The Senate failed yesterday to garner the 60 votes necessary to invoke cloture to consider the DISCLOSE Act. The final vote was 59-39.
This makes it very unlikely that the bill will be passed before the election, and there’s almost no chance it could be passed after the Republican gain seats in Congress. This means DISCLOSE is dead. It’s a definite victory.
This YOUR achievement.
It secures goals that we and our allies have been working on for years.
Back in 2002 our team was running something called RealCampaignReform.org. We assembled Citizens United, Congressman Ron Paul, and Gun Owners of America, to fight the McCain-Feingold law all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. We lost that battle, but it was only the beginning of the war.
Earlier this year, our former co-plaintiff, Citizens United, won an important decision at the Supreme Court, returning some rights lost in the McCain-Feingold case. Many incumbent members of Congress were angered by this. They came up with the DISCLOSE Act to restore some of their incumbent protections.
Now, today, we have defeated this latest effort! If you believe in the First Amendment, that Congress should make NO LAW restricting the freedom of speech, the press, and association, then today is a day to celebrate. But the best way to celebrate is to continue to fight.
There are other incumbent protection laws — that are falsely called campaign finance laws — still on the books. Please send a letter to Congress asking that all of these laws be repealed.
You can borrow from or copy what I said in my personal letter . . .
I’m glad that the evil DISCLOSE Act was defeated in the Senate yesterday. But that isn’t enough. The First Amendment says that Congress shall make NO LAW abridging the freedoms of speech, the press, and assembly. The incumbent-protecting, challenger-crippling, citizen-silencing campaign finance laws do all of those things.
The so-called campaign finance laws also do NOTHING to retard corruption, which continues unabated as members of Congress prostitute themselves to every special interest they can find.
Please know that I know that politicians would continue to serve special interests, even if there were no campaign contributions. Serving special interests makes you feel more powerful, and many of you retire from Congress only to take highly-paid jobs as lobbyists or fat-cat positions on corporate boards. Campaign contributions have little to do with it.
Please end the fraud. Restore the First Amendment and free elections. Repeal all of the campaign finance laws. DO IT NOW.
END LETTER
You can send your letter to Congress using DownsizeDC.org’s Educate the Powerful System: https://secure.downsizedc.org/etp/campaigns/121
Congratulations to the Downsize DC Army on this 23rd legislative victory!
Please pay close attention to Monday’s message. There will be a special announcement.
Jim Babka
President
Downsize DC Foundation