The Senate should pass this bill for comprehensive campaign finance reform

[ProSense]

In 1997, Senator Kerry introduced the following bill that he wrote along with Senator Wellstone (it was reintroduced on a couple of other occasions, with various sponsors):

S.918
Title: A bill to reform the financing of Federal Elections.
Sponsor: Sen Kerry, John F. (introduced 6/17/1997) Cosponsors (4)
Latest Major Action: 6/17/1997 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY AS OF:
6/17/1997--Introduced.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
S.918
Clean Money, Clean Elections Act (Introduced in Senate)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Beginning
June 17, 1997

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
TITLE I--CLEAN MONEY FINANCING OF SENATE ELECTION CAMPAIGNS

SEC. 101. FINDINGS AND DECLARATIONS.
SEC. 102. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS AND BENEFITS OF CLEAN MONEY FINANCING OF SENATE ELECTION CAMPAIGNS.
`TITLE V--CLEAN MONEY FINANCING OF SENATE ELECTION CAMPAIGNS

`SEC. 501. DEFINITIONS.
`SEC. 502. ELIGIBILITY FOR CLEAN MONEY.
`SEC. 503. REQUIREMENTS APPLICABLE TO CLEAN MONEY CANDIDATES.
`SEC. 504. SEED MONEY.
`SEC. 505. CERTIFICATION BY COMMISSION.
`SEC. 506. BENEFITS FOR CLEAN MONEY CANDIDATES.
`SEC. 507. ADMINISTRATION OF CLEAN MONEY.
`SEC. 508. EXPENDITURES MADE FROM FUNDS OTHER THAN CLEAN MONEY.
`SEC. 509. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
SEC. 103. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS FOR EXPENDITURES OF PRIVATE MONEY CANDIDATES.
SEC. 104. TRANSITION RULE FOR CURRENT ELECTION CYCLE.
TITLE II--INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURES; COORDINATED EXPENDITURES

SEC. 201. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS FOR INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURES.
SEC. 202. DEFINITION OF INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURE.
SEC. 203. LIMIT ON EXPENDITURES BY POLITICAL PARTY COMMITTEES.
SEC. 204. PARTY INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURES AND COORDINATED EXPENDITURES.
TITLE III--VOTER INFORMATION

SEC. 301. FREE BROADCAST TIME.
SEC. 302. BROADCAST RATES AND PREEMPTION.
SEC. 303. CAMPAIGN ADVERTISEMENTS; ISSUE ADVERTISEMENTS.
SEC. 304. LIMIT ON CONGRESSIONAL USE OF THE FRANKING PRIVILEGE.
TITLE IV--SOFT MONEY OF POLITICAL PARTY COMMITTEES

SEC. 401. SOFT MONEY OF POLITICAL PARTY COMMITTEE.
`SEC. 324. SOFT MONEY OF PARTY COMMITTEES.
SEC. 402. STATE PARTY GRASSROOTS FUNDS.
`SEC. 325. STATE PARTY GRASSROOTS FUNDS.
SEC. 403. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.
TITLE V--RESTRUCTURING AND STRENGTHENING OF THE FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION

SEC. 501. APPOINTMENT AND TERMS OF COMMISSIONERS.
SEC. 502. AUDITS.
SEC. 503. AUTHORITY TO SEEK INJUNCTION.
SEC. 504. STANDARD FOR INVESTIGATION.
SEC. 505. PETITION FOR CERTIORARI.
SEC. 506. EXPEDITED PROCEDURES.
SEC. 507. FILING OF REPORTS USING COMPUTERS AND FACSIMILE MACHINES.
SEC. 508. POWER TO ISSUE SUBPOENA WITHOUT SIGNATURE OF CHAIRPERSON.
SEC. 509. PROHIBITION OF CONTRIBUTIONS BY INDIVIDUALS NOT QUALIFIED TO VOTE.
TITLE VI--EFFECTIVE DATE

SEC. 601. EFFECTIVE DATE.

The complete 81 page document here:

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=105_cong_bills&docid=f:s918is.txt.pdf

Snip...

The following year, a re-elected Kerry was in another lonely position as one of only five original sponsors of the Clean Money, Clean Elections Act, to provide for full public financing of Congressional elections. The measure would remove practically all special-interest money from House and Senate campaigns. (Kerry's colleagues were Wellstone, Leahy, John Glenn and Joe Biden--all Democrats.) "Kerry was totally into it," says Ellen Miller, former executive director of Public Campaign, a reform group pressing for the legislation. "He believes in this stuff."

In introducing the legislation, Kerry said on the Senate floor, "Special interest money is moving and dictating and governing the agenda of American politics.... If we want to regain the respect and confidence of the American people, and if we want to reconnect to them and reconnect them to our democracy, we have to get the special interest money out of politics." He was also a backer of the better-known McCain-Feingold legislation, a more modest and (some might say) problematic approach to campaign reform. But over the years he's pointed to the Clean Money, Clean Elections Act as the real reform. "It is a tough position in Congress to be for dramatic change in financing elections," says Miller. "It's gutsy to go out and say, 'Let's provide a financially leveled playing field so there is more competition for incumbents.' Kerry and Wellstone were the leaders and took a giant step. It was remarkable."

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20040315/corn/3

[karynnj]

1. Here is Feingold's statement on this bill - from May 6, 1999 (Thomas)

I'm sure that the problems that have surfaced in McCain/Feingold may indicate some changes in this - but it looks like it really anticipated a lot of the problems. Here's what Feingold said in the Senate:

by Feingold on how the K/W bill is more far reaching and how the bills are complementary. Thought this would be a nice addition to what is already here - the outline of the bill, the Nation article, and the CSPAN tape where Kerry's description is wonderful (the connection of clean government, grass roots, campaign finance)

Here:
Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I thank my friends, Senator KERRY of Massachusetts and Senator WELLSTONE of Minnesota, and commend them on the introduction of their campaign finance reform proposal, the Clean Money bill. I am ver y pleased that they are once again introducing this far reaching and visionary piece of legislation. I think it is important as we deal in this Senate with the more limited bill that I have proposed with the Senator from Arizona, Senator MCCAIN, that the American people understand that we do not believe that the job will be completed if that bill becomes law.

