David Thomas: “some people will say, how in the world can anyone stand up and oppose that? The fact of the matter is, Members really…”

“some people will say, how in the world can anyone stand up and oppose that? The fact of the matter is, Members really need to know the whole story. This is not about disclosure. If it were about disclosure, we can deal with that in any number of statutes. The gentleman from California said this is sunlight. Let me tell the gentleman, if we pass this, what will happen. He will think it is sunlight. Someone else will think it is a grow light. Somebody else will think it is a 100-watt bulb. Somebody else will think it is a 300-watt bulb. What is it? The Supreme Court, not a lower court, not some district court, the Supreme Court said free speech is so fundamental to a free society that we have got to let people express themselves. Advocacy is a fundamental right. If you express support for someone, that is express advocacy. What they have not told us is that their amendment contains this, on page 3 of the amendment: The term ``express advocacy'' means, they want to say, when taken as a whole. The Court in Buckley said it means when you use the words expressly, vote for, elect, support, cast your ballot for, not when taken as a whole. They said when it is sunlight, it is sunlight and everybody knows it. Do not give in to the urge to take the freedom of speech away from people. Justice Potter Stewart said, ``I can't define obscenity but I know it when I see it,'' these people want to take the definition ``I know it when I see it'' and suppress free speech.”