SwiftVets.com

[3rd gen Navy]

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/2813230


Sept. 25, 2004, 12:43AM

my, my, my, life's too sweet.....

Texans for Truth in hot water
Watchdog groups claim organization violated campaign fund-raising laws
By JOHN FRANK
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - A group of watchdog organizations charged Friday that Texans for Truth, whose TV ads question President Bush's service in the Air National Guard during the Vietnam War, has violated campaign fund-raising laws.


The Washington-based watchdog organizations, Democracy 21, the Campaign Legal Center and the Center for Responsive Politics, made the allegation in a complaint to the Federal Election Commission.

The complaint says Texans for Truth is accepting contributions and running advertisements to influence the presidential race and therefore comes under campaign finance limits, which cap individual contributions at $2,000 from an individual and $5,000 from a political committee.

Texans for Truth has reported a $100,000 contribution from Daniel O'Keefe, a California television producer.

Glenn Smith, a Democratic political consultant who organized Texans for Truth, said Friday that he hadn't seen the complaint and could not comment on its charges.

Smith said most of the group's contributions are small and not representative of the big money already being spent in the election.

Texans for Truth's ads came after another group, Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, ran TV ads criticizing Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's Navy service in the Vietnam War.

The watchdog groups have complained to the FEC about the Swift Boat group and other pro-Republican groups. Those complaints are pending.

The complaint filed Friday also alleges that FEC misinterpretation of campaign finance laws has allowed such political advocacy groups to flourish without regulation.

The groups are called 527 organizations, named for a tax code section under which they were formed to avoid campaign reform rules known as the McCain-Feingold law.

Bush has said all political ads by 527 groups should be withdrawn, including the ones that criticize Kerry.

U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and others introduced legislation this week to crack down on 527s.

McCain also said he would push for a revamping of the FEC soon after Nov. 2.
_________________
Warm Regards,
Sean G. Smith,
RN, BSN, EMT-B, U.S. Navy, 1994 - 2003.
BS Biology, Business Administration, Nursing
The Deal with Life: Make decisions based on what you might gain, not on what you may lose.
!!!!!! LET THE WILD RUMPUS BEGIN !!!!!!

[Barbie2004]

Quote from the article:

[3rd gen Navy]

I concur with your comments regarding McCain.
_________________
Warm Regards,
Sean G. Smith,
RN, BSN, EMT-B, U.S. Navy, 1994 - 2003.
BS Biology, Business Administration, Nursing
The Deal with Life: Make decisions based on what you might gain, not on what you may lose.
!!!!!! LET THE WILD RUMPUS BEGIN !!!!!!

[Fort Campbell]

[Dimsdale]

[Steve Z]

Speaking of campaign-finance "reform", Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin is up for re-election this year. He is only leading his Republican opponent Tim Michels by 6%, and Wisconsin's primary was late this year (Sept. 14). With President Bush leading in the polls in Wisconsin, a strong campaign by Michels and some Bush "coat-tails" might lead to Feingold losing his seat.

McCain is also up for re-election this year, but is heavily favored to win. But if Feingold loses, will McCain find another Democrat to "reform" campaign finance with him, especially when the Democrats have such an advantage in 527 funding?

I doubt it...
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The traitor will crater!

[wvobiwan]

[Kimmymac]

See, now, sometimes one ends up repeating one's self, as I am about to do here. McCain is the OIM's darling for good reason: mainly, he is a political opportunist and will readily turn on those to whom he should show loyalty. He is out "campaigning" for the President because he has read the tea leaves and wants to be near the seat of power. He has no ideology, unless his own self-promotion counts as ideology.

"Trey" McCain, Naval Academy grad, son and grandson of Admirals, POW, war hero, well, how can I say anything negative? How dare I question Trey? How insolent of me--that was the general opinion.

When he was running for the Republican nominee and was all the darling of the media, and indeed, most of our Navy friends, I was the lone dissenter against him. Strolling around Coronado Island,CA was revolting during the California primary leading up to 2000--all those McCain signs in every retired rear admiral's yard. Revolting.

So I am glad many are on to old "Trey".

McCain-Feingold is an attempt to limit free speech. It is also an example of shameless media pandering by McCain. If Trey had been around during the Revolution he would have been a Tory, and would have been trying to get Ben Franklin's printing press outlawed before alll those "disgusting" copies of "Common Sense" could be printed.

I dislike McCain personally and politically, and even though it meant not being invited to the "cool people's" cocktail parties for awhile, I stand behind everything I ever said about him. Now that our old Navy friends see it also, I am just--well, at least I refrain from saying "I told you so," and so I should get some brownie points for that.

[Hondo]

At the risk of drawing fire, I'll defend McCain - partially.

I agree he is somewhat the political opportunist. I also dislike many of his positions - IMO, he was REALLY out to lunch on campaign finance.

However, we could do a whole lot worse than McCain. Just look at those "fine examples of Senatorial talent" from MA (Kerry/Kennedy), CA (Feinstein/Boxer), SD (Daschle), NY (Schumer/Clinton), NJ (Schumer/Torrecelli), IA (Harkin), VT (Jeffords), DE (Biden), NC (Edwards) and WI (Feingold).

As I've said before: the choice in an election is almost never between perfect and mediocre. The choice in an election is almost always between mediocre and spectacularly bad.

Given this fact, I'll opt for mediocre.
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"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things: the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks nothing worth a war, is worse."
-- John Stuart Mill