On the recordJuly 27, 2010
the DISCLOSE Act is a direct assault on the first amendment right to free speech. Protecting political speech, guaranteed by the Bill of Rights, is one of our most sacred responsibilities. This is a partisan bill drafted behind closed doors by current and former Democratic campaign committee leaders. It is obviously written to disadvantage Republicans and favor special interests supportive of Democrats. The closed-door process under which the DISCLOSE Act was written contradicts its supporters' professed goal of transparency. It is a partisan rewrite of campaign finance laws without hearings, without testimony, without studies, without a markup--again, written behind closed doors with the help of lobbyists and special interests. The problems it purports to address are purely hypothetical since there have been no elections since the Citizens United case. I have seen no evidence of any abuse in the current election cycle. This legislation is an attempt to change the rules to protect incumbent candidates from criticism of unpopular decisions and positions. I know none of us like to be criticized, but we must uphold the right of others to criticize us.
