where can I find more info on HR 4694? Who supports this bill?

[mdmc]

Hello DU!
Recently, I heard that there was a bill in the house that would essentially end third party participation in our election system. Some local Greens feel that this is a good law, because the local (very weak) Dem party might not be able to field candidates under the strict new regulations, thus making elections entirely a GOP primary event (which they are very often. Locally, the winner of the GOP primary is always elected to office).

This bill is about campaign financing. Can anyone provide me with info?

[punpirate]

1. Go to...

... http://thomas.loc.gov

and under bill number, put in H.R.4694.IH

You'll find that it is not advantageous to Greens or third parties, in general, and is entirely supported by Dems (some of which ought to know better, to my mind).

Cheers.

[acmejack]

2. This is the best place!

Use it in good health!

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:h.r.04694:

[mdmc]

5. seems to be a bill NOT about election reform

:kick:

[mdmc]

3. maybe 4694 is the wrong number...

let me look...

[mdmc]

4. McCain dismissed the proposal yesterday with a flat “no.”

why are the dems pushing this? I can't find info on those links above...

[GreenPartyVoter]

6. Yeah, we had a thread running in election reform. You can find it here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x412350

[mdmc]

7. I first heard about it here GPV, from you

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x368127

but I can't pull up any info on the actual bill. I was talking w. some local pure greens, and they thought that it was a good bill in that they could still work hard and get on the ballot, but the local Dems would be fucked (my local Dem party is very weak. All elected Dems run as Conservatives. Most elections are decided by gop primary voters). The local Greens think that this bill will turn the local political scene into one party - the GOP. Registered Dems would need to enroll in the GOP to have a voice on local issues (sometimes, the wfp working family party endorses a liberal GOP OVER a conservative dem! it is all decided in the GOP primary!).

I am trying to find out more. Also, it seems that greens / progressive at DU are against this bill, but my local 'pure' greens (read: Kucinich is too conservative!) think this is a good bill.

[MadHound]

8. I think that your local Greens are a bit clueless

Every Green and third party person that I've talked to absolutely detest this bill, for good reason. It will enshrine the supremacy of the two party/same corporate master system of government for the forseeable future.

This is more two party collaberation in order to limit our choices, and to concentrate power in to fewer and fewer hands. This is supposed to be government by the people, yet the people are being increasingly being shut out of it. This is simply another move in that direction.

All this bill will lead to is consolidation of power, deprivation of the public's voice in government,more restrictions on what's left of our freedom, and an increasing number of people dropping out of political involvement completely, which seems to be an ongoing goal of both parties.

And sadly, I fully expect the Democrats in Congress to back this bill to the hilt. This will remove the threat to the party from the left, and prop up a party that is already too conservative and corrupt. Just what we need in our country right now:eyes:

[mdmc]

9. my green buddies are a pretty wild bunch, madhound...

They are "pure". So pure that they think that Kucinich is a right wing nut job, in fact. My green buddies hate the Dem party (with the exception of Al Sharpton - my green buddies have a lot of respect for Cornell West - Sharpton campaign staffer).

I think that they like this bill because it makes the Dems look evil, and supports the "no difference between the two corporate political parties" mentality.

The local greens are also hard workers, and think that this bill will hurt the weak, local Dem party. My buddies stress that the local GOP will be able to keep the local elections entirely within their primary, and that "moderate" dems would be better off joining the GOP to keep their "voice". "Real" dems would be better off fighting with the greens.

Just my take. My buddies are so crazy that I often have a hard time explaining their positions! I love them though...

[MadHound]

10. Understand that, many Greens are out there

And I fit in quite comfortably with them. But just because they think that this will hurt the local Democratic party still doesn't mean it's a good thing. Sounds like their into cutting off their nose to spite their face, for while it might hurt their local Dems, it will kill all of the third parties, including the Greens, and leave us truly with a two party/same corporate master system of government.

Tell your local Greens that instead of supporting this obscene fiction of publicly funded elections, work towards real true publicly funded elections, one that will fund ALL parties, not just the two major ones.

[mdmc]

11. I hear that

:kick:

[GreenPartyVoter]

12. Then they are crazy because they haven't done the math. The number

of sigs and vote percentages are set ridiculously high. We have lower numbers here in Maine (still too high in my book) and we still have only managed to get one Green into the Legislature.

Granted, there are other issues coming into play there, such as people worrying about spoiling an election and possibly voting Dem by default instead of for the Socialists or Greens or whatever other smaller progressive party they migh have preferred. But still I think Maine's clean elections serves as a warning that this bill is setting the regs too high.

[mdmc]

13. they have done the math, yet they are crazy

my local greens are a hardworking bunch! They can meet crazy sig demands, if they want. In my neck of the woods we have - there are a few Dems that are , but they are rare.
The local greens know that local dems need the CON third party line to win. Without the CON line, the local dems are like the green party (without the great ideas!).