Of course, I also want to thank Senators KERRY and WELLSTONE for their strong support of the McCain-Feingold bill. I also want to make it very clear that these two pieces of legislation are completely consistent and complimentary. The Clean Money bill introduce d today contains the central components of the McCain-Feingold and Shays-Meehan bills--a soft money ban, provisions to deal with phony issue ads, and improved enforcement and disclosure. But it adds a comprehensive system of financing Senate campaigns, based on initiatives that have been endorsed by the voters in Maine, Massachusetts, and Arizona for their state elections, to provide public f unding to qualified candidates for state officeholders.

Mr. President, when I first ran for the Wisconsin State Senate many years ago, my race would literally not have been possible were it not for Wisconsin's system of partial public financing. Under the state system in effect at that time, I had to raise approximately $17,500 from friends and family, and the state election fund provided a grant of the same amount. So once I raised my share, my fundraising work was done, and I could spend my time going door to door campaigning. I won that first race by only a few votes, and I'm convinced that my retail campaigning was the difference. So I believe it is fair to say that I wouldn't be in the United States Senate today if Wisconsin didn't have that system of public financing, that allowed a person of limited means to run for office, and win.
Today, all over the country, citizens are coming to realize that the money chase that is required to run for office is depriving them of good candidates and representatives. Not everyone who would be a hardworking and effective public servant comes from a wealthy background or from a community of friends or business associates who can finance a campaign. And so the Clean Money movement is ta king hold in state after state. Overwhelming majorities in polls taken on this issue support a Clean Money system, where candidates raise a large number of very small contributions to qualify for a limited public grant to run an adequate, but not an extravagant, campaign. These polls, and the successful ballot initiatives in Maine, Massachusetts, and Arizona show that the public is not only ready, but eager, for a new way of financing our elections.

Obviously, Mr. President, a majority in the United States Senate is not yet ready for such a clean break with the curre nt system. But I believe that over time we in the Senate will catch up with public sentiment, and this is the way we will have to go. I am convinced that Clean Money is the future of campaign financing in this country, at both the state and federal level. And so I am very pleased that Senators KERRY and WELLSTONE have decided to reintroduce their bill and I thank them for their leadership.

[karynnj]

2. Kerry doesn't need to even write a speech - the 1999 one is perfect today

This is Kerry's Senate speech when he and Wellstone re-submitted their bill in 1999. This was an issue important to both of them. It's amazing how current most of this sounds. I love his "word" moneyocracy.

Here it is:

Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, I want to speak before you today about a critical challenge before this Senate--the challenge of reforming the way in which elections are conducted in the United States; the challenge of ending the ``moneyocracy'' that has turned our elections into auctions where public office is sold to the highest bidder. I want to implore the Congress to take meaningful steps this year to ban soft money, strengthen the Federal Election Commission, provide candidates the opportunity to pay for their campaigns with clean money, end the growing trend of dangerous sham issue ads, and meet the ultimate goal of restoring the rights of average Americans to have a stake in their democracy. Today I am proud to join with my colleague from Minnesota, PAUL WELLSTONE, to introduce the ``Clean Money'' bill which I believe will help all of us entrusted to shape public policy to arrive at a point where we can truly say we are rebuilding Americans' faith in our democracy.

For the last 10 years, I have stood before you to push for comprehensive campaign reform. We have made nips and tucks at the edges of the system, but we have always found excuses to hold us back from making the system work. It's long past time that we act--in a comprehensive way--to curtail the way in which soft money and the big special interest dollars are crowding ordinary citizens out of this political system.

Today the political system is being corrupted because there is too much unregulated, misused money circulating in an environment where candidates will do anything to get elected and where, too often, the special interests set the tone of debate more than the political leaders or the American people. Just consider the facts for a moment. The rising cost of seeking political office is outrageous. In 1996, House and Senate candidates spent more than $765 million, a 76% increase since 1990 and a six fold increase since 1976. Since 1976, the average cost for a winning Senate race went from $600,000 to $3.3 million, and in the arms race for campaign dollars in 1996 many of us were forced to spend significantly more than that. In constant dollars, we have seen an increase of over 100 percent in the money spent for Senatorial races from 1980 to 1994. Today Senators often spend more time on the phone ``dialing for dollars'' than on the Senate floor. The average Senator must raise $12,000 a week for six years to pay for his or her re-election campaign.

But that's just the tip of the iceberg. The use of soft money has exploded. In 1988, Democrats and Republicans raised a combined $45 million in soft money. In 1992 that number doubled to reach $90 million and in 1995-96 that number tripled to $262 million. This trend continues in this cycle. What's the impact of all that soft money? It means that the special interests are being heard. They're the ones with the influence. But ordinary citizens can't compete. Fewer than one third of one percent of eligible voters donated more than $250 in the electoral cycle of 1996. They're on the sidelines in what is becoming a coin-operated political system.

The American people want us to act today to forge a better system. An NBC/Wall Street Journal poll shows that 77% of the public believes that campaign finance reform is needed ``because there is too much money being spent on political campaigns, which leads to excessive influence by special interests and wealthy individuals at the expense of average people.'' Last spring a New York Times found that an astonishing 91% of the public favor a fundamental transformation of this system.

Cynics say that the American people don't care about campaign finance. It's not true. Citizens just don't believe we'll have the courage to act--they're fed up with our defense of the status quo. They're disturbed by our fear of moving away from this status quo which is destroying our democracy. Soft money, political experts tell us, is good for incumbents, good for those of us within the system already. Well, nothing can be good for any elected official that hurts our democracy, that drives citizens out of the process, and which keeps politicians glued to the phone raising money when they ought to be doing the people's business. Let's put aside the status quo, and let's act today to restore our democracy, to make it once more all that the founders promised it could be.

