Scott Brown Is Not the Missing Piece in Passing the DISCLOSE Act
Ever since Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) indicated he would vote yes on financial regulatory reform, a number of government transparency advocacy groups have
Jul 31, 2020679K Shares10.2M Views
Ever since Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) indicated he would vote “yes”on financial regulatory reform, a number of government transparency advocacy groups have been hoping he might be their golden ticket to getting the DISCLOSE Actthrough a seemingly intractable Senate. The groups, which include Democracy 21, the Campaign Legal Center, Common Cause, Public Citizen and the League of Women Voters, sent a letter to Brown’s officeon Monday asking the senator to keep his pledge to “restore the real checks and balances in Washington” by helping pass the DISCLOSE Act and increasing accountability and transparency in campaign finance.
“„No matter how one feels about McCain-Feingold, at least that was an honest attempt to reform campaign finance laws that would not have gone into effect until after the next election cycle. The DISCLOSE Act does the opposite – it changes the rules in the middle of the game to provide a tactical advantage to the majority party.
Brown goes on to argue that the bill provides special treatment to labor unions and some large nonprofits, despite their political nature. He is right to point out that the DISCLOSE Act was subject to some shady carve-outs, most notably at the hands of the National Rifle Association, in order to pass the House.
His claim that because it “changes the rules in the middle of the game,” DISCLOSE is a partisan bill designed to provide a tactical advantage to Democrats seems less persuasive. The Supreme Court’s Citizens United* *ruling also changed the rules of the game in this election cycle, and the DISCLOSE Act was designed to counteract some of the outsize influence that third-party advocacy groups now plan to wieldin the run-up to November.
Paolo Reyna
Reviewer
Paolo Reyna is a writer and storyteller with a wide range of interests. He graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Media Studies.
Paolo enjoys writing about celebrity culture, gaming, visual arts, and events. He has a keen eye for trends in popular culture and an enthusiasm for exploring new ideas. Paolo's writing aims to inform and entertain while providing fresh perspectives on the topics that interest him most.
In his free time, he loves to travel, watch films, read books, and socialize with friends.
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