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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: gao seng who wrote (201340)	11/8/2001 3:21:27 PM
From: gao seng	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

Democrats Seek FEC Rules Suspension To Meet Money Goals By David Keene A few weeks ago it became clear that unless Congress could get out of town rather quickly, the place would be under siege by lobbyists seeking a piece of the anti-terrorism pie. They didn't, and now we are into what Office of Management and Budget head Mitch Daniels has called "Springtime for Spenders." Some of the appeals have had merit. The airlines were first in line because they had been grounded after the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington and could therefore trace their losses directly to government action. Some on Capitol Hill and elsewhere, while acknowledging the legitimacy of the industry's appeal for emergency help, believed a little overreaching was going on as failing carriers saw an opportunity for help that was unavailable prior to Sept. 11. Nevertheless, the urgency of the problem and the clear role of the government in creating it by ordering the shutdown of the system carried the day. But then came the insurance industry and the entertainment industry along with just about everyone else with a lobbyist. Calls went out to lobbyists from clients saying, in essence, that the airlines got theirs and if you're worth what we're paying you, you'll get us something. It has gotten out of hand. Nothing that has happened thus far, however, has been quite as unseemly as the Democrat Party's request that the Federal Election Commission suspend the rules because the party hasn't been able to meet its fundraising goals. Like a near-bankrupt corporation grasping for straws, the Democrat National Committee is taking the position that its inability to keep up with Republicans on the fundraising front is Osama bin Laden's fault. That being the case, the party, like every other supplicant running around Washington these days, wants relief. Therefore, it has asked the FEC to extend the period during which it can transfer "soft money" to various committees to reimburse them a percentage of "hard money" expenditures made on behalf of the cause. Ordinarily, such reimbursement must be made within 60 days of the expenditure; the Democrats want a temporary increase to 120 days. This may sound a bit arcane, but it would make it possible for the party to spend a great deal more money at crucial times. The party may have hard money available, but if it spends it and fails to meet the deadline for allowable reimbursements, that money will be wasted. Since the Democrat Party has lagged behind the Republicans in its ability to raise "hard" dollars, the consequences down the road could be serious. The fact is that for reasons relating more to management and competence than to the lack of potential soft money donors, the Democrats found themselves way behind on Sept. 11. They are now arguing that they should be made whole because their failure to catch up was traceable to the impact of the terrorist attack rather than to their own pre-Sept. 11 failures. Presumably, had Osama bin Laden not intervened, they would have been able to get their act together and raise the needed money. The irony in all this is that in recent years the Democrat Party has come to rely more and more on just this sort of soft money, because it's proven more and more difficult to compete with the GOP in raising hard money. Now it seems they found themselves coming up short on both fronts and are looking for a way out. The party's "way out," incredible as it may seem, is to exploit the tragedy and seek relief. All they want the FEC to do is change the rules -not because there is anything wrong with the rules per se, but because they would do better financially and politically if they were changed. The FEC, for its part, was initially inclined not only to go along with the request but to grant it without requiring the normal "comment period," during which those who object would have a chance to make their feelings known. Last Thursday, however, the FEC reversed field and granted a joint request by the American Conservative Union and Common Cause that a comment period be allowed before a final decision is made. The early decision to seek quick action without subjecting their action to the public scrutiny and potential ridicule that might accompany the public comment period was probably wise. Now, however, the public will quickly discover that these folks are no better than the unscrupulous interests they have been denouncing for trying to take advantage of or exploit the tragedy of Sept. 11. What is it they used to say about people living in glass houses? toogoodreports.com