Let us pass the Clean Mo ney Bill to restore faith in our government in this age when it has been so badly eroded.

Let us recognize that the faith in government and in our political process which leads Americans to go to town hall meetings, or to attend local caucuses, or even to vote--that faith which makes political expression worthwhile for ordinary working Americans--is being threatened by a political system that appears to reward the special interests that can play the game and the politicians who can game the system.

Each time we have debated campaign finance reform in this Senate, too many of our colleagues have safeguarded the status quo under the guise of protecting the political speech of the Fortune 500. But today we must pass campaign finance reform to protect the political voice of the 250 million ordinary, working Americans without a fortune. It is their dwindling faith in our political system that must be restored.

Twenty five years ago, I sat before the Foreign Relations Committee, a young veteran having returned from Vietnam. Behind me sat hundreds of veterans committed to ending the war the Vietnam War. Even then we questioned whether ordinary Americans, battle scarred veterans, could have a voice in a political system where the costs of campaigns, the price of elected office seemed prohibitive. Young men who had put their life on the front lines for their country were worried that the wall of special interests between the people and their government might have been too thick even then for our voices to be heard in the corridors of power in Washington, D.C.

But we had a reserve of faith left, some belief in the promise and the influence of political expression for all Americans. That sliver of faith saved lives. Ordinary citizens stopped a war that had taken 59,000 American lives.

Every time in the history of this republic when we have faced a moral challenge, there has been enough faith in our democracy to stir the passions of ordinary Americans to act--to write to their Members of Congress; to come to Washington and speak with us one on one; to walk door to door on behalf of issues and candidates; and to vote on election day for people they believe will fight for them in Washington.

It's the activism of citizens in our democracy that has made the American experiment a success. Ordinary citizens--at the most critical moments in our history--were filled with a sense of efficacy. They believed they had influence in their government.

Today those same citizens are turning away from our political system. They believe the only kind of influence left in American politics is the kind you wield with a checkbook. The senior citizen living on a social security check knows her influence is inconsequential compared to the interest group that can saturate a media market with a million dollars in ads that play fast and loose with the facts. The mother struggling to find decent health care for her children knows her influence is trivial compared to the special interests on K Street that can deliver contributions to incumbent politicians struggling to stay in office.

But I would remind you that whenever our country faces a challenge, it is not the special interests, but rather the average citizen, who holds the responsibility to protect our nation. The next time our nation faces a crisis and the people's voice needs to be heard to turn the tide of history, will the average American believe enough in the process to give words to the feelings beyond the beltway, the currents of public opinion that run beneath the surface of our political dialogue?

In times of real challenge for our country in the years to come, will the young people speak up once again? Not if we continue to hand over control of our political system to the special interests who can infuse the system with soft money and with phony television ads that make a mockery of the issues.

The children of the generation that fought to lower the voting age to 18 are abandoning the voting booth themselves. Polls reveal they believe it is more likely that they'll be abducted by aliens than it is that their vote will make a real difference. For America's young people the MTV Voter Participation Challenge ``Choose or Lose'' has become a cynical joke. In their minds, the choice has already been lost--lost to the special interests. That is a loss this Senate should take very seriously. That is tremendous damage done to our democracy, damage we have a responsibility in this Senate to repair. Mr. President, with this legislation we are introducing today, we can begin that effort--we can repair and revitalize our political process, and we can guarantee ``clean el ections'' fu nded by ``clean mo ney,'' elections wh ere our citizens are the ones who make the difference.

[karynnj]

3. This paragraph describes the present time

depressingly well.

"In times of real challenge for our country in the years to come, will the young people speak up once again? Not if we continue to hand over control of our political system to the special interests who can infuse the system with soft money and with phony television ads that make a mockery of the issues. "

What's sad is that now this IS really where we are - and we certainly know phony ads - even when they pose as news or as news shows, not to mention things like the SBVT.

[ProSense]

4. Thanks for posting these.

With the Abramoff/Republican scandal in the spotlight, this is a good time to focus on comprehensive reform.

[karynnj]

5. Might be a window of opportunity

For the Democrats as a whole, it would be great to re-surface this because their biggest threat is "Mr Clean" (John MCCain), who is likely to successfuly get the press to label him the redorm candidate. (Even though his committment was limited to what was neccesary to erase the stigma of being a part of Keating 5. (added to make the Mr. Clean comment clearly sarcastic.))

The question is whether the Democrats would resent the fact that it was Kerry. Sen Reid has Obama as the point person on lobbying reform and campaign reform is closely linked.

[MH1]

6. Excellent point...

I would sure hope that the "Democrats" would not let personal resentments and/or political jockeying get in the way of something like this.

Oh wait.... :grr:

(the quote marks are there for a reason...way to push my buttons, karynnj! )

[ProSense]

9. Let's see if McCain wants true reform (criticized Obama)

McCain counters Obama with sharp rebuttal on lobbying reform

By Elana Schor

The burgeoning bipartisanship surrounding the Senate’s efforts to craft lobbying reform legislation shattered yesterday, as Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) sent a stinging rebuke to Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.), the Democrats’ freshman point man on ethics issues.

Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), seeking to leverage recent Republican influence-peddling scandals into election-year gains, has tapped the photogenic Obama to coordinate the minority message on public corruption. But Obama’s eagerness to promote the Democratic line appears to have incensed McCain, whose record on campaign-finance reform gives him considerable political capital to expend on cleaning up K Street.

“I understand how important the opportunity to lead your party’s effort to exploit this issue must seem to a freshman senator, and I hold no hard feelings over your earlier disingenuousness,” McCain wrote yesterday in a letter responding to an Obama missive from late last week. “I have been around long enough to appreciate that in politics the public interest isn’t always a priority for every one of us.”

