The Washington Times is reporting that the Republican Nation Committee plans to file two lawsuits seeking to overturn elements of the McCain-Feingold act – formally known as the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002.
The first suite due to be filed in filed in the District of Columbia seeks to strike down the soft-money ban that is the central tenet of the McCain-Feingold Act – “soft money” is largely unrestricted contributions from wealthy individuals, corporations and labor unions.
The second suit due to be filed in a Louisiana federal court seeks to strike down the limits on coordination between parties and their candidates.
GOP to file suit to undo McCain rules
Ralph Z. Hallow, Washington Times, Thursday, November 13, 2008
EXCLUSIVE:
MIAMI – The Republican Party will file federal lawsuits Thursday seeking to overthrow the McCain-Feingold federal campaign finance regulations, Republican National Committee Chairman Robert M. “Mike” Duncan revealed Wednesday night at a private dinner with the nation’s Republican governors.
The move is considered a slap in the face of the Republican Party’s failed 2008 presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who was dramatically outspent by Democrat Barack Obama, and of President Bush, who signed McCain-Feingold into law in 2002.
“We will bring two federal suits tomorrow to strengthen the Republican Party,” Mr. Duncan told The Washington Times.
Mr. Duncan said one suit will be filed in the District of Columbia to strike down the soft-money ban that is the central tenet of the McCain-Feingold Act — formally known as the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002. “Soft money” is largely unrestricted contributions from wealthy individuals, corporations and labor unions.
The second suit will be in a Louisiana federal court to strike down the limits under the law Mr. McCain co-sponsored with Sen. Russ Feingold, Wisconsin Democrat, that control coordination between parties and their candidates.
“It prohibits us from spending over $84,000 in coordination with a candidate in a congressional race,” Mr. Duncan said. “That means we have to find some group to raise and spend money but without any coordination” with the candidate, his campaign or the RNC.
“That does not allow for a unified message,” he said. “We don’t think there is anything corrupting about coordinating with a candidate.”
McCain-Feingold helped Republicans in 2004, when Mr. Bush, under the increased hard-dollar contribution limits in the bill, set what was then a campaign fundraising record in his successful re-election bid. Hard-money contributions are lower-amount donations — $2,300 per election to individual candidates, with a higher limit for political parties — that can be spent on any election activity. Read the rest…
It’s about time someone challenged the Constitutionality of McCain-Feingold, I for the life of me can’t understand why Republicans supported it in the first place.
Ed has additional details at Hot Air.