Research Briefing

What They’re Saying:

About DISCLOSE Act’s Failure – Volume II

The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board: “A Virtuous Filibuster On Free Speech.” (Editorial, The Wall Street Journal, 7/28/10)

• WSJ: “One Reality Of The U.S. Senate Is That A United Minority Can Stop Bad Legislation, And Republicans Did Precisely That Yesterday In Preventing A Vote On The Blatantly Partisan Effort To Limit The Free Political Speech Of Some Americans But Not Of Others.” (Editorial, “A Virtuous Filibuster On Free Speech,” The Wall Street Journal, 7/28/10)

Las Vegas Review Journal: “Friends Of The First Amendment Should Rejoice.” (Editorial, “Speech Police,” Las Vegas Review Journal, 7/28/10)

• LVRJ:  “Democrats Know The Proposal Is Constitutionally Dubious, But Were Hoping To Ram The Measure Through Congress Anyway ...” (Editorial, “Speech Police,” Las Vegas Review Journal, 7/28/10)
• LVRJ:  “Supporters Of The Disclose Act Argue It Will Bring More Transparency To The Political Process. But Organized Labor And Other Special Interests Managed To Get Themselves Exempted From Many Of The Provisions.” (Editorial, “Speech Police,” Las Vegas Review Journal, 7/28/10)

The Dayton Tribune: “While Sold As A Means To Crack Down On The Powers Of Special Interest Groups, It Instead Turned Out To Be A Means To Stifle Traditional Republican Supporters While Placing Virtually No Restrictions On Traditionally Democratic Allies Such As Big Money Unions.” (Troy Daniels, “Big Loss For Dems And Unions As DISCLOSE Act Fails In The Senate,” The Dayton Tribune, 7/28/10)

The Associated Press: “Whatever The Partisanship Involved, The Legislation Was A Case Study In The Power Of Special Interests.” (“As Expected, Senate GOP Blocks Campaign Bill,” The Associated Press, 7/27/10)

The Los Angeles Times: “The Bill Contains An Exemption For Large, Multi-State Organizations, Such As The National Rifle Assn., Which Angered Some Democrats, Including Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).” (James Oliphant, “Republicans Block Campaign Finance Measure,” The Los Angeles Times, 7/28/10)

U.S. News & World Report: “Critics Have Pointed To The Exemptions For Certain Organizations, Such As Unions And The National Rifle Association, As A Reason To Question The Democrats' Motivation For Passing It During The Midterm Campaign Season.” (Jessica Rettig, “Senate Republicans Block Disclose Act,” U.S. News & World Report, 7/27/10)

ABC News: “[T]he New Guidelines Would Not Apply To A Select Group Of Unions And Organizations Such As The NRA, AARP And Sierra Club, Among Others, Which Had Sparked A Fierce Debate Over The Fairness Of The Measure.” (“Campaign Finance Disclosure Bill Fails Key Senate Vote,” ABC News, 7/27/10)

Evansville Courier & Press: “Senate Republicans On Tuesday Blocked An Effort To Establish New Campaign Finance Regulations In Federal Elections, Saying The Proposal Was Little More Than A Sop To Democratic-Leaning Groups.” (“Senate Republicans Block Campaign Finance Bill,” Evansville Courier & Press, 7/27/10)

The Washington Times: “One Democratic Senator Literally Held Her Nose As She Voted With Her Colleagues To Advance The Bill.” (“Senate Republicans Launch Filibuster On Campaign Ad Spending,” The Washington Times, 7/27/10)

The International Herald Tribune: “That Would Probably Kill The Initiative For This Election Year, Handing Mr. Obama A Big Loss In A Fight Against Not Only Congressional Republicans But Also The Dominant Conservative Faction On The Supreme Court, Led By Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.” (Jackie Calmes And Carle Hulse, “Obama goes on the offensive,” The International Herald Tribune, 7/28/10)

The Washington Post: “The Vote -- In Which Democrats Fell Just Shy Of The 60 Votes Needed To Avoid A GOP Filibuster -- Marks A Major Setback For President Obama…” (Dan Eggen, “Bill On Political Ad Disclosures Falls Short In Senate,” The Washington Post, 7/28/10)

• WP: “The Development Also Represents A Significant Victory For Senate Republicans And Business Groups, Which Portrayed The Measure As A Democratic Attempt To Tilt The Playing Field By Discouraging Corporations And Other Likely Critics From Spending Money On Political Ads.” (Dan Eggen, “Bill On Political Ad Disclosures Falls Short In Senate,” The Washington Post, 7/28/10)