While McCain and Obama have participated in preliminary bipartisan negotiations on lobbying and ethics reform, which Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) has indicated he wants to pursue by the beginning of March, McCain interpreted Obama’s letter from Thursday as a decision to pull out of the talks.

more...

http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/020706/mccain.html

[karynnj]

10. I think he wants CREDIT for real reform without actually having to live

with it. What I can't believe is that even though the facts of his Obama fight at minimum show a very disproportionately angry Senator acting in a very middle school bully way, most of the polls are in McCain's favor! If OBAMA, the white knight of the Democrats is this easily hurt when he clearly acted within reason, we really are in trouble.

[TayTay]

7. It should be re-submitted

Both for our country and to honor the memory and the work of Paul Wellstone.

[karynnj]

8. That would be a wonderful way to honor Wellstone.

[jenndar]

12. Agreed. n/t

[ProSense]

11. Dean takes sides in campaign finance court case

Dean takes sides in campaign finance court case

Published: Tuesday, February 7, 2006
By Nancy Remsen
Free Press Staff Writer

Former Gov. Howard Dean announced Monday that the Democratic National Committee, of which he is chairman, would file a friend-of-the-court legal brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of a Vermont law that set spending limits for candidates seeking public office.

"The Democratic Party has to be on record in favor of real campaign finance reform," Dean said. "It's time to take forever the stench of dirty money out of politics."

The U.S. Supreme Court will consider the constitutionality of Vermont's 1997 campaign finance law following oral arguments scheduled for Feb. 28. The case focuses on the provisions in the law that limit how much candidates can spend and how much political parties can contribute to campaigns. The Vermont Republican Party, Libertarians and Vermont Right to Life challenged these limits as restrictions on free speech.

A decision in favor of Vermont's law would open the door for other states to enact limits on candidate spending, Dean said.

more...

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060207/NEWS02/602070307/1007&theme=

[karynnj]

14. I'm glad Dean is taking that step

The Democrats need to push the whole campaign finance / lobbying reform issue. There really is a danger that the Republicans can get more credit for passing reform than punishment for blatantly breaking the rules - which is not fair.

[WildEyedLiberal]

15. Le kick

:kick:

[ProSense]

23. This is such a perfect time for this, I hope it gets pushed again

I think it has only been put forward one or two times since Bush took office.

[whometense]

13. As usual,

ahead of the game. Thanks for reminding us of this!

[blm]

16. What a great way to honor Wellstone - all Senate Dems should get behind it

.

[flpoljunkie]

52. An online campaign would be a great way for JK to gather public support

His website, johnkerry.com, could give the American people a way to show their support by signing up to co-sponsor a reintroduced S.918, The Clean Money, Clean Elections Act, similar to the "Kidsfirst" campaign at the link below.

Without public financing, we will remain a government of, by and for special interests, not the people.

The time is now, more than ever, to harness the power of the "internets" for the public good.

http://www.johnkerry.com/features/kidsfirst.html

[ProSense]

17. Democrats cleaning house

Democrats Dropping PAC Head

By Tory Newmyer
Roll Call Staff

February 8, 2006

As they continue to push ethics reform as a centerpiece of their 2006 agenda, three top Senate Democrats are moving to clean up their own houses by cutting ties to a lobbyist serving as treasurer of their leadership political action committees.

Minority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.), Democratic Policy Committee Chairman Byron Dorgan (N.D.) and Sen. Edward Kennedy (Mass.) are cutting ties to longtime appropriations lobbyist William Oldaker, who has served as treasurer for their leadership PACs.

The moves come as heightened public scrutiny of lawmakers’ ties to lobbyists is prompting both camps to re-evaluate how they interact. With Members of Congress in both parties crafting reform proposals in the wake of the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal, many are acting pre-emptively to limit contacts with K Streeters.

Some lawmakers have already given up cheap flights on corporate jets, banned staff from accepting free meals or gifts from lobbyists, canceled regular meetings with lobbyists or held off scheduling new fundraisers downtown.

more...

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/51_80/news/12095-1.html

[ProSense]

18. Dodd and Durbin push public financing

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=365815&mesg_id=365815

[Mass]

19. Kerry bill to target legislators convicted of misconduct

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2006/02/09/kerry_bill_to_target_legislators_convicted_of_misconduct/
By Rick Klein, Globe Staff | February 9, 2006

WASHINGTON -- Senator John F. Kerry said he plans to file a bill today that would strip government pensions from lawmakers who are convicted of official misconduct, adding a new element to congressional efforts to overhaul ethics and lobbying laws.
Article Tools


Kerry's bill would halt pensions for senators and House members who are found guilty of bribery, perjury, or conspiracy to defraud the government. Kerry is nicknaming the bill the ''Duke Cunningham Act," after the Republican House member from California who resigned his seat last year after pleading guilty to accepting bribes.

Cunningham is entitled to a pension of about $40,000 a year under current law, which denies pensions only to former lawmakers who are convicted of crimes against the United States, such as treason and espionage.

''It's disgusting that hard-working taxpayers fund the retirement of criminals like Duke Cunningham," said Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat. ''We have to restore the public trust in the country. People don't believe in Washington. They think it's broken."

...

''Republican and right-wing activists have been getting a lot of practice trying to hide their incompetence, corruption, and failures from the American people," Kerry wrote in the e-mail to supporters

[karynnj]

20. Great Idea

It did seem so wrong that he would retain a gold plated retirement account after all he did.

[ProSense]

21. The “Duke Cunningham Act”

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2448534&mesg_id=2448534

[karynnj]

22. You would think it would be hard to vote against this.

Very good and very clever.

[ProSense]

24. Even the hypocrites (crooks)

at the state level are calling for it:

Article published Friday, February 10, 2006

Taft: 'High time' Ohio revisits lobbying, contracting rules

By STEVE EDER and JAMES DREW
BLADE STAFF WRITERS

COLUMBUS - His administration mired in a 10-month ethics scandal, Gov. Bob Taft yesterday said it is "high time" the state revisit and reform its lobbying and contracting rules as he proposed a number of changes in the way Ohio does business.

