McCain responds to Questions about Presidential Public Financing by Vowing to Further Muzzle Political Speech.  Americans -- Especially Conservatives -- are Still Wondering Whether the Senate's Chief 'Campaign Finance Reformer' Plans to Live by the Same Political Speech Limitations He Seeks to Impose on Everyone Else.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 29, 2007

Senator McCain to Conservatives: SHUT UP!

McCain responds to Questions about Presidential Public Financing by Vowing to Further Muzzle Political Speech.  Americans -- Especially Conservatives -- are Still Wondering Whether the Senate's Chief 'Campaign Finance Reformer' Plans to Live by the Same Political Speech Limitations He Seeks to Impose on Everyone Else.

ALEXANDRIA, VA – In a letter sent today to Senator John McCain, the Center for Individual Freedom (CFIF) noted that Americans – especially Conservatives – are outraged at his announcement to introduce legislation targeting independent "527" organizations designed to further muzzle citizens' voices in the political process.  CFIF said this latest assault on the First Amendment elevates the Senator's hypocrisy as he continues to dodge questions about whether he will abide by public financing limitations in his bid for the 2008 GOP presidential nomination.

Senator McCain's office revealed his plans to further muzzle independent "527" organizations in response to media inquiries about his continued refusal to clearly state his intentions to either accept or forgo the limitations of the public financing system as he campaigns for President.  Those media inquiries were prompted by a January 25 CFIF letter to McCain in which the organization sought a direct answer to the public financing question.

"Given your history of championing strict restrictions on political speech under the guise of so-called 'clean elections,' most Americans will not be surprised by your eagerness to further silence their voices in the political process," today's letter, from CFIF President Jeffrey Mazzella, reads.  "We remain puzzled, however, about your continued refusal to directly answer the question of whether you plan to campaign for the 2008 Republican nomination within the presidential public financing system or abandon the limitations of that system in favor of more campaign dollars."

"Americans – particularly Conservatives – are outraged at McCain's continued assault on their ability to freely associate and speak in the political process," said Mazzella.  "Yet, as a frontrunner for the 2008 Republican nomination for President, Senator McCain continues to duck and run when questioned about his intentions to abide by similar restrictions to the ones he's sought to impose on the American people.

"The Senate's chief 'campaign finance reformer' has made one thing very clear with his plans to introduce legislation to further muzzle political speech," Mazzella continued.  "Apparently the only people John McCain wants to allow to speak during election time are the candidates themselves.  McCain is committed to silencing everyone but himself.

"For McCain to sponsor this legislation, then turn around and raise as much as an estimated $500 million to support his bid for President, is the height of hypocrisy," said Mazzella.  "So much for 'We the People.'

"The American people are still wondering whether McCain's 'Straight-Talk Express' has taken a U-Turn in favor of his political aspirations," Mazzella said.  "Senator McCain has made muzzling political speech a staple of his political career.  His continued refusal to answer the public financing question certainly doesn't sound like 'straight talk' to us," Mazzella concluded.

The Center for Individual Freedom (www.cfif.org) is a constitutional and free-market advocacy organization based in Alexandria, Virginia.  With more than 250,000 supporters and activists nationwide, CFIF has been a consistent advocate for preserving the free speech and association rights of all Americans.  CFIF was a plaintiff in the U.S. Supreme Court case McConnell v. FEC, which challenged the constitutionality of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, commonly referred to as "McCain-Feingold."   More recently, CFIF won an important First Amendment victory before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which ruled that Louisiana's campaign finance law does not restrict or regulate independent political issue advertising.



[Posted January 29, 2007
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