Political Quotes

“The Court said in the Buckley case, in laying out the terms for express advocacy, which is the category directly in support of a candidate, which is in the category of FEC money, so-called hard money--they were defining express advocacy, and by definition pointing out that "it would naively underestimate the ingenuity and the resourcefulness of persons and groups to believe that they would have much difficulty devising expenditures that skirted the restrictions on express advocacy of election or defeat, but nevertheless benefited the candidate's campaign." Just one other quote from that same Buckley case: "The distinction between discussion of issues and candidates and advocacy of election or defeat of candidates may often dissolve in practical application." That was the Supreme Court 22 years ago. "Candidates, especially incumbents, are intimately tied to public issues involving legislative proposals and governmental actions. Not only do candidates campaign on the basis of their positions on various public issues, but campaigns themselves generate issues of public interest."”