The governor made the announcement the same day the Franklin County prosecutor said he planned to bring charges against former Taft aide H. Douglas Talbott for allegedly violating state ethics and campaign finance laws in his dealings with indicted GOP contributor Tom Noe. Last summer, Mr. Taft was convicted on ethics charges for failing to disclose dozens of golf outings and gifts he had received from lobbyists and businessmen, including Mr. Noe.

"It's high time we revisit and reform our lobbying and contracting laws to ensure fairness and to assure full accountability to the public," Mr. Taft said in a statement yesterday.

The reforms would ban executive branch employees from accepting gifts from lobbyists and consultants and would deter vendors from trying to influence officials who award state business.

more...

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060210/NEWS24/602100351/-1/rss

[ProSense]

25. Two Former Aides to Ohio Governor Charged

3:10 PM PST, February 10, 2006 latimes.com : National News

Two Former Aides to Ohio Governor Charged

By ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS, Associated Press Writer

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio's corruption scandal widened Friday as two former aides to Gov. Bob Taft were charged with failing to report loans and other favors from a coin dealer at the center of the case.

Douglas Talbott and Doug Moormann became the third and fourth former Taft aides charged with ethics violations over their relationship with Tom Noe.

Noe is a coin dealer and top Republican fundraiser who is under investigation over his handling of an ill-fated $50 million state investment in rare coins. Up to $13 million of the money is unaccounted for, and investigators suspect Noe stole some of it.

A grand jury has been investigating the coin investment since last summer, and Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien said he expects to see "the conclusion of that phase" within a week. He would not comment on whether charges will be filed.

more...

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-ohio-scandal,1,2313797.story?coll=sns-ap-nation-headlines

[ProSense]

26. Unbelievable corruption in OH

Snip...

Mr. Talbott was required to file an annual ethics statement because Mr. Taft had appointed him to the state Board of Cosmetology.

Prosecutors also charged Mr. Talbott, 41, with one count of violating state campaign finance law by funneling money from Mr. Noe to contribute to three Republican state Supreme Court candidates.

On Thursday, the state Elections Commission referred the matter to the Franklin County prosecutor’s office. If convicted, Mr. Talbott could face a fine of up to $10,000.

Mr. Moormann, 39, was charged with one misdemeanor for failing to disclose a $5,000 loan he received from Mr. Noe in 2004 after he had left the governor’s office, said Lara Baker, chief legal counsel in the Columbus prosecutor’s division.

more...

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060211/NEWS02/60211002/-1/rss

[ProSense]

27. Bush/Cheney

from link:

snip...

Mr. Hicks’ executive assistant, Cherie Carroll, was convicted on an ethics violation in July for accepting expensive meals paid for by Mr. Noe that could have influenced her in her job. She was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine.

Mr. Hicks resigned as Mr. Taft’s chief of staff in 2003 to start his own lobbying and consulting firm, and Ms. Carroll joined him.

That firm, Hicks Partners, was hired by the Bush-Cheney campaign and the Republican National Committee to raise money for the President’s re-election campaign.

The fund-raising included an October, 2003, lunch event in Columbus that raised $1.4 million for the campaign.

[ProSense]

30. DNC: 53 for Noe Means Three For Bush

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2457184&mesg_id=2457248

[ProSense]

28. Rules for lobbyists mostly toothless (article)

Rules for lobbyists mostly toothless

Punishments amount to nothing when someone breaks Ohio law

Sunday, February 12, 2006
Jim Siegel
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Tony Bledsoe says Blockbuster has more power to enforce a late-return policy than he does to compel compliance with some state lobbying and disclosure laws.

Last year, for example, two companies that employ lobbyists refused to file required state forms that detail lobbying activity. But at the start of 2006, they were allowed to register again and keep lobbying because Bledsoe, the state legislative inspector general, has no power to stop them.

He couldn’t even fine them because, under Ohio law, the fine kicks in only after the company is officially notified of the offense — and both companies refused to accept the certified letters Bledsoe sent them. Even if he could fine them, the maximum penalty is $100.

"It’s frustrating that when people completely fail to comply with Ohio lobbying laws we don’t have the administrative authority to remedy the situation," said Bledsoe, whose office oversees registration of lobbyists in Ohio.


more...

http://www.columbusdispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/02/12/20060212-A1-01.html

[ProSense]

29. If Sen. McCain wants true reform, he should support the bill in the OP.

Testimony of Senator John McCain on Lobbying Reform Proposals

U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Wednesday, January 25, 2006


Madam Chairman, let me begin by thanking you and Senator Lieberman for holding this important hearing today. There is no doubt that a crisis of confidence exists in how Congress is perceived by the American people. Poll after poll reveals that a majority of the American people see those us who serve in Congress as the lowest of the low. We need to fix that. We need to restore the confidence of the American people by proving to them that we can make tough decisions and end corrupting practices. We need to restore the confidence of the American people in their government, not so that we can all stay in office, but so that our children and our grandchildren will have a trustworthy, reliable government upon which they can depend.

As you all know, over the past year and a half, the Indian Affairs Committee has unearthed a story of excess and abuse by former lobbyists of a few Indian tribes. The story is alarming in its depth and breadth of potential wrongdoing. It has spanned across the United States, sweeping up tribes throughout Indian Country. It has taken us from Tribal reservations across America to luxury sports boxes here in town, from a sham international think tank in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware to a sniper workshop in Israel, and beyond. It involves tens of millions of dollars that we know about, and likely more that we do not. Much of what the Committee learned was extraordinary. Yet, much of what we uncovered in the investigation was unfortunately the ordinary way of doing business in this town.

How these lobbyists sought to influence policy and opinion makers is a case study in the ways lobbyists seek to curry favor with legislators and their aides. For example, they sought to ingratiate themselves with public servants with tickets to plush skyboxes at the MCI Center, FedEx Field, and Camden Yards for sports and entertainment events. They arranged extravagant getaways to tropical islands, the famed golfing links of St. Andrews, and elsewhere. They regularly treated people to meals and drinks. Fundraisers and contributions abounded.

