By Thomas Ferraro - Thu Sep 23, 2010
WASHINGTON, Sept 23 (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Republicans dealt a blow to President Barack Obama and his fellow Democrats on Thursday by again blocking a bill to require public disclosure of who pays for political campaign advertising.
On a party-line vote of 59-39, short of the needed 60, Democrats failed to end a procedural roadblock against the measure, likely killing it for the year.
Drafted with the support of Obama, the bill was designed to blunt the impact of a divided U.S. Supreme Court ruling in January that overturned state and federal limits on independent expenditures by corporations to support or oppose candidates.
The bill would require corporate -- as well as union and advocacy group -- leaders to disclose their names in campaign ads rather than allow front groups to take responsibility.
Most of those funding campaign ads before the Nov. 2 elections are expected to be members of pro-Republican business interests that would like to end control of Congress by Obama's Democrats.
Obama, who denounced the Supreme Court ruling in January, saying it would open the floodgates to special interest money in American politics, blasted Republicans for stopping the bill.
"Wall Street, the insurance lobby, oil companies and other special interests are now one step closer to taking Congress back and returning to the days when lobbyists wrote the laws," Obama said in a statement. (err...you mean the same special interest lobbies you caved to in your two reform bills--the financial and healthcare reform bills which lobbyists wrote and congress passed earlier this year?-jef)
"But despite today's setback, I will continue fighting to ensure that our democracy stays where it belongs -- in the hands of the American people," the president said. (Really? Because it really doesn't appear that you do want that.-jef)
It was the second time Republicans stopped the bill, "The Disclose Act." It was also blocked in July.
With voters most concerned about the weak economy, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell ripped into Democrats for having returned to the campaign finance measure.
"We're now on day two of debate regarding the Disclose Act -- two more days Senate Democrats have chosen to ignore the jobs of the American people in an effort to save their own," McConnell said.
To win passage of the bill earlier this year by the House of Representatives, two groups were exempted from some reporting requirements, the conservative National Rifle Association and liberal Sierra Club.
Republicans denounced the exemptions as favoring the free speech of some over others. Public interest groups said the exemptions were a small price to pay for meaningful reform
WASHINGTON, Sept 23 (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Republicans dealt a blow to President Barack Obama and his fellow Democrats on Thursday by again blocking a bill to require public disclosure of who pays for political campaign advertising.
On a party-line vote of 59-39, short of the needed 60, Democrats failed to end a procedural roadblock against the measure, likely killing it for the year.
Drafted with the support of Obama, the bill was designed to blunt the impact of a divided U.S. Supreme Court ruling in January that overturned state and federal limits on independent expenditures by corporations to support or oppose candidates.
The bill would require corporate -- as well as union and advocacy group -- leaders to disclose their names in campaign ads rather than allow front groups to take responsibility.
Most of those funding campaign ads before the Nov. 2 elections are expected to be members of pro-Republican business interests that would like to end control of Congress by Obama's Democrats.
Obama, who denounced the Supreme Court ruling in January, saying it would open the floodgates to special interest money in American politics, blasted Republicans for stopping the bill.
"Wall Street, the insurance lobby, oil companies and other special interests are now one step closer to taking Congress back and returning to the days when lobbyists wrote the laws," Obama said in a statement. (err...you mean the same special interest lobbies you caved to in your two reform bills--the financial and healthcare reform bills which lobbyists wrote and congress passed earlier this year?-jef)
"But despite today's setback, I will continue fighting to ensure that our democracy stays where it belongs -- in the hands of the American people," the president said. (Really? Because it really doesn't appear that you do want that.-jef)
It was the second time Republicans stopped the bill, "The Disclose Act." It was also blocked in July.
With voters most concerned about the weak economy, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell ripped into Democrats for having returned to the campaign finance measure.
"We're now on day two of debate regarding the Disclose Act -- two more days Senate Democrats have chosen to ignore the jobs of the American people in an effort to save their own," McConnell said.
To win passage of the bill earlier this year by the House of Representatives, two groups were exempted from some reporting requirements, the conservative National Rifle Association and liberal Sierra Club.
Republicans denounced the exemptions as favoring the free speech of some over others. Public interest groups said the exemptions were a small price to pay for meaningful reform
No comments:
Post a Comment