Date: 2010-06-24
Speaker: DANIEL E. LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Chairman. this would sound like a commonsensical amendment until you actually realize its impact. By the additional disclaimers required on broadcast ads. we have already determined that. in some cases. very easily. one would have to use 15 to 17 seconds of a 15- or a 30second ad to make the disclaimer. If you add additional requirements. as the gentleman suggests. you could have as much as 20 seconds. which will mean that you wont be able to do 15second ads. Now. that may be a good idea. frankly. but Im not sure we should reach that so indirectly. Secondly. I ask this. In the State of California. we just had a controversial proposition called Proposition 8. Following the successful passage of Proposition 8. people who were known as funders of the program were intimidated. Actions were taken against them by others who disagreed with the fact that they had been involved in the audacity of presenting a political position. So now youre going to make sure that the hometown. city. and State of the ad funders residence is known. Would that be less likely or more likely to lead to intimidation or to retaliation by individuals who disagree? I suspect it would be more likely. If the idea is youve got to show that youre in the district or out of the district. what does that do to major metropolitan areas? Im from Los Angeles. Well. there are about 26 Members of Congress. I think. or something like that. representing LA County. What does that tell you about whether youre in the district or not in the district? It doesnt tell you anything except that you do live in that city. and I suppose someone then could look up the name of the individual and the home address of the individual. perhaps. to protest at that individuals residence. I mean were getting a little silly here. Were now talking about disclaimers that are going to take the entire time of a commercial. I dont like these commercials any better than anybody else does. You know. Ive had commercials that have been running against me for the last 2 years by the DCCCradio commercials that are suggesting Ive done this. that and the other thing. You know. do I like that? No. but what the heck. Thats part of the game. I have seen people harassed after campaigns. I have seen people. who are at their homes. who have had protesters show up at their houses. Now. maybe you think thats part of the robust debate that we want around here. But what are you really doing by making known the residence and hometown of the individual there? Frankly. I think it is going to lead to the greater possibility of intimidation. Maybe this is what this is supposed to be. We want to chill speech. Weve already done that directly. Now. maybe. well do it indirectly. I mean it sounds good. I dont have any trouble with the principal office of a corporation. but the home. the residence. of an individual involved? What are we doing here? Youre going to have to subject yourself to the possibility of criminal penalties if you dare allow your corporation to use funds. because we have made sure that the FEC will not have the time to put out regulations during this election period. or we will chill speech by passing this bill. by making it a law and by making people afraid to exercise their First Amendment right. Man. thats the kind of stuff that our Founding Fathers were against. The Federalist Papers. I guess they actually used assumed names for the Federalist Papers. I dont think they identified what their home residences were. King George should have thought of some of this stuff. I reserve the balance of my time.