It's the Thing That's Gonna Make Ron Paul and His Magic Campaign Fat! It's The Big Hit! It's the Blimp!
Brian Doherty | December 7, 2007, 9:24am
Ron Paul joked in yesterday's Washington Post that the Federal Election Commission might have some problems down the line with his uncoordinated shows of support from fans across the country.
Now Kenneth P. Vogel over at Politico analyzes the campaign finance legalities involved in one of the most fanciful projects dreamed up by Paulistas: The Ron Paul Blimp. An excerpt, and I invite any campaign finance lawyers in the Hit and Run family to weigh in on whether these crazy kids will get away with it:
[The blimp] tests the reach of campaign finance rules by employing an innovative funding structure that could expose a new way to pour largely unregulated money into politics. If the model is successful, hypothetically it could allow a media consultant to produce slick attack ads and — without ever disclosing how much was raised or spent — solicit millions from “sponsors” to air the ads in key states.....
.........
As for the money floating the blimp, [Jerry] Collette and [former FEC chair Brad] Smith [the effort's legal advisor] have developed a detailed business plan carefully structured to avoid Byzantine campaign finance laws.
They shunned traditional mechanisms such as creating an independent non-profit group under section 527 of the IRS code — like Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and the other groups that spent millions on ads in 2004 — or a political action committee — like EMILY’s List. Instead, they went an almost unheard of route, establishing a for-profit company: Liberty Political Advertising.....
.....Instead of soliciting donations like a PAC or a campaign or a non-profit political group, Liberty says it’s “selling political advertisements that you can sponsor.”
By Friday evening, Liberty had pulled in nearly $150,000.....
Things could get a little tricky, though, since payments of more than $250 to fund the blimp likely will be considered “independent expenditures” that require detailed FEC disclosure reports from Liberty’s customers.
....Collette said his company intends to make it painless to comply.
It will automatically produce independent expenditure forms for customers to print, sign and mail, which Collette predicted they’d do because “word has gotten out that this is going to bury the FEC in paperwork for the cost of stamp.”
Brad Smith told reason about why FEC regs are a danger to free speech back in our July 2001 issue.
libertreee | December 7, 2007, 1:46pm | #
Edward--
The right to associate includes the right NOT to associate.
The libertarian position on segregation and JIM CROW is that it is a mandate to keep the races separate, and this mandate is evil.
The libertarian position on forced integration (school busing, quotas, certainly local private business open to the public) is that it is a mandate on free thought and property rights, and this mandate too is evil.
In other words, not only should the neo nazis be able to say evil things, under the first amendment, but they should be able to operate segregated businesses and live in segregated housing and go to their private segregated schools. If they want to be evil little asshats with their own property, that is also their right.
The one thing they cannot do is any act of violence or threat or fraud on any person of color or religion different from theirs. That is the only real role of government-punishing and hopefully preventing violence on persons and property.
It is a libertarian tenant that people should be allowed to be as stupid and selfish as they want to be, so long as they do not harm others individual rights.
Of course, any one who wants to live this way will be subject to ridicule, and will never achieve much in the way of success. Popular culture, not to mention religion, human empathy, etc. will guarantee that those who choose to live this way will be shunned and will not profit greatly.
libertreee | December 7, 2007, 2:12pm | #
Political donations are speech--US Supreme Court.
Speech is not confined to publishing and getting a permit to march in the street in Stokey IL.
I applaud Ron Paul's acceptance of the donations from Neo Nazis, not just because he cannot vett all his donations.
But because neo nazis have the same rights to peacefull political speech as anyone else.
The MSM politicians who would turn down the neo nazis contributions reek of hypocracy.
Did Libertarians put down the Phillipine Resurrection because we had to Christianize them? No, it was Conservatives under McCinley.
Did libertarians enter WWI to defeat the evil HUNS? No, it was liberals under Woodrow Wilson.
Did Libertarians side with the murderous JOE STALIN in a war against the YELLOW PERIL and the AXIS? No, it was the liberal FDR.
Did libertarians get the US into illegal wars against other races and beliefs in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, etc. No, it was liberals and conservatives who got the US involved in unconstitutional no win wars.
Does Ron Paul say that the nuclear option is off the table with IRAN? Does he say that he would not sanction IRAN, but would trade with them? YES.
If Ron Paul will talk to the Hitler de jour in Iran, why shouldn't he talk to the so called Nazis in Louisiana or Idaho?
