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April 27, 2011
Obama Working on Executive Order That Critics Say Will Stifle Political Speech
Obama Working on Executive Order That Critics Say Will Stifle Political Speech
Washington
In what the White House calls a push for transparency, a pending executive order would require companies doing business with the federal government to disclose political contributions to independent groups, but would not place the same requirement on public employee unions or federal grant recipients that typically donate to Democrats.
Entitled the “Disclosure of Political Spending By Government Contractors,” the order would implement parts of the DISCLOSE Act, which failed to get through Congress last year. The legislation sought to restrict campaign speech after the landmark Citizens United vs. Federal Elections Commission U.S. Supreme Court ruling that upheld the right of corporations and unions to donate to campaigns.
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney confirmed Monday that work is underway on the draft order, and linked the move to President Obama’s stated commitment to transparency.
It's fully acknowledged that there is a process underway; a draft is just that," Carney told CNSNews.com. "It could change as it makes its way through the process. But what the president is committed to is transparency, and he certainly thinks that the American taxpayer should know where his or her money is going. So I -- this is part of the President’s commitment to transparency."
Government contractors are already required to disclose contributions to political candidates. This executive order would require the disclosure of any donations to independent groups, where conservative groups outspent liberal ones in the 2010 election.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said the executive order would stifle free speech.
“Democracy is compromised when individuals and small businesses fear reprisal, or expect favor from the federal government as a result of their political associations,” McConnell said in a statement last week, after reports of the draft emerged.
“So recent press reports about an unprecedented draft Executive Order raise troubling concerns about an effort to silence or intimidate political adversaries’ speech through the government contracting system,” he said. “If true, the proposed effort would represent an outrageous and anti-democratic abuse of executive branch authority. No administration should use the federal contracting system for campaign purposes.”
The DISCLOSE Act was pushed by Sen. Charles Schumer (D.-N.Y.), and Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.). Announcing the bill at a Feb. 11, 2010 press conference, Schumer said that its provisions “will make them [corporations] think twice before spending unlimited sums to influence elections. The deterrent effect should not be underestimated.”
Hans A. von Spakovsky, senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, was skeptical of Carney’s assertion that the president was merely committed to transparency.
“If transparency is the true goal, why isn’t the proposed executive order covering any outside entity that gets federal money? It only applies to government contractors, not grant recipients like Planned Parenthood,” he told CNSNews.com. “Public employee unions are also exempt from this order.”
Von Spakovsky, who was the first to report the existence of the draft executive order, on Pajamas Media last week, argued that the move would politicize the federal procurement process.
He is also troubled by the use of an executive order in this instance.
“This threatens the representational system,” he said. “The president wants to implement through the regulatory process what failed in Congress.”
The draft executive order would require government contractors to disclose:
-- “All contributions or expenditures to or on behalf of federal candidates, parties or party committees made by the bidding entity, its directors or officers, or any affiliates or subsidiaries within its control.”
-- “Any contributions made to third party entities with the intention or reasonable expectation that parties would use those contributions to make independent expenditures or electioneering communications.”
Obama has long railed against the Citizens United ruling. During his 2010 State of the Union speech he launched a verbal offensive against the Supreme Court, prompting a visible response from Justice Samuel Alito, who along with his colleagues were seated just feet from the podium.
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Wild Thing's comment.........
This is a threat to every company. Every single company because it will involve not only those companies that contract with the federal government-but it will reach out to all companies, because they WANT to secure by bidding the lucratice government contracts that support them, their familys and the people that work for them.
So ifi they want a government contract they better be affliated with DEMOCRATS by proving you are a democrat [donating big time].
Also-this is a direct threat to BOEING because the union IS TRYING TO FORCE BOEING to NOT MOVE part of its operations to CAROLINA.
This is sick!!
I think this is all a result of the friendship obama has with the Unions. Remember how the head Union guy met with obama and has been a visitor at the WH so often.
This is a way to break our system of bidding, to STIFLE free enterprise and the right to compete on the basis of quality product or support and cost containment.
Rush nailed it the other day.This regime is completely lawless.
Meanwhile we have our guy Issa getting stonewalled with document requests and subpoena’s.
Obama must be really worried about this next election. To even think of doing this kind of thing and executive order like this shows how far he will go wanting to control people to get donations as well.
Posted by Wild Thing at April 27, 2011 04:45 AM
Comments
This is nothing small.
Such requirements furthers the left's assault on the private sector, the vast supremacy of the state, and crony capitalism.
It garners favoritism, and thus graft and corruption. The exemptions granted further prove this.
It is not transparent as it proports, but sullies the waters of federal government procurement and the public till.
It demonstrates the left's inability to govern, to set norms of conduct within a competitive fair playing field for all.
This goes contrary to the high American standards of fair play, the rule of law, and meritocracy where the best educated, the best experienced, and the best talented succeed.
In their world, mediocrity and gangsters rule the day in their pursuit of a world of life by government ration for all of us.
It diminishes freedom, and thus diminishes us.
They are not Americans.
They are sick, they are sour, and they must be defeated.
Posted by: Carlos at April 27, 2011 07:30 AM
Unions: Doing all they can to destroy the economic stability of this nation.
Posted by: BobF at April 27, 2011 07:31 AM
...businesses will have to watch what EVERYONE connected with them says or contibutes. Thus the private sector will be used to keep everyone in PC lockstep. If an employee or sub-contractor goes "off the reservation" than no Gov't work for you. This sounds just like the fascist "corporate state". And this will be accomplished through executive order. When I was a kid back in the 1950's and 60's I never imagined this happening here..
Posted by: Willy at April 27, 2011 07:59 AM
