Marathon Pundit: Democrats: Campaign cash today, campaign reform tomorrow

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Democrats: Campaign cash today, campaign reform tomorrow

One of the reasons Rep. Mike Castle lost the Republican US Senate Primary to Christine O'Donnell was his co-sponsorship of the anti-free speech DISCLOSE Act, a tamper-tantrum of a bill written in response to a US Supreme Court decision overturning restrictions on independent political advertisements.

Exceptions were made for unions, which almost always contribute to Democrats, and the National Rifle Administration, which supports Democrats on occasion.

The House of Representatives narrowly passed the DISCLOSE Act this summer, only two Republicans voted for it, Castle and Louisiana's Joseph Cao.

The Senate could vote on it tomorrow. Timing is everything, as Politico tells us...

Why not tomorrow, you might ask? Because there are no votes in the Senate scheduled for tomorrow. And that may be, in part, because there's something else going on tomorrow: A big New York fundraiser for the Senate Democrats.

"I would be honored if you would join me for a very special reception with President Barack Obama on Wednesday, September 22, 2010 in New York. We have a limited numbers of tickets available to our general reception. If you would like to join us, please contact ...[redacted]@dscc.org."

The event has prices raising up to $15,200, but a mere $2,500 contributed or raised buys you access to a "VIP reception with members of Congress." The money goes to the House Senate Victory Fund, which splits its receipts between the DSCC and the DCCC.

"An individual can contribute as much as $60,800 per calendar year to the House Senate Victory Fund," the invitation helpfully notes. (These donations will, it's worth noting, be disclosed.)