The Invisible Ban
By Bonnie Chernin Rogoff
Rightgrrl Contributor
Founder, Jews For Life
April 20, 2001
When it comes to John McCain, the only thing I'm certain of is that he was, is and always will be, a war hero. Of that, I am certain.
Other than that, everything about the man frightens me. Once a "maverick" Republican who proved he was reliable for the "right" vote, I am now afraid he will take his show on the road. He is very disturbed and unpredictable. He certainly is no Republican. All I see is an angry man out to avenge the loss of the Presidency to George W. Bush.
He is not alone in his vengeance. Behind closed doors, a dirty little game of Campaign Finance Revenge is underway in our United States Senate. Leading this team of Democrats are Senators McCain and Feingold. Their opponent is President Bush. The object of the game is to win as many points for campaign finance reform as possible, so that voters will be deceived and forget tax cuts ever existed. The more points scored, the better the deception. The win occurs two years later, in 2002, when the Democrats take over both Houses of Congress. By winning the next election, they even the score with Bush for winning Florida in 2000, and the game is over until 2004.
Don't be fooled for a minute into believing that John McCain is a Republican. At best, he was formerly a brash egocentric Independent. Banning soft money is not his goal, being the center of attention is. Thank God he lost in the primaries. I shudder to think how a man of his temperament could possibly have been suited to the Presidency (winning doesn't always mean deserving). McCain's true colors emerged during his campaign, and the undertones of his anger and bad temper were clearly visible. He is a selfish, power-driven vindictive person who desperately wants to settle the score with President Bush, whom he obviously despises. At a time when President Bush's tax cut plan should be the only issue on our minds, the public is being force-fed one dangerous issue that, if enacted into law, confiscates from under our noses our Constitutional freedom to petition our government. Selling the evils of soft money hides the real intent of this legislation, placing a gag on issue advocacy groups. To an ignorant electorate, even bad food can be made to taste palatable if that's all there is on the plate.
Sure, it's incredible that Democrats take off like thieves in the night, holding your wallets and your liberties, in their bid for total control. When the stakes are unlimited power, there's no level too low to which they won't stoop. That includes stealing earnings from the middle class at a time when tax cuts are mandatory. President Bush has gone on national TV twice to push his tax cut agenda. We've seen a topsy-turvy stock market that demands tax reform; we have a huge surplus that is screaming to the people, "I'm yours! Take me!" Yet, the national media obsession is to restrict the speech of little people, conservative Christians and advocacy groups. Meanwhile, the full vote on the McCain-Feingold bill will be voted on in the Senate, and is expected to pass.
Remember how Ross Perot had it in for President Bush the Elder back in '92? He was the media's darling. John McCain is today's media darling, and the new Ross Perot. Today, McCain is in cohorts with the Democrats for one purpose: to destroy President Bush's credibility with the voters, even if it means Republicans losing the Senate in 2002, and the Presidency in 2004.
On February 7, the National Review published a commentary by Cleta Mitchell ( www.nationalreview.com) that gave the scoop on the Real McCain, portrayed in a political novel by author Richard North Patterson. In his book "Protect and Defend," the protagonist is a former war hero turned Senator whose mission is to pass campaign finance reform. He also was pro-life, once…but his daughter gets pregnant and wants an abortion. Naturally, the abortion dramatically improves the teenager's life (doesn't it always)? Without giving away the whole story, the fictional Senator "grows" in office and becomes wisely "pro-choice," casting his votes accordingly. What does all this have to do with John McCain? Not much, except for the fact that he's out there with pro-abortion Senator Barbara Boxer singing the praise for this new pro-abortion novel. This is the same Senator McCain who was once reliably pro-life and voted to ban partial birth abortion. But, that was then, and of course, banning soft money is more important than banning infanticide.
The Invisible Ban is getting clear: 1) Convince the American People to support the notion that soft money is more corrupt than paying excessive taxes. 2) Delude wage earners into believing tax cuts can wait, and 3) Upstage President Bush and put him in the hot seat. Earlier this month, conservatives were confident that opposing tax cuts would mean political suicide for the Democrats at a time when the economy was faltering. Now the Democrats, with help from comrade McCain, have redefined the rules. President Bush is on the defense. As each day passes with campaign finance taking center stage over tax cuts, Bush's leadership skills will be called into question. If he signs any version of the bill, McCain emerges stronger. If Bush vetoes the bill, the Democrats can accuse Bush of being against reforming "big money." The winners are McCain, the Democratic Party, and possibly, Senate control in 2002. The losers are issue advocacy groups, free speech, and the right of Americans to effect legislation by petitioning their government.
Soft money is a counterfeit issue. The camouflage is working, to the detriment of our Constitution and liberty.
Copyright 2001 by Bonnie Chernin Rogoff. Not to be reproduced in any fashion, in whole or in part, without written consent from the author. All rights reserved.