Thread: Will Senate Democrats Stifle Free Speech?

Will Senate Democrats Stifle Free Speech?
by David Bossie

Today the Senate returns to session having not yet addressed Senator Chuck Schumer’s troubling legislation, the Democracy is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections Act (“DISCLOSE Actâ€

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Harry Reid and the Democrats' New McCarthyism -
Voting on the DISCLOSE Act in ONE HOUR!
The Democrats are running scared, fearful of the impact grassroots activists will have in November. With the DISCLOSE Act, which will go into effect almost immediately, in time for the November elections, they will be able to effectively and legally shut us down. The effort to silence us before the elections is tantamount to a witch hunt. Read this email carefully for more information about this bill and then please make some phone calls NOW and tell them to VOTE NO!!


From our friends at Freedom Action about this speech violating bill:

Even if somehow the speech restrictions in this bill were constitutional, their uneven application would be a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection under the law. Even the left-leaning Sierra Club has labeled the DISCLOSE Act a two-tiered system that is "unfair and undemocratic" and that smaller grass-roots organizations would be disadvantaged because they lack the resources to cope with "the additional disclosure burdens." The unions and the big non-profit groups get to keep their free speech given to them in the January Supreme Court decision, but the corporations and small non-profits lose theirs under DISCLOSE.

Also, President Obama and some Democrats are dishonestly stating that the Court's decision would "open the floodgates for special interest, including foreign corporations, to spend without limit in our elections." However, current federal law and Federal Election Commission regulations already ban foreign corporations from participating directly or indirectly in American elections. (see 2 U.S.C. § 441e and 2 U.S.C. 437g).

HOW THIS AFFECTS YOU

Exampleville, Ohio has two people running for U.S. Congress-Mr. A and Mr. B-in what promises to be a close race. Exampleville's local Tea Party believes in Mr. B. The Tea Party wants to run ads highlighting Mr. B's stance on cap and trade, federal spending, increased taxation, etc, but they don't have enough money to fulfill the new highly complex reporting requirements from DISCLOSE. And DISCLOSE would force them to list their top donors, even if they are not necessarily the specific donors to the ads, in their ads. Besides, the disclaimers required could take up to 14 of a 30 second ad. The Tea Party gives up trying to run ads to support Mr. Republican.

In contrast, Mr. A has some well-funded unions who want to see Exampleville's factories unionized, so the unions run ads against Mr. B and ads for Mr. A. Also, the Sierra Club and the ACLU (groups actually opposed to DISCLOSE) want Mr. A to support their issues, so they also run ads for Mr. A. None of these ads are subject to DISCLOSE's requirements.

Guess who wins?

(For those interested, here's a good link with information on the actual language and problems with the DISCLOSE bill, click here.)

The DISCLOSE Act exempts unions and very large special interest groups!! And the little guy is left without a voice.


Senators to call:



Scott Brown (R-MA)
http://scottbrown.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contactme
Washington DC: (T) (202) 224-4543, (F) (202) 228-2646

Olympia Snowe (R-ME)
http://snowe.senate.gov/public/index.cf ... nowe.Email


Washington DC: (T) (202) 224-5344, Toll free (800) 432-1599, (F) (202) 224-1946

Susan Collins (R-ME)
http://collins.senate.gov/public/contin ... N=39747274
Washington DC: (T) (202) 224-2523, (F) (202) 224-2693

Ben Nelson (D-NE)
http://bennelson.senate.gov/email-issues.cfm

Washington DC: (T) (202) 224-6551, (F) (202) 228-0012

Evan Bayh (D-IN)
http://bayh.senate.gov/contact/email/

Washington DC: (T) (202) 224-5623, (F) (202) 228-1377

Kent Conrad (D-ND)
https://conrad.senate.gov/contact/webform.cfm

Washintong DC: (T) (202) 224-2043, (F) (202) 224-7776
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kathyet

We really need to keep up the pressure on this bill..it will will have disastrous long term effects on all of us if it passes.

They are going to vote on it this evening!!

*******UPDATE: DISCLOSE Act vote postponed until tomorrow, Tuesday, July 27!
We've updated this action alert with more specific info on each Senator to call.
*******


The Democrats are running scared, fearful of the impact grassroots activists will have in November. With the DISCLOSE Act, which will go into effect almost immediately, in time for the November elections, they will be able to effectively and legally shut us down. The effort to silence us before the elections is tantamount to a witch hunt. Read this email carefully for more information about this bill and then please make some phone calls NOW and tell them to VOTE NO!!



Senators to call:


Scott Brown (R-MA) He is voting NO so call him to say thank you for defending equal free speech rights for all!

http://scottbrown.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contactme
Washington DC: (T) (202) 224-4543, (F) (202) 228-2646



Olympia Snowe (R-ME) She is undecided so we've got to reach out to her! Remind her that this bill creates unequal freedom of speech for different people!

http://snowe.senate.gov/public/index.cf ... nowe.Email

Washington DC: (T) (202) 224-5344, Toll free (800) 432-1599, (F) (202) 224-1946



Susan Collins (R-ME) She is undecided so we've got to reach out to her! Remind her that this bill creates unequal freedom of speech for different people!

http://collins.senate.gov/public/contin ... N=39747274

Washington DC: (T) (202) 224-2523, (F) (202) 224-2693



Ben Nelson (D-NE) No info yet

http://bennelson.senate.gov/email-issues.cfm

Washington DC: (T) (202) 224-6551, (F) (202) 228-0012



Kent Conrad (D-ND) No info yet

https://conrad.senate.gov/contact/webform.cfm

Washinton DC: (T) (202) 224-2043, (F) (202) 224-7776