Political Quotes

“If my colleagues think this is overreaching and what I think is a repressive piece of legislation will pass constitutional muster, well, then fine. Then they will have no problem with an amendment that will take the whole bill down if just part of it is declared unconstitutional. This amendment is a nonseverability clause. It would provide that if a portion of the bill is declared unconstitutional, the entire bill is null and void. Now while the courts have not always regarded themselves as bound by severability clauses or the lack thereof, I think this amendment would serve as a powerful impetus for this bill to be upheld or overturned as a whole. Take, for example, what I think is a ridiculous and overdrawn provision dealing with the express advocacy clause. No one who has given this provision serious thought expects it to pass constitutional muster. Basically it would require an organization to report to government bureaucrats whether their campaign operation is an implicit advocacy of election or defeat of a candidate. The money spent to make these statements would be classified as political expenditures for the purposes of Federal election laws. Well, the problem is that most legislative advocacy groups are prohibited by law from making political expenditures and by classifying legislative advocacy as such Congress may well outlaw their statements in the very unlikely event this provision is upheld by the Court.”