There they go again. Ever vigilant to protect themselves from democracy, the self-styled reformers in Congress are attempting to diminish the capacity of average Americans to have an impact on their own government. This isn’t the first time.
In 2001, Congress passed a campaign finance reform bill, known as McCain-Feingold, which was geared towards controlling how Americans and political parties could participate in elections. Now the reformers are trying to take the next logical step – controlling how Americans can participate in the political process once the elections are over.
Under current proposals, anyone who “encourages members of the general public” to communicate their views on any issue to a federal official could be categorized as a lobbyist and subject to reporting restrictions. This means that communications among the general public on issues before the Congress become subject to regulation by the Congress!
One such proposal from the House Democrat leadership would “require groups to account for and disclose their efforts at grassroots lobbying” and prescribes civil penalties upwards of $200,000, in addition to criminal penalties for failure to comply. How’s that for free speech?
One of the key Republican supporters of such an approach in the past has been none other than Senator (and presidential candidate) John McCain, who had his own bill aimed at grassroots lobbying in the 2006 Congress. Entitled the “Lobbying Transparency and Accountability Act”, it would have redefined the term “lobbyist” to include “grassroots lobbyists”. Further, it defined “grassroots lobbyist” as anyone attempting “to influence the public, or segments thereof, to engage in lobbying contacts” with members of Congress.
In an interview with talk show host Don Imus in April of last year, McCain displayed his love of free speech saying that “I would rather have a clean government than one where ‘First Amendment rights’ are being respected…” McCain tried to mitigate some of the damage with the “First Amendment” crowd last week by opposing the same type of measures that were in his own bill.
The bottom line from the reformers? If you want to encourage your friends to contact their government on an issue you care about, you’re a lobbyist. And you’d better get your paperwork in buddy, because bureaucrats live to enforce this kind of garbage.
Article comments
1 - Clavos
Um, let me see if I've got this right:
Our elected representatives are trying to discourage and prevent us from letting them know what we want them to do?
Is that about it?
The pols who are supposed to represent us, and whom we pay don't want us bothering them with our concerns anymore?
Will they still let us vote for them?
2 - Dave Nalle
That sounds about right, Clavos. We do still get to vote, but our choices will be controlled by the parties and their nominating conventions and back room deals. Our input will just be a rubber stamp at the end.
Dave
3 - Paul
Uh...buddy, they cut this part out of the bill. Check out the amendment introduced by Sen. Bob Bennett. It stripped the grassroots lobbying provisions from the bill. Please read the bill and the amendments before writing some woe-is-me opinion-editorial. This just makes you look silly.
4 - Bennelli
Uh, buddy....I think you need to take a look at what's still in the hopper. This stuff referenced here is still a part of the proposals from the House leadership...which means it's still in the mix. Not to mention that fact that it was there to begin with helps tell us something instructive about these people - whether they're successful or not.
5 - zingzing
dave: "We do still get to vote, but our choices will be controlled by the parties and their nominating conventions and back room deals. Our input will just be a rubber stamp at the end."
and that's different from now... how?
where's a link to info about this bill? i'd bet we're not getting the full story.
6 - Dave Nalle
I did some research to try to find the bill in question, and as far as I can tell it doesn't currently exist. There are a couple of very specific bills which address other aspects of campaign ethics, but right now there does not appear to be a full-scale campaign finance reform bill under active consideration.
Dave
7 - zingzing
well, how about a link to whatever this guy is talking about?
where's he getting the info?
let's see what he's seen. there's no way a law like this, described as it is described, could pass, nor would anyone likely try it.
basically, i think he's blowing something out of proportion, or he's leaving out some critical information.
8 - Bennelli
Here's some links: redstate.com
examiner.com
9 - zingzing
no, no... real links to neutral news. these links only tell me as much as this post does.
i want to see what the law is really about, not reasons why it sucks.
i don't think it truly exists as it is described.
10 - D'oh
zing - It's all bullshit, there's nothing recorded anywhere I can find about it, except on some blog rants.
NO linkages to the legislation, and the .gov sites yield no findable results, even among pending legislation.
11 - zingzing
although you're probably right to say that this is the information drew saw. he probably has no clue what the bill actually says. he probably just picked it up off sites like these.
prove me wrong, drew. show me some primary references.
12 - Bliffle
Well well well. This is what happens when people actually believe what they read at redstate.com. Perhaps swayed by vague memories of when redstate was at least moderately reliable. I suppose it's been taken over by maniacs eager to cash in the journalistic Blue Sky on behalf of their favorite crackpot theories.
13 - zingzing
doh, bliffle,
that's what i thought.
drew!
prove us wrong, or get the fuck out of here!
14 - Bliffle
There they go again. Ever vigilant to protect themselves from Islamo-Fascism, the self-styled reformers in the Administration are attempting to diminish the capacity of average Iraqis to have an impact on their own government. This isn't the first time.
15 - Zedd
Dave:We do still get to vote, but our choices will be controlled by the parties and their nominating conventions and back room deals. Our input will just be a rubber stamp at the end.
That's when you vote someone out. Isn't that how it works?
Oops I forgot about the survivalist gig. Don't get mad at me please. Nice survivalist.... I'd better get out of here.
16 - troll
Dave says - *Our input will just be a rubber stamp at the end.*
so what else is new - ?