Allison Hayward's blog

Posted at 11:21am on Mar. 14, 2006 The Incoherence of FEC Internet Regulation

By Allison Hayward

Congress faces a choice soon on how political speech on the Internet shall be regulated. HR 1606 codifies existing law, exempting Internet communications from special BCRA provisions but generally treating Internet expenditures like any other. We know what life is like with this law. The half measures in HR 4900 are the kind of thing you get when you convene a groups of "stakeholders" and work toward "consensus."

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Posted at 11:12pm on Mar. 2, 2006 The Center for Democracy and Tech Weighs in on Internet Politics

By Allison Hayward

Crossposted at Skepticseye.com

The Center for Democracy and Technology has a proposal to, it believes, better protect certain Internet communications from FEC regulation. Their release is here, and a nifty comparison chart is here.

Coming a week before the floor vote on H.R. 1606, one hopes the Center is trying to engage both sides constructively. My initial take on their proposal is this: it won't satisfy those who see the Internet as a scandal waiting to happen, and it won't cheer those who think the Internet is sufficiently different that the old rules shouldn't apply.

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Posted at 6:52pm on Mar. 1, 2006 They's Still Lying About HR 1606

By Allison Hayward

cross-posted at Skepticseye.com

Reformers are still trafficking in false arguments when it comes to HR 1606. Here's today's release, posted on Democracy 21.

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Posted at 4:39pm on Feb. 28, 2006 Justice Breyer's Pleasant Surprise

By Allison Hayward

From the Diaries . . .

Cross posted on Skepticseye.com

The Vermont argument at the Supreme Court this morning was a lot of fun, with some pleasant surprises.

My theory is this: Justice Breyer, having no serious investment in the study of campaign finance matters, acquires attitudes based on who among his colleagues he sits near. Now, with the addition of Justice Alito, Breyer has crossed sides and is now comfy next to Justice Thomas.

And boy can you tell.

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Posted at 7:00pm on Jan. 17, 2006 Free Speech Goes to Court

By Allison Hayward

Promoted from the diaries . . .

This was cross posted on Skepticseye.com.

Today the Supreme Court heard oral argument in Wisconsin Right to Life v. FEC. The case raises the issue of whether Congress in McCain Feingold, upheld by the Court in McConnell v. FEC, could prevent grassroots lobbying groups from criticizing officeholders in the days before an election where the incumbent was also a candidate. My report from the Court is below the fold

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Posted at 3:06pm on Dec. 19, 2005 Reformers Plead for Thomas to Stay on FEC

By Allison Hayward

From Diaries...these yahoos make me want to give money to the ACLU. Yes, it's that bad. - Krempasky.

Cross-posted on Skepticseye.com

The prosperous and articulate Campaign Legal Center has released the comments of its dapper and urbane President, Trevor Potter, on the Administration's nominations to the FEC, which I received via email (it doesn't appear to have been posted on their website).Here's most of it:

President Bush's announcement of FEC nominations last Friday night are doubly troubling.

First, the President has given in to pressure from the congressional Democratic leadership and thrown FEC Chairman Scott Thomas overboard -- a shabby way to treat a Democratic commissioner who fought alongside the President in the battle against rogue 527 organizations in last year's presidential election. Thomas was one of only two commissioners to fight for appropriate regulation of soft-money 527s that intervened in last year's federal election, and the White House announcement means that both of them will soon be gone from the FEC.

(Emphasis mine). Holy cannolli! You mean Mike Toner's out, too? Jeez, they are tough over there. Or by "both" was Potter including the clever and adroit Commissioner McDonald? Trouble is, I'm not sure how "good" he was on the 527 issue . . . I don't think he meant Brad Smith . . .

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Posted at 2:32pm on Dec. 11, 2005 Eugene McCarthy

By Allison Hayward

From the diaries...

Cross-posted at Skepticseye.com

Eugene McCarthy left us yesterday. Washington Post coverage here. Many news outlets, like the Miami Herald and Voice of America, remember him as an anti-war symbol. Be he was also one of the litigants in Buckley v. Valeo, and stauchly critical of campaign finance reform.

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Posted at 1:27pm on Nov. 11, 2005 Shays & Meehan Still Don't Get It (Or Don't Want To)

By Allison Hayward

From the diaries - Allison is right on. I can just hear screams of "damn that detestable harpy, if it wasn't for her, we'd have gotten away with it!" all the way from Democracy21 - Krempasky

Cross-posted on Skepticseye.com

The latest screed from Reps. Shay Me purports to "respond" to the joint letter circulated by Redstate's Mike Krempasky and Kos. The text of the response is below, with comment as appropriate.

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Posted at 11:44am on Nov. 1, 2005 NY Times Myna Birds on the Online Speech Act

By Allison Hayward

“"The bill does provides significant protection for Internet politics and its passage would not invite corporations and unions to reopen the soft money bidding for electoral influence. The arguments made to the contrary, by the reform community, are mistaken and they are seriously misleading." - Bob Bauer
”

From the Diaries - would someone PLEASE hire a fact-checker at the NY Times?? - Krempasky

Cross-posted on Skepticseye.com

The New York Times myna birds have taken the easy way today in the house editorial about the Online Freedom of Speech Act by repeating the same mistaken assertions that circulated yesterday in various "reform"-lobbyist screeds.

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Posted at 11:32am on Oct. 28, 2005 FEC and the Press: Case Just Released

By Allison Hayward

From the Diaries...because you should care about this stuff. An "MUR" is a Matter Under Review - essentially a case in front of the FEC - Krempasky

Cross-posted at Skepticseye.com

I just stumbled across the release of MUR 5537, involving the Anchorage Daily News and Veco Corporation. The complaint in this case was that the News, by running a regular opinion column called "Voice of the Times" produced by Veco as the last surviving bit of the old Anchorage Times (purchased by Veco in 1989), was in reality running a paid advertisement. So, the opinion pieces that endorsed candidates were not protected by the exemption for news or commentary, but were illegal corporate expenditures.

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Posted at 2:28pm on Oct. 18, 2005 Reform Herd and Presidential Pork

By Allison Hayward

Cross-posted at Skeptic's Eye

I received the following letter, signed by the Campaign Legal Center, Common Cause, Democracy 21, the League of Women Voters, Public Citizen and U.S. PIRG, urging that the Presidential funding program not be one of those targetted for pork-busting. The letter is not up on anyone's site yet (that I can find), so here is most of it for your reading pleasure, my comments interspersed:

Redstate