FEC Won't Ease Limits on Interest Groups

[Omaha Steve]

FULL story; http://apnews.excite.com/article/20060829/D8JQ8EBG0.html

FEC Won't Ease Limits on Interest Groups
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Aug 29, 2:27 PM (ET)

By JIM KUHNHENN

WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal election regulators refused to ease limits on political advertising Tuesday, blocking an effort to let interest groups run radio and television ads mentioning elected officials within weeks of an election.

The Federal Election Commission voted 3-3 on a proposal that would have allowed such ads as long as they addressed public policy issues and did not promote, support, oppose or attack a sitting member of Congress. Supporters of the change said they wanted to strike a balance between campaign ad restrictions and constitutional free speech guarantees.

The measure failed with the commission's three Democrats voting against the proposal and the three Republicans backing it.

With 70 days left before the general election, the change could have let loose a wave of unrestricted ad spending in the weeks leading up to Election Day. The vote lets stand a provision in the 2002 campaign finance law that requires independent groups to limit the contributions and to disclose the donors of money used to pay for ads that run within 30 days of a primary or 60 days of a general election.

[Bluzmann57]

1. Well, as long as it's fair for everyone

No swiftboat ads is ok, as is no more MoveOn ads a week before the election. But it had better be fair.

[Ian David]

2. Unfortunately, Fox "News" is a 24/74 infomercial for The Republick Party

What the fuck are we going to to about THAT?

We've got... what? Olbermann? Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert and Air America compared to The Republickers who have... everything else?