During its investigation, the Committee also learned about unscrupulous tactics employed to lobby Members and to shape public opinion. We found a sham international think tank in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, established, in part, to disguise the true identity of clients. We saw phony Christian grassroots organizations consisting of a box of cell phones in a desk drawer. I would submit that in the great marketplace of ideas we call public discourse, truth is a premium that we cannot sacrifice. Through these practices, the lobbyists distorted the truth, not only with false messages, but also with fake messengers.

more...


http://www.straighttalkamerica.com/speeches/Read.aspx?ID=12

[ProSense]

31. Former Atty Gen. Ashcroft becomes a lobbyist

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2458839&mesg_id=2458839

[ProSense]

32. CREW urging investigation into abuse of charitable organization status

CREW Sends Letter to Senate Finance Committee Urging Investigation into Abuse of Charitable Organization Status
To: National Desk, Labor Reporter

Contact: Naomi Seligman Steiner of CREW, 202-588-5565

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 /U.S. Newswire/ -- In response to an anti- union organization's launch yesterday, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) sent a letter today to the Chair and Ranking Members of the Senate Finance Committee, Sens. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) and Max Baucus (D- Mont.) respectively, requesting an investigation into the activities of lobbyist Richard Berman, his newest front group, the Center for Union Facts (CUF) and his other non-profit, the Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF).

Yesterday, CUF ran full-page newspaper ads in the Washington Post, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, claiming that union leaders helped bankrupt steel, auto and airline companies. A copy of the ad is available at http://www.citizensforethics.org.

Berman is the president and sole owner of a for-profit lobbying and public relations firm, Berman & Co., Inc. (BCI), which has long served the interests of the tobacco, alcohol and chain restaurant industries. In November 2004, CREW sent a letter to the IRS asking for an investigation into Berman's and CCF's multiple violations of IRS law. CREW had copied Sens. Grassley and Baucus on the complaint, but never received a response.

more...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnw/20060214/pl_usnw/crew_sends_letter_to_senate_finance_committee_urging_investigation_into_abuse_of_charitable_organization_status306_xml

[ProSense]

33. True reform. n/t

[ProSense]

34. Student push for reform

Snip...

NBA's Foyle to be at UAlbany summit

If it's time for the NBA All-Star game, it must be time for Adonal Foyle to show up at the University at Albany.

The Golden State Warriors center will be on campus for the three-day summit of his student-driven campaign finance reform group, Democracy Matters.

Colgate University alum Foyle started the group in 2001. Its members, who belong to chapters on more than 70 campuses, push for publicly funded campaigns.

About 120 students attended last year's event at UAlbany. Foyle and Joan Mandle, a Colgate sociology professor who is the group's executive director, will address students Friday night.

So far this season, Foyle is posting 4.1 points and 5.8 rebounds a game.


http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=450843&category=REGIONOTHER&BCCode=&newsdate=2/16/2006

[karynnj]

35. Grassroot support, YAY!

[ProSense]

36. McCain and Santorum discuss reform

Really?

Posted on Thu, Feb. 16, 2006

Senators discuss lobbying reform behind closed doors

BY JEFF ZELENYChicago TribuneWASHINGTON - A group of Republican and Democratic senators emerged from a private meeting Thursday evening and said they had taken steps toward reaching an accord on ethics and lobbying reform and will seek to resolve differences when Congress returns after a winter recess next week.

"We've agreed to an overall set of principles," Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said in an interview, walking down the hallway of a Senate office building. "There are some specific disagreements on certain provisions, but overall we're in agreement."

For more than an hour, a bipartisan collection of nearly a dozen senators met in the office of Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa. When the meeting broke up after the dinner hour, several senators declined to discuss specific points of their discussion, but said Senate committees would begin debating the legislation as soon as Feb. 28.

"We're talking about things that are a key part of the lives of a member of Congress, so everyone has an opinion about the wisdom and the practicality," said Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn. "But generally speaking, I think we're headed toward significant reform."


more...

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/13891273.htm

[karynnj]

44. To get a measure of reform in the Senate, Santorum could resign

he coordinated a lot of the K street stuff and has a "few" problems.

[ProSense]

37. Specter begins inquiry into staff, lobbyist ties

Posted on Sat, Feb. 18, 2006

Specter begins inquiry into staff, lobbyist ties

He also prepared a report on whether a senior aide had a hand in securing funds for her spouse's clients.

By Steve Goldstein
Inquirer Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - Sen. Arlen Specter (R., Pa.) yesterday began a review of staff members who have family ties to congressional lobbyists. At the same time, he prepared a dossier outlining whether a senior staffer was involved in securing funds for clients of her husband, a lobbyist.

The dossier was to be given to the Senate ethics committee as early as last night, said William Reynolds, Specter's chief of staff.

On Thursday, Specter rejected allegations that he or his staff member improperly steered nearly $50 million in defense appropriations bills since 2002 to projects championed by six clients of lobbyist Michael Herson.

Staffer Vicki Siegel Herson, who uses her maiden name in Specter's office and who worked on legislative appropriations until recently, is married to Herson.
The allegations were first reported in Thursday's editions of USA Today.

more...

http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/inquirer/news/nation/13901825.htm?source=rss&channel=inquirer_nation

[ProSense]

38. NYT: When Lobbyists Say 'I Do,' Should They Add 'I Won't'?

When Lobbyists Say 'I Do,' Should They Add 'I Won't'?

By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK
Published: February 19, 2006

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 — Like many Washington couples, Jeffrey and Alexandra Shockey need the advice of a lawyer on how to conduct their pillow talk.

Mr. Shockey is a top aide to Representative Jerry Lewis, the California Republican who is chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, and Mrs. Shockey is a lobbyist for a firm that seeks to influence the congressman.

So when Senator Arlen Specter this week defended the marriage of one of his aides to a lobbyist with interests in her work, the Shockeys and others around town could empathize. Marriages to lobbyists are increasingly common among Capitol staff members and even members of Congress — a situation that, even in Congress's current zeal for overhauling lobbying, almost no one seriously expects to be restricted any time soon.

