > "What we are trying to do is get the FEC to enforce the law as intended," > said Larry Noble, executive director of the Center for Responsive > Politics. "All we are saying is: Enforce this law as intended, and don't > repeat the mistakes of the past." > _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
