Russ Feingold: “this amendment is not about politics. I assure my colleagues, this amendment covers all groups regardless of their…”

“this amendment is not about politics. I assure my colleagues, this amendment covers all groups regardless of their politics. Not only do we not cover the AFL-CIO, we don't cover the Chamber of Commerce. The National Right to Life, as with those aspects of the Sierra Club that are 501(c)(4), has to publicly disclose through a tax return whether they are constituted in that manner. The argument and the attempt to somehow suggest that the rules will be one way for some groups rather than others is simply false, as were the other points made by the Senator from Pennsylvania. This is an appropriate place to raise this issue. Let me take a moment to respond to the trumped up charge that the Senate cannot consider this amendment because the House might blue-slip the bill. I think some people are trying to use this charge as a fig leaf for voting against campaign finance disclosure. My first response to my opponent's attack is that this is not a bill for raising revenue. The McCain-Feingold-Lieberman amendment is merely a reporting requirement. It requires that those with a certain status report specified actions. Second, the House's decision to blue-slip a bill, to refuse to consider a bill, is an act of discretion on the part of the House of Representatives. It does not happen automatically. It requires the House to pass a resolution to put this blue-slip into place, and the House can choose to consider this measure if it wants to.”