H.R. 1: A Democrat Political Power Grab
‘Yesterday, I spoke for the first time on a subject that House Democrats have crowned their signature effort for this Congress -- H.R. 1, also known as the ‘Democrat Politician Protection Act.’ Speaker Pelosi and her colleagues are advertising it as a package of urgent measures to save American democracy. What it really seems to be is a package of urgent measures to rewrite the rules of American politics for the exclusive benefit of the Democratic Party.’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) made the following remarks on the Senate floor regarding House Democrats’ proposal to centralize electoral control in Washington, D.C. and to erode free speech:
“Yesterday, I spoke for the first time on a subject that House Democrats have crowned their signature effort for this Congress -- H.R. 1, also known as the ‘Democrat Politician Protection Act.’ Speaker Pelosi and her colleagues are advertising it as a package of urgent measures to save American democracy. What it really seems to be is a package of urgent measures to rewrite the rules of American politics for the exclusive benefit of the Democratic Party.
“Yesterday, I gave a brief tour through several of the most bizarre components of their proposal. Today, I’d like to focus on just one of the legislation’s major victims -- the American taxpayer. H.R. 1 would victimize every American taxpayer by pouring their money into expensive new subsidies that don’t even pass the laugh test. In several new ways, it would put every taxpayer on the hook to line the pockets of candidates, campaigns, and outside consultants.
“Do you look forward to the bumper stickers, robocalls, attack ads, and campaign mail that descend on the country in seemingly-endless cycles? Speaker Pelosi must think you do, because she wants to you pay for these things with your tax dollars. This bill creates brand-new government subsidies both for political campaign donors and for the campaigns themselves. The federal government would start ‘matching’ political donations the same way some employers match gifts to charity. You would literally be funding attack ads for the candidates you disagree with!
“Maybe that’s why every Democrat opposed our tax cuts for middle-class families and small businesses. They were counting on that money to pull off this stimulus package for campaign consultants. And for what reason? To increase competition? Well, studies have shown that incumbents win just as often in taxpayer-funded elections as they do when campaigns are funded with private money. To reduce corruption? Hardly. Jurisdictions that have toyed with taxpayer-funded political systems have turned out to be replete with misappropriation, personal use, straw donors, and public corruption scandals.
“So I remain curious why, exactly, the Democrat Politician Protection Act wants to offer the American people’s money to thousands of candidates that run for the House of Representatives every two years, whether they support those candidates or not. They want citizens to bankroll political materials that they totally disagree with.
“But they aren’t stopping there. Democrats also want taxpayers on the hook for generous new benefits for federal bureaucrats and government employees. Their bill would make Election Day a new paid holiday for government workers and create an additional, brand-new paid leave benefit of up to six days for any federal bureaucrat who decides they’d like to hang out at the polls during any election.
“So this is the Democrats’ plan to ‘restore democracy.’ A brand-new week of paid vacation for every federal employee who’d like to hover around while you cast your ballot. A Washington-based, taxpayer-subsidized clearinghouse for political campaign funding. A political power grab that’s smelling more and more like what it is.”
Related Issues: First Amendment
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