Among the many members of Congress married to lobbyists are Representative Roy Blunt of Missouri, the Republican whip; Representative John D. Dingell, Democrat of Michigan; Senator Byron L. Dorgan, Democrat of North Dakota; and Senator Elizabeth Dole, Republican of North Carolina.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/19/politics/19spouse.html

There is always the assumption that people can't tell the difference between legal and illegal if the facts are reported (challenging as that is for the media).

[ProSense]

39. Sen. Boxer on Face the Nation

SCHIEFFER: Now it looks over on the House side, it looks as if the Republicans are sort of backing away from that. It's not altogether clear what's going on in the Senate. For example, would you favor outlawing people paying for members of the House and Senate to go on these trips? Should some of these things that lobbyists now pay for be outlawed? Or sure--is it enoughthat some in the Senate seem to be saying to just make sure it's all reported and written down and made public?

Sen. BOXER: I don't think there should be any trips paid for by lobbyists or trips where lobbyists are on the trip. It just should be outlawed straight ahead. You know if it's a nonprofit, if it's a think tank that's been foundation funded, that's different. But there shouldn't be any private sector trips that are paid for anymore. But, you know, it goes beyond that. Those are changes in the law we must do and I support. But there really have been laws already broken, and what we need is to have an aggressive Justice Department go after the folks already in the Congress who have broken the laws. And that's where we want to have an outside council rather than have the president's man, Alberto Gonzales, conduct those investigations. When Abramoff gave well over $100,000 to the president, appeared with the president in many occasions, and it just seems to
me we need a breath of fresh air there and have an investigation. We shouldn't forget it's not only changing the laws, which we should do, but it's prosecuting those who already broke the laws that we have on the books.

http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/face_021906.pdf

[ProSense]

40. Leadership groups grow, some with lobbyists in charge

Leadership groups grow, some with lobbyists in charge

By Margaret Talev -- Bee Washington Bureau
Published 2:15 am PST Monday, February 20, 2006
Story appeared on Page A1 of The Bee

WASHINGTON - Alaska Rep. Don Young gained infamy last year as the chairman of the House Transportation Committee who secured more than $200 million for a "bridge to nowhere" in his home state.

Less noticed was the Republican congressman's support for projects elsewhere in the country favored by contributors to Midnight Sun, a political action committee.

Known as a leadership PAC, Midnight Sun is controlled by Young, and its treasurer is a registered lobbyist with a client list that includes transportation interests.

In southeast Arkansas, more than a dozen men and women connected to road paving and auto sales in and near Pine Bluff gave about $28,000 last March to Midnight Sun, on top of about $20,000 to Young's re-election committee. When the highway bill passed a few months later, it had more than $200 million for their region over the next five years, including a $72 million interstate construction project extending to Pine Bluff.

more...

http://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/story/14211320p-15037464c.html

[ProSense]

41. Thread on line item veto

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2470756&mesg_id=2470756

[ProSense]

42. Drug benefits and special interest dollars

Opinion: Provisions Written by Special Interests Waste $80 Billion Annually on Drug Benefits

Posted on February 21, 2006:

Seniors Pay For Corruption; $96 Million In Political Contributions. Produce Higher Drug Prices, Record Profits.

"The new law is confusing and complicated because it was written to help big pharmaceutical companies instead of hard-working people who need prescription drugs to live. It's no surprise that top Republicans who wrote the bill work for the drug industry now. Thousands of people across the country are paying the price for this corruption at the pharmacy. They're getting over-charged and facing outrageous delays, if they're getting their prescriptions at all." --Toby Chaudhuri, Campaign for America's Future Communications Director

Snip...

INDUSTRY CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS

Institute for America's Future researchers found that, between 2000 and 2004, health insurance, health services and pharmaceutical companies contributed $96,370,907 to candidates for public office.

--71 percent of these funds went to Republicans. 38 percent went to Democrats. In the peak year (2002), 75 percent of the industry funds went to Republicans. Only 25 percent went to Democrats.

--In the 2004 presidential election, Health Insurance and Health Services/HMOs contributed nearly five times as much to George Bush than to John Kerry ($1,021,357 v. $211,900).

--Contributions grew 124 percent between 1998 and 2002 in anticipation of the vote (in 2003). The next election cycle (2004), contributions dropped 38 percent. Industry was satisfied and interest waned.

--Representatives who voted "Yes" on the Bush Prescription Drug Bill received a total of $6,075,520 from the pharmaceutical industry.

more...

http://somd.com/news/headlines/articles/3366.shtml

[ProSense]

43. Herzfeld, Democrat for ARK AG present ethics plan (Repub: Gunner DeLay)

Herzfeld presents ethics plan during AG campaign
Wednesday, January 25, 2006 12:15 PM CST

Robert Herzfeld, a Democrat running for Arkansas attorney general, called for bans on gifts to elected officials from lobbyists and for an increase in the maximum fine for ethics violations Tuesday.

Snip...

The maximum fine which can be levied by the Ethics Commission should be raised from $1,000 to $10,000, Herzfeld said.

Herzfeld also called for prohibiting former legislators from serving as registered lobbyists for a minimum of two years after they leave office and creating a searchable online database for all lobbyist and campaign contribution reports.

more...

Gunner DeLay, a former state senator, is the only Republican running for the office.

http://www.bentoncourier.com/articles/2006/02/23/news/75inews.txt

[blm]

45. IN HONOR OF PAUL WELLSTONE, THIS BILL SHOULD BE RE-INTRODUCED.

.

[ProSense]

46. U.S. Supreme Court to hear arguments Tuesday on campaign finance

U.S. Supreme Court to hear arguments Tuesday on campaign finance

By Christopher Graff, Associated Press Writer | February 25, 2006

MONTPELIER, Vt. --A typically blunt statement by Howard Dean nine years ago about campaign contributions -- "money does buy access and we're kidding ourselves and Vermonters if we deny it" -- is at the heart of a case that comes before the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday.

