Senate Republicans block campaign finance bill

[ProSense]

Senate Republicans block campaign finance bill

WASHINGTON – Senate Republicans have blocked legislation imposing restrictions on political activity by special interest groups.

The vote was 57-41, three short of the 60 the bill needed to advance.

Democratic supporters backed by the White House said the legislation was needed to force shadowy interest groups that run millions of dollars worth of campaign attack ads to disclose their donors.

Republicans countered that it was a violation of First Amendment rights of free speech, saying it would have treated some groups differently than others.

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What's worse is that the ACLU and the AFL-CIO came out against it. Absolute madness.

[impik]

1. The ACLU and the AFL-CIO?????

Amazing.

[AlinPA]

2. Two votes are missing. What about Lieberman and Sanders? Or did Nelson and

one of his pro-republican buddy Democrats vote no on cloture?

[DCBob]

3. Reid voted no (procedural thing) and Lieberman was absent due to a funeral..

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0710/40289.html

[AlinPA]

5. Thank you.

[rhett o rick]

7. Still one vote unaccounted for. 98 voted and Lieberman was absent. Who else didnt vote? nm

[ProSense]

4. Mavericky: GOP Thwarts Disclosure Bill

Mavericky: GOP Thwarts Disclosure Bill

Jonathan Cohn

A modest but worthwhile effort to curb the power of money in politics died a few minutes ago when Senate Republicans refused to let debate on the measure go forward.

<...>

But the real story today is the hypocrisy of what used to be the Republican Party’s moderate, sensible wing.

Scott Brown campaigned for office on a platform of more transparency in government. In 2001, Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe voted for the McCain-Feingold bill, which was far more restrictive. None of them voted to let the debate go forward.

And then there is John McCain himself. A decade ago, McCain did more than put his name on a major piece of campaign finance legislation. He made the fight against money in politics a personal crusade, energizing supporters with statements like this one he made during a Virginia speech:

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[patrice]

6. The same SCOTUS decision that made Corps = Persons ALSO supported the Money=Speech of Unions.

I was ridiculed in a Green Party meeting several months ago when I said Unions wouldn't be turning their backs on what they were just handed.

Looks like I was right.

[Arkana]

8. Shock and awe.

I'm surprised John McCain didn't support it--isn't he supposed to be CFB's biggest pimp in the Senate?