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CNN Live Today
Campaign Finance Decision
Aired December 10, 2003 - 11:10 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Just last hour, the Supreme Court issued one of the major rulings expected this term. It upheld critical portions of campaign finance reform. You might know it as the McCain/Feingold law. We are still studying the complex decision, and it will take some time to figure out all the ramifications.
But for now, we have our national correspondent Bruce Morton on the job, already able to digest quite a bit of this and tell us what that means terms of the type of campaigning we will see in the coming year for the presidential election in 2004.
Bruce, good morning.
BRUCE MORTON, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
It's tempting to say the first thing this will do is have any number of Washington lawyers, political experts, looking for ways around the new rules. That's just how the process works here. But for now, the system is going to have changed quite a lot. This law was passed in 2002. It's been in effect, because the court ruled, you know, you have to assume it's constitutional until the court has decided, and the court today has upheld two main provisions in the law. One was a ban on so-called soft money, money from individuals, from corporations, from unions, which was contributed to local parties outside the limits you can give in the campaign, outside the prohibitions against corporate spending and union spending and so on, and this soft money just flooded into the political process and took it over. That is now illegal under this new law.
The other thing the law had was a provision that limits -- not limiting, but putting restrictions in the way of so-called issue ads that people from outside groups, People for the American Way, the National Rifle Association, run close to a campaign, which amount to commercials for or against a candidate. They can still do that, but they have to raise what's called hard money. They have to set up a political action committee, get money up the hard way, the same as the candidates have to, the same as the political parties have to. So those are the two big changes.
Like so many decisions from this court, it was 5-4, and as with many of those 5-4 decisions, Sandra Day O'Connor seems to be the decisive vote. She voted in favor of the law. With her, John Paul Stevens, David Suder, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Steven Breyer. Chief Justice Rehnquist was against, as were Justices Kennedy, Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia.
First reaction trickling in from the White House. The president always thought the law was within the limits of the Constitution. Today's ruling shows it is. So some approving words from the White House. Other reactions will be coming in as the day goes on. And as I say, experts will already be looking for ways to get around this -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Bruce Morton, thanks for the insight. Appreciate that.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired December 10, 2003 - 11:10 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Just last hour, the Supreme Court issued one of the major rulings expected this term. It upheld critical portions of campaign finance reform. You might know it as the McCain/Feingold law. We are still studying the complex decision, and it will take some time to figure out all the ramifications.
But for now, we have our national correspondent Bruce Morton on the job, already able to digest quite a bit of this and tell us what that means terms of the type of campaigning we will see in the coming year for the presidential election in 2004.
Bruce, good morning.
BRUCE MORTON, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
It's tempting to say the first thing this will do is have any number of Washington lawyers, political experts, looking for ways around the new rules. That's just how the process works here. But for now, the system is going to have changed quite a lot. This law was passed in 2002. It's been in effect, because the court ruled, you know, you have to assume it's constitutional until the court has decided, and the court today has upheld two main provisions in the law. One was a ban on so-called soft money, money from individuals, from corporations, from unions, which was contributed to local parties outside the limits you can give in the campaign, outside the prohibitions against corporate spending and union spending and so on, and this soft money just flooded into the political process and took it over. That is now illegal under this new law.
The other thing the law had was a provision that limits -- not limiting, but putting restrictions in the way of so-called issue ads that people from outside groups, People for the American Way, the National Rifle Association, run close to a campaign, which amount to commercials for or against a candidate. They can still do that, but they have to raise what's called hard money. They have to set up a political action committee, get money up the hard way, the same as the candidates have to, the same as the political parties have to. So those are the two big changes.
Like so many decisions from this court, it was 5-4, and as with many of those 5-4 decisions, Sandra Day O'Connor seems to be the decisive vote. She voted in favor of the law. With her, John Paul Stevens, David Suder, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Steven Breyer. Chief Justice Rehnquist was against, as were Justices Kennedy, Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia.
First reaction trickling in from the White House. The president always thought the law was within the limits of the Constitution. Today's ruling shows it is. So some approving words from the White House. Other reactions will be coming in as the day goes on. And as I say, experts will already be looking for ways to get around this -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Bruce Morton, thanks for the insight. Appreciate that.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
