SwiftVets.com

[IpsoFacto]

Bush campaign files suit against FEC

By SHARON THEIMER, Associated Press

NEW YORK (September 1, 9:34 am PDT) - President Bush's campaign asked a court Wednesday to force the Federal Election Commission to act on its complaints against anti-Bush groups spending millions of dollars in the presidential race, arguing that the FEC is failing to do its job.

In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, the campaign argued that the FEC is taking too long to address what the campaign calls illegal spending of corporate, union and big individual donations to influence the presidential race. Its lawsuit seeks a preliminary injunction that would force the commission to act on its March complaint within 30 days. After that, the campaign could sue to block the groups' activities through court action rather than relying on the FEC.

"To prevent these 527s from continuing to violate federal election laws, we have asked the federal court to step in and order the FEC to act," said Tom Josefiak, general counsel for the Bush-Cheney campaign.

Outside groups trying to deny Bush a second term have spent more than $60 million on advertising, far outstripping organizations sympathetic to the president that have vowed a late campaign drive to match their rivals.

More recently, the group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth has aired ads challenging Democratic Sen. John Kerry's decorated Vietnam War record.

Josefiak said that if the court and the FEC both move quickly that it could get action before Election Day and curtail the soft-money groups.

The campaign and Republican National Committee filed complaints in March accusing anti-Bush groups, including the Media Fund, America Coming Together and Moveon.org, of illegally spending large contributions to influence the federal election.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Karl Rove, Bush's chief strategist, said, "We want all (such) ads and activities to cease. We have been consistent on this."

A law that took effect in November 2002 broadly banned the spending of so-called soft money to influence presidential and congressional races.

The anti-Bush groups argue that the ban only applies to activity that explicitly calls for a federal candidate's election or defeat, and say their spending stops short of that.

The Bush campaign views its action Wednesday as the first step in its legal campaign in limiting the group to individual contributions and forcing them to disclose their activity to the FEC. The sponsor of the soft-money ban, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, has said he wants to go to Congress this month with legislation to outlaw the soft-money groups.

[Bhist]

How much do you want to bet that if this does end up in the courts and if the courts take action, that the SBVT are the FIRST 527 to be investigated.
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Watch Kerry Implode Because Of Truth!!
Watch Rather Implode Because Of Lies!!

[IpsoFacto]

Of course. that is how "fairness" is displayed in this country.

Get God out and bring Allah in
Get decency out and bring porno in
Get truth out and bring lies in.

If we elect Kerry to the highest office on the land, we deserve what is coming on us and i will laugh out loud when it happens.

[Nomorelies]

This thing won't get through the courts until right before the election. The only thing the Swiftvets have to do is return the $100,000 from Perry. The only stipulation will be that campaign contributions cannot exceed $2000 of personal (not corporate) money.
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Nomorelies Make a donation HERE

[brotherofvietvet]

The first amendment will win out. There is no way a court will say the SVFT do not deserve their first amendment rights. Bush knows SVFT cannot be silenced and is taking the high ground, a good political move that silences the Kerry campaign and nips a baseless Kerry campaign charge.
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Philip H. Sanchez

[Billman]

Nomorelies is right. McCain actually clarified his position for me the other night in an interview. Like many of you I'd wondered, how can you call for these groups to be "banned" and not violate free speech? Well, that's not the intent, despite some of Bush's statements. What they want is for the FEC to holde these groups to the same funding restrictions as the parties - the $2,000 max per donor per campaign.

As a Constitutionalist, I can live with that. It's been upheld by the Supreme Court, but the FEC has *not* been enforcing it.

It would affect the Swiftees very little, just a few early donors, since our average contribution has been around $65. And that assumes any ruling would be retroactive. Don't count on it, cuz Soros and Lewis and Bing and Glaser would have to be refunded tens of millions$$.
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-- Bill in Seattle

[BenJaxBchFL]

Wow. This is a brilliant move by the Bush people.

"See we really are against all 527's" NOT.

Bush is taking the teeth out of the Kerry campaign before it can get any legs that these 527's are secretly working for Bush in dirty politics.

Again a very smart move on their part. A pre-emptive strike if you will.
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The war against terrorism is not that Americans might die rather that we would alter our way of living. If we get to a point where we choose not to go out because of fear, our economy will sink and in the end so will our nation. Vote Bush.

[angrylady]

Well, if they have to give the money back to Perry, I'll triple my original donation to help pay for it.

[one more captins mast]

PARASOMINIA LURKS NEARBY AND COULD BE USED AT ANY TIME.


OR JOHN IT COULD BE REAL, NOT JUST ANOTHER ONE OF YOUR

BAD DREAMS.
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the strange mr aj

[Navy_Navy_Navy]

[zinfella]

There will be no stopping of the 527's in this particular election. There very well may be changes ahead, but not soon enough to effect this one. Besides, the fact that the Dems have out spent the swiftees by such a wide margin would not play well with the conservatives this close to election day. The libs may get away with a lot, but they can't do everything that they want to. The whole "campaign reform" effort was a slap at freedom of speech, and I note that John McCAIN is the most famous author of this assault on the constitution. The politicians knew the loopholes they were setting up, this is no surprise, it's business as usual.
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No whiners!