Advocates of campaign spending limits say this case is their best hope in 30 years; opponents believe the justices will use the opportunity to firmly close the door once and for all on any such limits. All agree that the case provides the Roberts Court with a chance to put its imprint on how elections are financed and regulated around the country.

"Justice O'Connor, the swing voter in the recent campaign finance cases, has left the court," said Richard Hasen of Loyola Law School. "The Vermont case could present the new Roberts Court with an opportunity to begin imposing significant restrictions on the ability of the government to limit the role of money in politics."

Dean's statement in 1997 came as the then-governor called upon the Legislature to enact campaign finance reform: Lawmakers delivered by limiting campaign contributions and spending as well as by creating a system of public financing.


more...

http://www.boston.com/news/local/vermont/articles/2006/02/25/us_supreme_court_to_hear_arguments_tuesday_on_campaign_finance/

[Shelor]

47. Fat chance. The GOP greedmongers run the show.

[ProSense]

48. It's a good thing Congress isn't a lifetime appointment. Welcome! n/t

[ProSense]

49. Dems cool on Obama bill

Dems cool on Obama bill

By Alexander Bolton

Senate Democrats have declined to support legislation proposed by Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) to reform lobbying, even though he is their point man on the issue.

Good-government groups have made enforcement of the ethics and lobbying rules their top priority, and they consider Obama’s proposal the strongest means of enforcement. But lawmakers appear to view the medicine as too strong.

On Feb. 8, nearly three weeks ago, Obama introduced legislation that would create an independent commission to enforce lobbying rules. Despite reaching out aggressively to Democratic colleagues and a few Republicans, according to good-government groups working with him, only one senator, Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), has co-sponsored his proposal.

Democratic leaders tapped Obama to take a leading role on ethics reform when they unveiled their Honest Leadership and Open Government Act last month.

more...

http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/022806/news1.html

[ProSense]

50. The crooks and their base

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2490560&mesg_id=2490560

[ProSense]

51. Republicans are not interested in reform

The justices' questions during oral arguments strongly suggested that legislation to limit campaign spending enacted by Vermont would be struck down — as Republicans hope.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2002842634_broder05.html?syndication=rss

[ProSense]

53. Where did Bush get his money?

Posted on Mon, Mar. 06, 2006

U.S. campaign finance remade by donors in '04

Small contributors online better reflect middle class and women
THOMAS B. EDSALL
Washington Post

WASHINGTON - The surging number of campaign contributors in 2004, especially the small donors who gave online, changed the character of one of the most important constituencies in American politics, the people who finance presidential elections.

This key group has become more reflective of the middle class, has a higher percentage of women and is far more willing to contribute without being directly solicited.

Snip...

• The universe of donors is fluid and changes markedly from election to election. One of the findings most surprising to the authors of the study was that only 31 percent who gave the maximum, $1,000, to Bush in 2000, including those who made non-Internet donations, contributed in 2004.

more...

http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/charlotte/news/14027552.htm?source=rss&channel=charlotte_news

[ProSense]

54. Churches may have violated federal law meeting with Ken Blackwell

Published: Monday, March 13, 2006

AP finds Blackwell, 2 pastors met more than complaint says

The IRS wants to know if churches violated federal law by engaging in politics.

COLUMBUS (AP) — Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell has met with two conservative pastors more often than alleged in an IRS complaint accusing the pastors of improper support of his campaign for governor, according to a review of documents by The Associated Press.

Although the complaint looked at nine publicly reported events sponsored by the pastors, a review of Blackwell's daily schedule found 19 other meetings or other contact with the pastors, including flights on a church-owned plane, meetings in Blackwell's office and attendance at church services.

Blackwell, a Republican and favorite of conservatives, had contact with pastors Russell Johnson and Rod Parsley or their churches 28 times from January 2004 through March of this year, according to AP research, including a review of Blackwell's confidential schedule obtained through a public records request.

Snip...

At issue in the complaint is the context of the contacts. Blackwell says he was involved either as secretary of state or as an elected leader supporting a cause — in many cases a 2004 ban on gay marriage.

Snip...

All eyes on race

Ohio's race for governor is being watched by Republicans and Democrats nationally because of the state's bellwether status. No Republican has won the presidency without carrying Ohio, which gave President Bush the White House in 2004, and only two Democrats have won without it in the past 100 years.


http://www.vindy.com/content/local_regional/304446354718715.php

[ProSense]

55. McCain slips a fast one

RULES OF THE GAME

Sputtering Out
By Eliza Newlin Carney, NationalJournal.com
© National Journal Group Inc.
Monday, March 20, 2006

The outlook for meaningful lobbying reform in this Congress has gone from bad to worse.

Senate floor consideration of lobbying and ethics changes, derailed by an unrelated dispute over U.S. port security, is on hold indefinitely. GOP leaders have finally unveiled a sketchy plan in the House, but they remain deeply divided over specifics. And in both chambers, Republicans are pushing tough, new limits on so-called 527 groups -- a poison pill that Democrats will never swallow.


Snip...

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., quietly submitted an amendment to the lobbying reform bill on the Senate floor March 9 that would cap donations to 527 groups at $25,000 annually, or $50,000 per election cycle. (Such groups now disclose their receipts and expenditures to the IRS, but face no contribution limits.)

McCain's move was a surprise, given that several senators had explicitly agreed to keep controversial 527 provisions out of the lobbying debate. Rules and Administration Committee Chairman Trent Lott, R-Miss., strongly endorses new 527 rules. Nevertheless, when the Senate first took up lobby reform legislation on March 6, Lott went out of his way to stress that campaign finance changes would not be on the table.


Snip...

So why did McCain suddenly slip a 527 amendment into the lobbying legislation on March 9? McCain's press office did not return calls seeking comment. McCain's amendment was introduced immediately after Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., tried to force a vote on U.S. port safety. Was McCain sending a signal that Republicans can play rough, too?

more...

http://nationaljournal.com/carney.htm