Hintz: Regulate political ads
Rep. Gordon Hintz is part of a task force that is working to make ads from special interest groups more transparent.
I suppose this wouldn't have anything to do with the nasty ads leveled at Hintz during his campaign...
State Representative Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh) says the often negative ads distort the facts and mislead voters. He says candidates can choose to ignore the ads, but the public may have a hard time distinguishing between serious political messages and attack ads. The Oshkosh Democrat says the ads have no place in Wisconsin's political system.
I suppose this wouldn't have anything to do with the nasty ads leveled at Hintz during his campaign...
Labels: Elections and Campaigns
posted by Steph Barnard at 6:05 PM
6 Comments:
Actually the bill just requires the groups who run such phony issue ads to disclose who is paying for them, and that they be subject to campaign finance reporting laws and limits. Right now, they skirt those laws and can spend an unlimted amount of money. It is true that these unregulated ads are usually the most negative, but they are free to run these ads with this bill.
The Badger Herald at UW covered the bill as well. The article included the following regarding Gordon Hintz:
""
State Rep. Gordon Hintz, D-Oshkosh, said the nine freshman Democrats were brought together through a common path to the Capitol — all were involved in tight election races last year that were “largely hijacked” by outside interest groups.
“We’re defined by what happened to us in 2006,” Hintz said at a news conference. “We’re happy to be here today because it meant that we won, but we don’t think it’s the best way that we should be electing people in Wisconsin.”
""
See the article by going to the following (all one site):
http://badgerherald.com/news/2007
/03/29/legislators_urge_cam.php
Bloggers at Boots and Sabers bluntly oppose this bill. According to contributor Owen,
"This is not a Left or Right issue. It’s an issue that divides those who love freedom and those who want the government to curtail our freedom of speech."
Moving beyond language from 8th grade, let us at least be clear that this doesn't have to do with the love or hate of freedom. Obviously different people will feel differently about the rights and responsibilities of politicized, special interest groups attempting to influece an election from outside of the established system, and how these groups fit into a democracy to ensure that it is the voice and interests of the citizens that is being heard and represented.
Owen continued to say the following:
"I will not stand by while their liberty is stripped of them. After all, it may be my liberty that the government comes after next."
As far as I can interpret, the groups are able to continue to participate, so long as they disclose their financial resources. In addition, there already are individual citizen contribution limits and disclosure requirements.
You can follow their discussion which is unfortunately blurred and distorted through suggestions that media outlets are the same as special interest groups.
Take a look here (all one site):
http://www.bootsandsabers.com/index
.php/weblog/permalink/no_to_suppres
sion_of_free_speech/#When:12:47:00Z
From the Milwaukee JS:
""
All nine freshman Assembly Democrats rolled out a bill Wednesday that would require Greater Wisconsin and other groups to report where they get their money and force them to adhere to fund-raising limits.
"These kinds of ads have no place in our election system," said Rep. Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh). "They breed cynicism, they turn people off to the process, and they may be the biggest threat to our democracy overall."
Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch (R-West Salem), who backs Ziegler, said there could be room for requiring such disclosure as long as it doesn't infringe on free-speech rights.
""
To see the article, visit the following (all one site):
http://www.jsonline.com/story/
index.aspx?id=583926
The Cap Times also covered the Disclosure legislation, stating the following:
""
Although the sponsors are all Democrats, Republican Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch, indicated Tuesday that the GOP is "very close" to an agreement with Doyle and Senate Democrats to require issue ad sponsors to disclose their donors.
In addition to Mason, the bill's sponsors include Democratic Reps. Gordon Hintz, Oshkosh; Jeff Smith, Eau Claire; Kim Hixson, Whitewater; Ann Hraychuk, Balsam Lake; Phil Garthwaite, Dickeyville; Andy Jorgenson, Fort Atkinson; Steve Hilgenberg, Dodgeville; and Jim Soletski, Green Bay.
""
See the article here (all one site):
www.madison.com/tct/news/stories/
index.php?ntid=126598&ntpid=2
From the Oshkosh Northwestern on April 7 "Hintz working on campaign reform bills":
""
Hintz, along with the eight other freshman Democrats in the Assembly, has sponsored a bill that would require third party groups running issue ads identifying a candidate or specific office before an election to disclose the source of the funding for the ads. Unlike political candidates, organizations that do not expressly endorse a candidate in campaign advertising are not required to report the source of the advertisement's funding.
"It's silly to think those type of ads aren't related to the election and the election outcome," Hintz said. "A lot of the most negative ads come from the groups who don't have to report."
That bill is one of two that Hintz is pushing to reform campaigns and elections. He's also working on a measure to provide public financing for state Supreme Court races. It's a timely measure, he said, in light of the recent race between Annette Zeigler and Linda Clifford, which was the most expensive Supreme Court race in the state.
"We should hold the court to a higher standard," Hintz said.
""
www.thenorthwestern.com/apps/
pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070407/
OSH0101/704070357/1128/OSHnews
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