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Wednesday, March 30, 2005

Op-Ed: The Ideological Shift in the Republican Party
Great op-ed in the New York Times by former Sen. Danforth (R-MS) regarding how ideology plays a role in the changing of the Republican Party.

Posted by Jennifer Lowe, 11:39:41 AM

Thursday, March 24, 2005

FEC Proposes Draft Rules on Internet Electioneering
The FEC today proposed draft rules to govern online election-related communications that would provide individual Web logs, or blogs, with a substantial exemption from campaign finance disclosure laws. Most of the reporting requirements would instead fall upon campaigns and candidates who pay for Web advertising, National Journal's Technology Daily reported. But commission members sparred over how narrow the rules should be. "We are not the speech police," said Commissioner Ellen Weintraub. "This issue has nothing to do with private citizens on the Internet. We have taken a very restrained approach." The draft rules will be open for public comment for 60 days. The FEC scheduled a hearing on them June 28.

Click here for Bob Bauer's analysis

Posted by Jennifer Lowe, 05:04:35 PM

Thursday, March 17, 2005

Annenberg Study on Legislative Issue Ads
The Annenberg Public Policy Center released a study today on Legislative Issue Advertising in the 108th Congress. Check it out.

Posted by Jennifer Lowe, 11:53:04 AM

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

527 Legislation Bad for 501(c)s
Recently, we noted that McCain-Fiengold dropped a new bill to regulate 527 groups.

501(c) groups have also grown concerned with the bill - because they also engage in political advocacy and get-out-the-vote drives. They are afraid that this will serve as a starting point for Congress, leading to further regulation down the road. This is especially true if donors shift their money to 501(c)s in an attempt to circumvent new contribution limits on 527s.

Check out this article in the Chicago Tribune.

Posted by Jennifer Lowe, 10:43:43 AM

Thursday, March 10, 2005

Wynn, Pence Introduce Bill to Strip BCRA Limits
Reps. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) and Albert Wynn (D-Md.) plan to introduce legislation that would once again allow the national party committees to raise and spend soft money.

Instead of reigning in 527s, Pence and Wynn are seeking to give the parties parity in the soft- money chase. They believe BCRA went too far in “imposing severe constraints” on the parties, unjustly weakening them against the fundraising power of the 527 groups.

Pence and Wynn’s proposal would: remove the aggregate contribution limits that BCRA imposed on individuals giving to influence federal elections, thus allowing them to avoid choosing between donations to parties, candidates and federally regulated independent groups; remove limits on how much the parties can spend in coordination with candidates; allow state and local parties to spend soft money on voter registration drives for elections, including those involving federal candidates; and eliminate the taxes nonprofit 501(c) organizations pay on communications that do not include “express advocacy” for the election or defeat of federal candidates.

Posted by Jennifer Lowe, 04:21:36 PM

Wednesday, March 09, 2005

News Coverage of Senate Hearing on 527 Bill
For details on the Senate Rules Committee's March 8 hearing on the 527 Reform Act of 2005 see:

New York Times Concern Grows About Role of Interest Groups in Elections
National Public RadioMorning Edition Congress Aims to Clamp Down on 527s
More Soft Money Hard Law web updates by attorney Bob Bauer 527s (and 501(c)s) and the Hill
McClatchy Newspapers Congress Considers Changes to 527 Funding Rules
Knight-Ridder newspapersLott Pushes to Close Campaign Finance Loophole on Advocacy Groups
Senate Rules Committee web posting of witness testimony and opening statement by Sen. Trent Lott

Tuesday, March 08, 2005

Coalition of Nonprofits Opposes 527 Bill
The Coalition to Protect Independent Political Speech has sent a letter to members of Congress urging them to oppose the 527 Reform Act of 2005.

The letter says, "These organizations have contributed to the revitalization of American democracy, helping bring millions of people back to the process of governing the country by bringing them back to the polls.”

It also notes that, "The 2004 elections saw the greatest increase in voter participation since 1968, due, in significant part, to the work of these independent organizations.” Their funds were used to “knock on doors in communities with some of the lowest historic voter turnouts in the country.” 527s are credited with expanding the scope of the debate by raising controversial issues.

Thursday, March 03, 2005

FEC Looking at Internet Advocacy
Bradley Smith says that the freewheeling days of political blogging and online punditry are over. In just a few months, he warns, bloggers and news organizations could risk the wrath of the federal government if they improperly link to a campaign's Web site. Even forwarding a political candidate's press release to a mailing list, depending on the details, could be punished by fines.

Check out the full story.

Posted by Jennifer Lowe, 12:23:33 PM

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