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Thu 14 Dec, 2006 10:04 am
FEC Fines Swift Boat Vets $300K
By Paul Kiel - December 13, 2006
Is the era of the millionaire-backed attack group coming to an end?
The Federal Election Commission hit the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth with a $299,500 fine today for playing too fast with election rules. The Swift Boat Vets were a "527" organization, which has no limits on contributions, but were acting like federal political committees, the FEC charged. 527s are allowed to work for or against certain candidates, but if they have no other "major purpose," according to FEC spokesman Bob Biersack, then they should register as a committee.
That's a huge difference. Committees can only accept $5,000 in contributions per person per year. The Swift Boat Vets, by comparison, accepted $4.4 million from GOP money man Bob Perry in 2004. Perry played the same trick in this year's election, throwing $9 million at three different 527 attack groups, which used it to target dozens of Democratic congressional candidates all over the country. Democrats have also taken advantage of 527s, and two liberal groups were fined today: MoveOn and the League of Conservation Voters.
If the FEC were to really crack down on this sort of thing (the 527 loophole has been an open secret for a number of years), as they've idly been threatening to do, then 2008 would be a remarkably different election than the past two cycles.
Update: I talked to David Donnelly, the director of Campaign Money Watch, who knows a lot about this sort of thing, and he said that these fines (and the ones rumored to follow soon), probably will have a significant deterring effect in the '08 elections.
They broke the rules, they should be fined. Doesn't mean what they said was not true. Same with the two liberal groups that were also fined (of which of course you failed to mention in your thread title...surprise).
I'm all for these groups and any groups staying within the law, and when they don't they need to pay the consequences, whether the group is liberal or conservative.
Coastal,
Are you saying you actually believe that what the Swift Boat Veterans said was true???
There is a big difference between partisan, and blindly partisan.
Repeat something often enough, and loud enough, and people will believe it.
Although anyone with half a brain cell would agree with CR that anyone who breaks the rules should face the consequences it is especially sweet to see it happen to the bought and paid for ass sucking bush sycophant swift boat f*cks......
I don't believe I stated one way or the other what I believe about the Swift Boat Vet claims. What I believe is irrelavent to the point that they were fined for violations, just as some liberal groups were and that the fact they were fined does not indicate the truthfulness of their position. The same is true of MoveOn also. The fact they were fined does not prove the truth or falsehood of anything they said.
Hope this helps clear that up for you ebrown.
Bi-Polar Bear wrote:Although anyone with half a brain cell would agree with CR that anyone who breaks the rules should face the consequences it is especially sweet to see it happen to the bought and paid for ass sucking bush sycophant swift boat f*cks......
Yes BPB, and also especially sweet to see it happen to MoveOn. I guess we can all find some good news to be happy about in this case. :wink:
CoastalRat wrote:They broke the rules, they should be fined. Doesn't mean what they said was not true.
Quite right. In the case of the swift boat liars, it was just a happy coincidence.
joefromchicago wrote:CoastalRat wrote:They broke the rules, they should be fined. Doesn't mean what they said was not true.
Quite right. In the case of the swift boat liars, it was just a happy coincidence.
They weren't fined for lying, for which you & many others should be thankful for.
They weren't fined for lying (since lying isn't illegal)...
However the Swift Boat veterans are widely despised for lying.
ebrown_p wrote:They weren't fined for lying (since lying isn't illegal)...
However the Swift Boat veterans are widely despised for lying.
Only in
certain circles, most vets agree with them.
LoneStarMadam wrote:joefromchicago wrote:CoastalRat wrote:They broke the rules, they should be fined. Doesn't mean what they said was not true.
Quite right. In the case of the swift boat liars, it was just a happy coincidence.
They weren't fined for lying, for which you & many others should be thankful for.
You only needed to use "for" once . . .
I'm sure it's a riddle for you . . .
Fairly or unfairly, people are judged on how well they express themselves. You often shoot yourself in the foot before the race begins.
Setanta wrote:I'm sure it's a riddle for you . . .
Fairly or unfairly, people are judged on how well they express themselves. You often shoot yourself in the foot before the race begins.
But as long as we have your genius at work for us, correcting, cajoling, belitteling, we shall prevail. Good work, master.
Hey, Madame . . . WAKE UP . . . you're dreamin' . . .
You overrate your significance in my life, and i suspect this holds true for most members here.
LoneStarMadam wrote:ebrown_p wrote:They weren't fined for lying (since lying isn't illegal)...
However the Swift Boat veterans are widely despised for lying.
Only in
certain circles, most vets agree with them.
Can you document this claim, or are you just making it up?
I am willing to give the Madam a chance to back up her seemingly absurd statement.
Setanta wrote:Hey, Madame . . . WAKE UP . . . you're dreamin' . . .
You overrate your significance in my life, and i suspect this holds true for most members here.
Then why is it that you seem to follow my every post, correcting, cajoling, belitteling? It's you that needs to WAKE UP, because you see, I am perfectly conetent & satisfied with myself. Where you on the other hand seem to get your self worth boosted by pointing out others errors, really important things like, dotting
i & crossing
ts.
Other than that, I can only tell you to.....get lost.
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