Republicans Vote to Block Transparency on Political Ads

[Judi Lynn]

Published on Friday, June 8, 2012 by ProPublica

Republicans Vote to Block Transparency on Political Ads

by Justin Elliott, ProPublica

The opponents of a new rule to post political ad information online have opened up another front in a long-running fight, inserting language into an appropriations bill that would bar the Federal Communications Commission from implementing the transparency measure.

The FCC voted in April to require television stations to put detailed data on political ad purchases online. The information, which includes who buys ads, for how much, and when they run, is currently open to the public but is available only on paper at individual stations. Media companies have lobbied hard against the rule, and the National Association of Broadcasters recently sued in federal court to stop it. The rule is currently under review by the government and will not go into effect until July at the earliest.

Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, R-Mo., chair of the financial services and general government subcommittee of the House appropriations committee, added language to an appropriations bill ordering that no funds to be used to implement the disclosure rule. The bill, which passed the subcommittee Wednesday, funds the FCC and other agencies for fiscal year 2013.

The move by Emerson adds another question mark to the process of creating an FCC website with political ad data. At a subcommittee hearing Wednesday, a Democratic amendment to remove the Emerson language was defeated on a party line vote.

More:
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/06/08-1

[Blue Owl]

1. Hey, a fella can't cheat when there's transparency...

Speaking of which, could the GOP's motives be any more transparent?

[madashelltoo]

2. Anybody surprised?

If it will reveal the man behind the curtain they will always vote against it. At least until they get rid of Obama.

[SoutherDem]

3. What are they afraid we will learn?

This should be in the news, but I bet is won't be.

[Rambis]

4. Of course they did

You cannot stand up in front of the american people and say we are going to fuck you every way we can. We are going to lie, cheat and steal until we are sitting in a penthouse and you service our every whim. Sex, drugs, drink, food, you name it and the peons/surfs will bring it to you with a smile. If you don't like the way they look you can shoot them.

[Botany]

5. So they don't want the people to know that Red China is funneling money through the U.S. ..

.... Chamber of Commerce to keep the republicans helping American
Businesses send jobs from here to China?

At their very heart they are un-American shits who don't give a damn about
the American people.