What does Sharron Angle believe about campaign finance?
With the Senate voting today on the DISCLOSE act, it's time to drill down and figure out what Sharron Angle believes about campaign finance regulations.
As best as I can determine, Angle has made no public statements directly about the DISCLOSE act, which would place a host of new restrictions on the power of corporate money to influence our elections, and force people who fund elections to reveal their roles.
But she appears to oppose it. In a Tweet earlier today, Angle approvingly directed her followers to this article about the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's attack on Harry Reid over the legislation.
In the article, Chamber president Tom Donohue blasted the DISCLOSE act as an "assault to the First Amendment" and a "complete outrage," which are views Angle presumably supports.
Indeed, asked for comment on Angle's views, Angle spokesman Jerry Stacy emailed me this:
Sharron Angle supports the First Amendment, and I find it astonishing that Harry Reid's priority in Washington is to attack our First Amendment at a time when his home state of Nevada leads the nation in unemployment, home foreclosures, and bankruptcies.
That appears to signal opposition to DISCLOSE. What's more, Angle proudly trumpeted on her old Web site endorsement of the group Citizens United, the group behind the Supreme Court decision that led to the DISCLOSE act.
Meanwhile, the Reid campaign points out that it also said this on Angle's old Web site:
"Sharron Angle believes that campaign finance limitations must come from the candidates themselves."
Though Angle supports some kind of disclosure of contributions, the above appears to signal opposition to any kind of Federal limitations on donations, or at least that all limitations must be self-imposed by the candidates. That, of course, would square with her opposition to DISCLOSE.