GOP Complaint Cites Pro-Dem Groups ("criminal conspiracy")

[DeepModem Mom]

Washington Post:

GOP Complaint Cites Pro-Democratic Groups

By Thomas B. Edsall
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, April 1, 2004; Page A09


The Bush campaign and the Republican Party filed charges yesterday with the Federal Election Commission accusing the Kerry campaign and seven "independent" organizations of conducting a criminal conspiracy to inject large amounts of "soft money" into the 2004 election.

The Bush campaign, which this month has spent an unprecedented $41.8 million on television ads, many of them attacking Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), has become increasingly frustrated by the ability of Kerry and such "independent" groups as MoveOn.org and the Media Fund to counter with nearly $20 million in ads.

In a separate rule-making process expected to take months, the FEC is addressing many of the issues raised by the Bush-RNC complaint. The complaint filed yesterday is designed to force a much quicker decision on the legality of the activities of the Kerry campaign and allied groups. A ruling against the Democrats would cut off a major source of campaign support for Kerry.

In an unusual move for a party traditionally opposed to campaign finance laws and government regulation, the GOP has turned increasingly to the federal regulatory system, especially the FEC, to restrict, if not silence, Kerry allies....


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40573-20...

[leftyandproud]

1. this will fail

all of these groups are perfectly legal... Sure, they were designed to get around the campaign finance law, but this really doesn't mean a damn thing...The groups are legal...the contributions to them are legal, and the pubs are just jealous that they didn't think to do the same thing...So what if they dont like Soros? tough shit

[dbt]

2. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Waaaaaaaaaah! Waaaaaaaaaaaah! Waaaaaaaaaaaah! Mommy, those mean old Democrats are using my weapons against me!!!! Make them stop! Waaaaaaaaaaah!


dbt

PS: Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! (Somebody call the Wambulance!)

[Dogmudgeon]

4. Brown-Diaper Republicans

Yep.

--bkl

[James T. Kirk]

3. Text of FEC filing

http://www.gop.com/media/SoftMoneyComplaint.pdf

Any campaign finance experts out there?

[The Backlash Cometh]

5. The Republicans must have assumed that the big influx of cash that

would pay for advertisment would be all the strategy they needed? Or maybe the amount they had earmarked for advertisement doesn't appear to be enough and they're all upset because now they'll have to tap into the budget money reserved for the BBV?

[Democat]

6. The first thing Republicans do is run to the courts or the government

They claim they are against lawsuits, unless the lawsuit benefits them.

[chelaque liberal]

9. Florida 2000 comes quickly to mind-anything to stay in power

[Media_Lies_Daily]

12. They also control the Judiciary Branch...remember December 2000?

[onehandle]

7. This is serious, folks. Read this from the CNN article.

This is reminding me of 2000. I forsee a lot of court cases in the next few months.
______________________________________

"In a tactical twist, the RNC asked the FEC to quickly consider its complaint then dismiss it -- so the committee can move the dispute into federal court.

The reason? The FEC's process for handling such complaints makes it unlikely it would be resolved before the November election. In federal court, the RNC could ask a judge to stop the activities of the 527s immediately.

Marc Racicot, chairman of the Bush-Cheney campaign and former chairman of the RNC, conceded the request was unprecedented, but he said it was warranted under the circumstances."

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/03/31/gop.complaint...

[DeepModem Mom]

8. You're right, onehandle! They're throwing it to the courts...

just as they did the 2000 election. They control most of the courts at all levels now, and if they fail in the lower courts, they've got 5-4 at the USSC.

[Citizen Daryl]

10. Who's Crying Now?

[salin]

11. Are they whining - or using whining for larger strategy?

I don't think they think it is "unfair" - just their ruse to shut down dissent. That is why they do not see the irony, nor that their side has been engaged in similar and worse behavior - they do not fear that the camera's (so to speak) will turn on them in courts. Arrogance is their name.

[Moderator]

13. Locking

dupe from yesterday

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...