New Republican Gag Rule for Non-Profits

[nosmokes]

this has the potential to silence the voice of milions on specific issues. and i notice that there is no provison allowing this rule to apply to churches...
joe
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original
Published on Saturday, October 22, 2005 by Doug Ireland

New Republican Gag Rule for Non-Profits Set for Passage Next Week

by Doug Ireland

 

The group OMB Watch has issued an urgent appeal about a new Republican gag rule restricting the ability of non-profit organizations to do voter registration or lobbying and advocacy for their constituencies . The bill is likely to be voted on by the House of Representatives next Wednesday, October 26. And a coalition of 60 national organizatons has sent a letter to House Speaker Dennis Hastert opposing the Gag Rule.

A provision to be introduced as a manager’s amendment to the Affordable Housing Fund (AHF) in the Federal Housing Finance Reform Act (H.R. 1461) would dramatically restrict nonprofit advocacy. While it applies only to nonprofits seeking grants under a new Affordable Housing Fund (AHF), the provision sets a dangerous precedent that threatens the speech and association rights of all nonprofits.

Even non partisan activities are restricted under this Nonprofit Gag Provision, like voter registration. voter identification, and get-out-the vote activities. Also forbidden are: anything that “promotes,” “supports,” “attacks,” or “opposes” a candidate for federal office, which could be interpreted to include criticism of elected officials who may be seeking reelection; broadcast of any ads – public service announcements, grassroots issue advocacy, anything – that refer to federal candidates within 60 days of a general election or 30 days of a primary; or lobbying, except if the group is a 501(c)(3) organization it may lobby within permissible limits. Affiliation with any entity dthdat engagges in any of the above activities during the same time period -- 12 months before applying for a grant or during the grant period -- will also disqualify the grup from receiving money from the AHF.
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complete article at link

[jody]

1. The provision has racism all over it.

:puke:

[FloridaPat]

2. Talk about sore winners. Just like taxes - when it helps the average

person, there's something wrong with it. If it helps a politician or corporation, it's good.

[jody]

3. The necon agenda is pure corporatism and they've conned Repugs

who cling to a archaic notion of a Republican Party ala Lincoln, Teddy, and Ike.

We Dems and the U.S. can leave the political doldrums only when the working masses realize they have more in common with Democrats than they do with the owners of multinational corporations that use the neocons to control the Republican party and all three branches of our government.

[meganmonkey]

4. Oh god, like the rules aren't strict enough already!!!

We are already limited in what we can do. We cannot endorse candidates - only issues. We cannot be partisan, we must be issue-driven. We also cannot directly spend much of our budget on lobbying or other political activity (e.g. if a small nonprofit did a voter registration drive they would use volunteers to gather registrations, because if they paid staff to do it they would probably hit their limit in 2 hours)...

Whatever. I guess people who actually WORK TO HELP PEOPLE cannot ADVOCATE FOR THEIR CAUSES anymore.

Bastards.

:puke:

[mondo joe]

5. All the while using churches to promote their candidates. :-(

[ComerPerro]

6. Like you said, no mention of churches

I guess they can continue to fund-raise and campaign for Republicans while enjoying tax-exempt status

[meganmonkey]

7. Most churches are 501(c)3 nonprofits

I think it would apply to them too.

[nosmokes]

9. i thought churches came under a different code?

are they 501(c)(3)? then i'll just go over here and sit in the corner with my 3 legged dog. thanks for the heads up on that megan. hmm, since that's the case, this could very well come back to bite the GOPosse in the ass, huh?

[meganmonkey]

11. Well, the restrictions seem to only apply to those seeking funds for

affordable-housing related stuff, so the churches who will get screwed are the ones doing that sort of work in their community. And at least in my area, those churches tend to be more liberal anyway - so it will only hurt certain churches.

I don't know how many churches whose voter registrations would lean (R) will be affected by this, but I am guessing not very many.

This whole thing stinks pretty bad to me :(

[ikojo]

8. When I first heard this what came to mind is that it is an attack on

ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=2703). They are effective at registering low-income people to vote and assisting them in buying homes.

Why aren't corporation held to the same standard? Why will people accept community groups having guidelines such as this but think nothing of not holding corporations to the same standard?

Where are the Democrats on this?

[drduffy]

10. where are the democrats period?!

[ikojo]

13. They've spent very little time defending working class

people over the past five years, then they wonder why many in the working class vote on social, rather than economic issues.

People, with some justification, believe that Dems are upper class people who cannot identify with the trevails of working people. Say what you will about Bush, he sure was effective at playing a "regular guy." Al Gore and John Kerry came across as the prep school/Ivy League elites that they are, and that turned off many working class people.

The Dems need to get out there NOW and give working class people a REASON (other than "I'm not X") to vote and WORK FOR Democrats. If they do not the pugs will once again campaign on the culture war issues and spank the Dems at the polls once again.

Don't think for a minute that people will remember the incompetence of BushCo on Katrina when the 2006 elections come about. Rove, whereever he is at the time, will see to it that the whole hurricane debacle is whitewashed so it looks like the Dems were the ones who ignored the poor and black in New Orleans.

[applegrove]

12. That is the first thing neocons did in Ontario is stop the advocacy or

educational part of non-profits.