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Disclose Act vote imminent - immediate action needed

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Dan W:
Gun Owners of America E-Mail Alert
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151
Phone: 703-321-8585 / FAX: 703-321-8408
http://gunowners.org


Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Anti-gun Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (NV) is giving voters yet another reason why he must be defeated in November.

Preparing for heavy losses in the general election, anti-gun Democrat leaders like Reid and Charles Schumer (D-NY) appear to be readying for a vote on the so-called DISCLOSE Act, possibly this week.

While Reid has not yet officially taken the necessary steps to move the bill, his communications director sent out this Tweet on Tuesday: "We're debating DISCLOSE Act tomorrow [Wednesday] w/ vote Thursday."

You may recall that the DISCLOSE Act, which passed the House in June, died in the Senate in July after an intense lobbying effort by Gun Owners of America and other groups.

The bill, sponsored by Schumer, puts severe and unconstitutional limits on GOA's ability to hold individual congressmen accountable in the weeks leading up to an election.

Instead of protecting the most important type of speech protected by the First Amendment -- political speech -- this bill would force groups like GOA to "disclose" the names of donors in certain political advertisements.

Since Gun Owners of America is not willing to disclose its membership lists to the Federal Election Commission, we could be prohibited from running radio or TV ads exposing a federal candidate's voting record within 60 days of a general election.

This is just another attempt by pathetic, anti-gun politicians to save their jobs before the political earthquake in November strikes.

And, as has been the case so often over the past two years, Reid, Schumer and Co. are using the rules of the Senate to bring the bill directly to the floor. There have been no committee hearings to debate the merits of the bill, thus the American people have no opportunity to see just how egregiously DISCLOSE violates the Constitution.

While the bill does contain a controversial provision to exempt the National Rifle Association, GOA remains adamantly opposed to it on constitutional grounds.

Please urge your Senators to protect ALL of the Bill of Rights. Remind them that your ability to protect the Second Amendment relies on the safeguards of the First Amendment.

ACTION: Please contact your Senators and urge them to oppose the DISCLOSE Act. You can use the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center at http://gunowners.org/activism.htm to send your Senators a message

Dan W:
NELSON SAYS HERE HE WILL VOTE FOR THE DISCLOSE ACT


Dear Dan:

 

Thank you for contacting me regarding the Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections (DISCLOSE) Act, S. 3628. I was glad to hear your thoughts on this issue.

 

As you know, the DISCLOSE Act seeks to regulate the money which influences elections and to enhance reporting requirements for those involved in electioneering communications and independent expenditures.  This legislation was written in response to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.  The companion bill, H.R. 5175, was passed by the House of Representatives on June 24, 2010.  I personally believe this bill answers the call I have heard from Nebraskans who are tired of attack ads with little information as to the party responsible.  This legislation provides a new level of transparency and lets individuals who belong to a group know how their money is being spent.  Furthermore, it prohibits foreign entities from paying for ads which try to affect the outcome of elections in America.

 

I appreciate your concern that this legislation applies disparately to corporations and unions; however, I voted for the bill with the belief that greater transparency is always better and moves our nation in the right direction towards more open and honest elections.  The motion to invoke cloture (end debate) failed in the Senate by a vote of 57-41 (60 votes were necessary).

 

Thank you once again for contacting me. Your comments and concerns are an important part of the legislative process, and I encourage you to continue sharing your thoughts and ideas.

Sincerely,

Ben Nelson
U.S. Senator
 

Greybeard:
I think Ben said; "Shut up and color"!! We need a total overhaul of the way that the House and the Senate do business. Before that can happen, we need to replace all the incumbents!! Just my 2?.

Dan W:
Thursday, September 23, 2010 Gun Owners of America E-Mail Alert


The U.S. Senate today defeated the so-called DISCLOSE Act when it failed to garner the 60 votes necessary to overcome Republican objections to the bill. The final vote was 59-39.

Even though the exact same bill, sponsored by Chuck Schumer (D-NY), had been defeated just two months ago and was unlikely to pass, anti-gun Majority Leader Harry Reid (NV) brought it up for another vote to "stir up" his left-wing base.

Instead of protecting the most important type of speech protected by the First Amendment -- political speech -- with this bill Congress attempted to force groups like GOA to "disclose" the names of donors in certain political advertisements.

Since Gun Owners of America will never disclose its membership lists to the federal government, it could be prohibited from running radio or TV ads exposing a federal candidate's voting record in the weeks leading up to an election.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (KY) aptly summed up the bill when it came to the floor in July:

"This DISCLOSE Act is not about reform, it's nothing more than Democrats sitting behind closed doors [choosing] which favored groups they want to speak in the 2010 elections -- all in an attempt to protect themselves from criticism of their government takeovers, record deficits and massive unpaid-for expansions of the federal government into the lives of the American people."

With a lame-duck session of Congress looming after the election, anything is possible -- including another attempt to push through DISCLOSE. So please stay tuned.

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