Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Senate Republicans Fight to Protect Secret Donors
Senate Republicans Fight to Protect Secret Donors
GOPers vote to keep dark money in the shadows by blocking the DISCLOSE Act.
—By Andy Kroll
On Monday evening, Senate Republicans blocked a vote on a bill that would force corporations, unions, and shadowy nonprofits such as Karl Rove's Crossroads GPS to reveal the biggest donors behind their political ads. The vote was 51 to 44.
The goal of the DISCLOSE Act of 2012, introduced by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), is simple: Shine light on the dark money in American elections. The bill requires unions, corporations, and nonprofit organizations to report any campaign-related spending over $10,000 within 24 hours and to name donors who give $10,000 or more for political purposes. The bill also calls for an end to using shell corporations to mask donors' identities, a tactic used by former Bain Capital director Ed Conard, who funneled $1 million through a shell company to the pro-Romney super-PAC Restore Our Future last year.
<...>
Before the vote, numerous Senate Democrats took the floor to rail against the increase in undisclosed political giving. "All the DISCLOSE Act would do is shed light on who's giving money," said Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.). "It oughta receive unanimous support." Kerry later added, "What could be more American than allowing the American people to know who's trying to speak to them?"
Pro-disclosure advocacy groups say the flow of undisclosed money in elections harkens back to the days of Watergate, when secret donations funded everything from sabotage campaigns to Nixon's reelection effort. "Today, a new, national campaign finance scandal is unfolding before the American people as massive secret, unlimited contributions return to our elections," said Fred Wertheimer, president of the pro-reform organization Democracy 21, in a statement.
- more -
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/07/disclose-act-senate-republican-block-dark-money
GOPers vote to keep dark money in the shadows by blocking the DISCLOSE Act.
—By Andy Kroll
On Monday evening, Senate Republicans blocked a vote on a bill that would force corporations, unions, and shadowy nonprofits such as Karl Rove's Crossroads GPS to reveal the biggest donors behind their political ads. The vote was 51 to 44.
The goal of the DISCLOSE Act of 2012, introduced by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), is simple: Shine light on the dark money in American elections. The bill requires unions, corporations, and nonprofit organizations to report any campaign-related spending over $10,000 within 24 hours and to name donors who give $10,000 or more for political purposes. The bill also calls for an end to using shell corporations to mask donors' identities, a tactic used by former Bain Capital director Ed Conard, who funneled $1 million through a shell company to the pro-Romney super-PAC Restore Our Future last year.
<...>
Before the vote, numerous Senate Democrats took the floor to rail against the increase in undisclosed political giving. "All the DISCLOSE Act would do is shed light on who's giving money," said Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.). "It oughta receive unanimous support." Kerry later added, "What could be more American than allowing the American people to know who's trying to speak to them?"
Pro-disclosure advocacy groups say the flow of undisclosed money in elections harkens back to the days of Watergate, when secret donations funded everything from sabotage campaigns to Nixon's reelection effort. "Today, a new, national campaign finance scandal is unfolding before the American people as massive secret, unlimited contributions return to our elections," said Fred Wertheimer, president of the pro-reform organization Democracy 21, in a statement.
- more -
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/07/disclose-act-senate-republican-block-dark-money
1 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
