Dems move closer to Thursday vote on Disclose Act

[bobbyw24]

By Russell Berman - 06/23/10 07:50 PM ET

House Democrats moved closer to a Thursday vote on their signature campaign finance bill despite ongoing concerns from liberal members of their caucus.

Democratic leaders were whipping votes throughout Wednesday and proclaimed the Disclose Act “on track” for passage Thursday. The House Rules Committee was meeting Wednesday to finalize floor guidelines for the bill.

The legislation tightens disclosure requirements for corporations and unions in response to a January Supreme Court decision that overturned limits on their political campaign spending.

House liberals revolted last week after an exemption was tailored for the National Rifle Association (NRA).

Authors of the legislation later widened the provision to exempt other groups, but the change did not satisfy all members’ concerns.

Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.), a member of the Congressional Black Caucus who led efforts to amend the NRA exemption, took to the floor Wednesday morning to protest the final version of the bill.

“As an early co-sponsor of Disclose, I am dismayed that we’ve fallen prey to bullying and threats from one of the most powerful lobbying organizations in the country,” Edwards said. “Carving out an exception on behalf of one big group like this is just not the way to do reform. Shame on us.”

Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), co-chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, also said Wednesday he was leaning against voting for the Disclose Act. “I continue to lean no, but it’s a very difficult vote, because I realize what’s at stake,” Grijalva told The Hill.

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/105183-dems-move-closer-to-thursday-vote-on-disclose-act

[bobbyw24]

By Sean J. Miller and Shane D'Aprile - 06/24/10 06:00 AM ET

Business groups are using a variety of tactics to pressure House members to vote against campaign finance legislation.

One of those tactics is offering their endorsement ahead of the vote.

The Chamber of Commerce announced Wednesday it’s supporting Rep. Dan Boren (D-Okla.) for reelection — one of only a handful of Democrats it has backed this cycle.

“On issues ranging from competition in the healthcare industry to lowering taxes to reducing energy costs, Oklahoma’s businesses and workers have a tireless advocate in Dan Boren,” Bill Miller, the Chamber’s political director, said in statement.

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/105141-business-groups-pressure-house-members-to-vote-against-disclose-act

[bobbyw24]

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Oppose DISCLOSE!

Dear Bobby,

I am going to cut to the chase. We need you to sign a petition because we are facing an attack on our Liberty.

The DISCLOSE Act (more accurately, the Establishment Protection Act) aims to intimidate supporters of liberty groups by requiring them to hand over the names of all of their major donors to the government.

H.R. 5175, the DISCLOSE Act (really the Establishment Protection Act) is scheduled to hit the House floor this Thursday, June 24.

Your immediate action is needed to stop this bill that would infringe on your privacy, limit your right to free speech, and silence C4L and like-minded organizations that hold the statists accountable.

Contact your Representative right away at (202) 225-3121 and/or by email and tell the House to reject this First Amendment-shredding legislation.

The DISCLOSE Act was dead in the water until the NRA cut a deal for an exemption for itself and a few other big liberal groups. That was all Pelosi needed to push the Establishment Protection Act forward... where it ran into a buzz-saw of opposition from principled liberty-minded groups, led by Campaign for Liberty.

You see, if there is one thing the establishment hates, it is watching its hand-picked candidates be held accountable for their records on liberty issues.

The only thing they'd love more than shutting down efforts like C4L's issue advocacy program is finding out exactly who gave to the program and how much they contributed.

Make no mistake, despite their rhetoric, this bill is aimed straight at the average, every day Americans who have banded together to form groups like Campaign for Liberty.

Faceless bureaucrats could demand C4L turn over the names of those who have donated as little as $600.

They want all the details they can get on those who oppose them and precisely how much they're spending to do so.

Contact your Representative right away at (202) 225-3121 and/or by email and let Congress know what you think of this latest unconstitutional interference.

Campaign for Liberty takes the privacy of each and every one of our supporters extremely seriously, and we know that there's no need for yet another government list of freedom-loving patriots.

But the statists and their insider buddies are doing everything they can to spin the Establishment Protection Act as a bill to help the little guy.

If they really wanted sunshine, Audit the Fed would have been the law of the land immediately after its introduction.

And they wouldn't be exempting their favorites, like the unions (who spend millions each election cycle), from most of the bill's provisions.

The federal government continues to operate with as little transparency as possible, but when it comes to identifying those who stand up to it, our elected officials trip all over themselves to get in front of the camera and call for action.

We've stood together in some tough battles for nearly two years now, and you and I know that if anyone can stop the Establishment Protection Act, it's the liberty movement.

Please, contact your Representative right away, today and Thursday at (202) 225-3121 and/or by email and urge a "NO!" vote on H.R. 5175.

In Liberty,


P.S. With the Establishment Protection Act set to gravely infringe on our right to free speech, and federal efforts underway to take over the Internet, C4L will need your continued support to fight back against these power grabs. If you are able, please chip in $10 or $25 toward C4L's work today so we can defeat the Establishment Protection Act and any other bills that attack our freedoms.

P.S. Be sure and sign the petition against DISCLOSE.

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