As Senate Votes, Conservative Voices Rise Against DISCLOSE Act

As senators vote now on the DISCLOSE Act, it’s worth noting that the blogosphere has been alive with activity today — almost all of which is urging members to vote ‘no’ on the bill. Despite Democrats’ choice to rally the base by fighting for an issue dear to many liberals’ hearts, it is conservative activists who have dominated the twitterscape and the switchboards in the lead up to the vote.

Michelle Malkin rallied her supporters last night, arguing that since Democrats “won’t take no for an answer… we have to give them both barrels again.” “Time for Operation Buck Up Maine,” she wrote, and then provided the phone numbers for the district and D.C. offices of Republican Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine, both of whom were considered possible swing votes on the issue.

Tea Party Nation (TPN) also got in on the act, notifying members to contact Snowe and Collins and urge them to vote no as well. ”The Disclose act puts restrictions on spending for political speech, but amazingly enough only for those who generally disagree with [Democrats],” the email added. “Certain groups, Democratic constituencies, like unions, are exempt from the requirements of the Disclose act.”

The statement isn’t accurate — the only restrictions in the bill on spending for political speech are on companies with over 20 percent foreign ownership, large government contractors, and TARP recipients — but it was far from the craziest of rumors promulgated today. Resistnet.com claimed another House bill called the CLEAR Act might be added on to DISCLOSE (it was not), arguing that the latter piece of legislation is ”a globalist bill designed to: * give away American Ocean, and Sea regulation rights to the United Nations * makes American Taxpayers pay $900 million per year until 2040. * HR3534 implements climate change legislation, youth education propoganda * BUT MOST IMPORTANT, HR 3534 mandates American membership in the Law of the Sea Treaty without required US Senate two-thirds vote to ratify this treaty. Congress is useless.”

All of this has resulted in lots of attention being paid to the vote, but not the kind that Democrats were hoping for. After the dust has settled they’ll still have their talking points about how Republicans yet again blocked a bill to add transparency to corporate and special interest spending in campaigns, but it looks like they shouldn’t hold their breath for a populist outpouring of sentiment on their behalf.