posted on August 29, 2004 05:05:18 PM new
McCain seeks to close TV ad loophole
By William L. Watts, CBS.MarketWatch.com
Last Update: 3:30 PM ET Aug. 29, 2004
NEW YORK (CBS.MW) -- Congress should close the campaign finance reform loophole allowing political groups to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money on television attack ads, Sen. John McCain said Sunday.
The Republican senator previously had urged President Bush to specifically condemn an ad ran by an organization known as "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth," that had attacked Sen. John Kerry's Vietnam war service record.
Bush has instead called for a cessation of all such advertising by such "527" groups, including Democratic-allied groups that have spent more than $60 million in often-negative ads aimed at the president. The 527 group are named after the portion of the federal tax code under which they are organized.
"I wanted President Bush to condemn the ads specifically, but if we can get the Democrats to join us -- and I hope they will -- we will force these 527s not to be banned, not to be outlawed, but live under the same rules that everybody else does," McCain said in an interview on the CBS News program "Face the Nation."
Bush has called on McCain to join him in seeking legal action that would force the Federal Election Commission to rein in the 527 groups.
McCain said he backed action that would subject donors to the outside groups to the same contribution limits that apply to candidates and political parties.
The 527 groups represent a major loophole in the campaign finance legislation pushed through a reluctant Congress by Arizona's McCain and Sen. Russ Feingold, a Wisconsin Democrat.
McCain said if court action doesn't work, "then we should act legislatively in September."
McCain, a former Vietnam prisoner of war who will be the featured speaker Monday at the Republican National Convention, has harshly criticized the ads questioning Kerry's heroism in Vietnam. The subject of Kerry's subsequent antiwar activities, however, is legitimate ground for debate, he said.
"People have to make their own judgments on that and it is legitimate. What happened in combat -- I think we ought to have left that alone," McCain said.
posted on August 29, 2004 06:45:33 PM new
I agree with President Bush and McCain on making these 527s follow the same rules. That doesn't surpress freedom of speech, just makes the playing field more even...fair.
I don't agree with McCain's opinion that President Bush should have denounced any American's right to speak out nor be limited because someone else doesn't like what's being said.
And I do understand that McCain felt smearing President Bush's service was wrong too. He didn't like that either. But I don't remember him calling on kerry to denounce anything kerry's supporters were saying.
