The statement notes that the Federal Election Commission (FEC) recently deadlocked on a proposal to exempt grassroots lobbying broadcasts from this overly broad campaign finance rule. The issue has been contentious because some reform groups have opposed any exemption to the rule.

The statement challenges opponents of protection for grassroots lobbying broadcasts to debate the issue on the merits, saying:

These "reform" groups make no effort to offer a constructive proposal to distinguish grassroots lobbying from campaign ads. Instead, they make dire predictions about "huge loopholes" and impugn the integrity of organizations that collectively represent tens of millions of ordinary citizens. Nor do they offer any argument about how a reasonable grassroots lobbying exemption could be abused. In fact, during 2004, charities and religious organizations were entirely exempt from the "electioneering communications" rule, and the record is clear that no "abuse" occurred.

The official end of the Internal Revenue Service's investigation of the NAACP was as inexplicable as its beginning. Even though the organization was cleared of allegations that it had violated federal law on partisan campaigning, the way the group was treated raises important issues about how the government handles matters involving tax-exempt groups, especially the right of charities to influence public policy.

On September 11, 2006, the IRS announced that it had revoked the nonprofit 501(c)(3) status of Youth Ministries, Inc., which did business as Operation Rescue West (ORW). While the IRS does not provide information on the circumstances that lead to revocations of any group’s tax-exempt status, a CFFC complaint filed in 2004 provided information on ORW’s electoral activities during the Boston Democratic Party convention that we considered to be violations of IRS regulations.

Our complaint referred to a full-page ad placed by the antichoice group on July 15, 2004, in the Wanderer, an ultra-conservative national Catholic weekly. In the ad, ORW called on readers to make what it said was a “tax-deductible donation to help pay the bills and affect the outcome of the election” and called for readers to give a tax-deductible donation to help “defeat [John Kerry] in November and enable President Bush to appoint a pro-life Supreme Court Justice to finally overturn Roe v. Wade.” In making its case, Operation Rescue West cited the statements of several cardinals and bishops who had attacked Catholic politicians for their support of a woman’s right to choose and invited the support of readers as they are “going into the middle of a war in Boston.” [Emphasis in original.] ORW said that the money raised would be spent in Boston during the Democratic Party convention, where it planned to distribute antiabortion, anti-Kerry materials and display highly visible ads on trucks at key sites.

To see all 1,715 pages in the second batch of documents click here.

Posted by Kay Guinane, 02:42:38 PM

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Friday, September 01, 2006