Research Briefing

What They Are Saying:

DISCLOSE Act, A Fatally Flawed Bill Being Pushed For Political Reasons

DISCLOSE ACT WILL HAMPER FREE SPEECH

“The American Civil Liberties Union Is Urging Senators To Vote Against The Bill Because Those Disclosure Requirements Are Overly Broad And Inconsistent And Will Likely Infringe Upon The Free Speech And Privacy Rights Of Americans.” (American Civil Liberties Union, “ACLU Urges No Vote On DISCLOSE ACT,” Press Release, 7/26/10)

• ACLU: “The Only Way To Bring Positive Change To Our Elections Is To Promote Reforms That Respect Free Speech And Do Not Limit It. We Urge The Senate To Vote Down This Well-Intentioned But Overly Broad Legislation.” (American Civil Liberties Union, “ACLU Urges No Vote On DISCLOSE ACT,” Press Release, 7/26/10)

8 Former FEC Commissioners Say Disclose Act Hurts Free Speech. “As former commissioners on the Federal Election Commission with almost 75 years of combined experience, we believe that the bill proposed on April 30 by Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Chris Van Hollen to ‘blunt’ the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. FEC is unnecessary, partially duplicative of existing law, and severely burdensome to the right to engage in political speech and advocacy. “ (Editorial, “Chuck Schumer VS. Free Speech,” The Wall Street Journal, 5/19/10)

The Wall Street Journal Editorial Page On The DISCLOSE Act: “A Bill To Make Political Speech Freer For Some Than For Others.” (Editorial, “The Schumer For Majority Leader Act,” The Wall Street Journal, 7/27/10)

• The Wall Street Journal Editorial Page: “So Far, Senate Republicans Have Opposed The Measure, But Democrats Are Getting Desperate. Mr. Reid Now Wants To Ram Through The Legislation With No Senate Hearings And Little Debate.” (Editorial, “The Schumer For Majority Leader Act,” The Wall Street Journal, 7/27/10)

WHILE HELPING UNIONS

MSNBC’s Chuck Todd:  “The Supporters Of The Bill Have Done A Terrible Job Educating The Public. All You’ve Heard About Are The Special Carve-Outs They’ve Made For The NRA, AARP, Unions. It’s A Boondoggle. They Have Done A Terrible Job. They Can Lament This All They Want, They  Only Have Themselves To Blame For How They Sold This. Nobody Knows What It Does.”  (MSNBC’s “The Daily Rundown,” 7/27/10)

The Denver Post Editorial Board: “Also Exempted From The New, Onerous Rules Are Unions, As Congress Continues To Find Ways To Allow Labor To Freely Engage In Elections While At The Same Time Saddling Corporations And Others With A Growing Number Of Restrictions That Go Far Beyond Mere Transparency.” (Editorial, “Reject Attack On Political Speech,” The Denver Post, 7/1/10)

The Chicago Tribune Editorial Board: “On Thursday, Democrats Muscled A Bill Through The U.S. House That They Call The Disclose Act. The Acronym Stands For Democracy Is Strengthened By Casting Light On Spending In Elections. Rah, Rah For Transparency!  It's A Fraud.” (Editorial, “The Disclose* Act,” The Chicago Tribune, 6/25/10)

• The Chicago Tribune Editorial Board: “We Suppose This Measure Could Be Renamed The Democracy Is Strengthened By Casting Light Selectively On Spending In Elections. Or Maybe An Asterisk Will Do The Trick, As In Disclose* Act. But We'll Just Call It What It Is: A Crock.” (Editorial, “The Disclose* Act,” The Chicago Tribune, 6/25/10)

AND DEMS HOPE IT WILL HELP THEM IN NOVEMBER

The Hill: “Democratic Leaders Hope To Rally Their Rank-And-File Troops This Week By Dealing With Controversial Campaign Finance Legislation Just Before Lawmakers Hit The Campaign Trail.” (Alexander Bolton, “Disclose Act Seen As Balm To Soothe Left,” The Hill, 07/26/10)

The Hill: “Liberal Voters, Who Have Grumbled Over A Litany Of Failures And Legislative Compromises That Have Hurt The Left’s Agenda, Will Be Crucial To Democratic Hopes In November. President Obama And Senate Democratic Leaders Want To Show Their Attentiveness To Those Complaints With A Tuesday Senate Vote On Campaign Finance Reform, One Of The Left’s Priorities.” (Alexander Bolton, “Disclose Act Seen As Balm To Soothe Left,” The Hill, 07/26/10)

The Hill: “Reid Is Bringing Up The Campaign-Finance Bill Even Though He Has Yet To Secure The Votes Needed To Break An Expected Republican Filibuster.” (Susan Crabtree, “Sen. Reid Sets Up Showdown Next Week On Campaign Finance,” The Hill, 07/23/10)

• The Hill: “Reid And Others Will No Doubt Use The Issue For Campaign Ads In The Fall Regardless Of Whether The Legislation Moves Forward.” (Susan Crabtree, “Sen. Reid Sets Up Showdown Next Week On Campaign Finance,” The Hill, 07/23/10)

Roll Call: “Campaign Finance Legislation Almost Certainly Won’t Survive A Senate Floor Vote Tuesday, But Democrats Plan To Keep The Issue Alive In Spirit As The Campaign Season Heats Up — And Perhaps Push For Another Vote On The Measure In The Near Future.” (Jessica Brady, “Comeback Possible For DISCLOSE,” Roll Call, 07/27/10)

Politico: “White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs Did Not Seem Overly Confident The Bill Would Clear Tuesday’s Procedural Roadblock But Echoed Hill Legislators’ Insistence That It Was Time To Call A Vote And Make Republicans Declare Their Position On What Democrats See As A Choice Between Corporate And Public Interests.” (Meredith Shiner, “Campaign Bill Still A Few Votes Shy,” Politico, 07/26/10)

CQPolitics: “With Just Three And A Half Months Before The Midterm Elections, Reid’s Strategy Appears To Be As Simple As It Is Traditional: Use Much Of The Remaining Legislative Calendar To Pursue ‘Message Bills’ Like Energy And Campaign Finance Reform…” (John Stanton, “Midterms Shade Senate Schedule,” CQPolitics, 7/26/10)