Institute For Free Speech
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Political Spending: Civic Engagement is Not a Threat to Democracy
January 1, 2018  •  By IFS Staff  •    •  

The First Amendment guarantees every American freedom of speech. That freedom includes the right to spend money on speech. Without money, a political group cannot buy ads, print fliers, organize protests, or hire staff. Short of shouting one’s opinions on a street corner, it takes money to spread a message. Recognizing this relationship, the Supreme Court has long prohibited the…

Brookings Institution Panel Says Democracy is in Crisis without (More) Regulation of Political Speech
September 28, 2017   •  By Joe Albanese   •  , , , ,

On Wednesday, the Brookings Institution hosted an event entitled “Democracy at risk: Solving critical problems threatening U.S. elections.” It was billed as a discussion ...

Democracy = National Security ≠ Need for More Regulation of Political Speech
September 26, 2017   •  By Alex Cordell   •  , ,

Last Wednesday, Issue One, a group that advocates for more government regulation of political speech, held an event at the Center for Strategic and ...

Is Big Ice Cream Trying to Hijack Our Democracy?
September 12, 2017   •  By Joe Albanese   •  , ,

It may shock you to learn that the multimillionaire co-founder of a global ice-cream empire has been meeting with elected officials in the hopes ...

Campaign Finance Regulations Don’t Exist to Make Politicians’ Lives Easier
August 31, 2017   •  By Joe Albanese   •  , , ,

Issue One’s series of interviews with former lawmakers continued last week with a discussion featuring Charlie Bass, a Republican Congressman from New Hampshire from ...

Spending money in politics is part of our cherished freedom of speech
August 25, 2017   •  By Joe Albanese   •  , ,

Every American knows about the right to free speech. It’s a principle that is deeply ingrained into us from a young age. It’s also ...

“Dark Money” Fell in 2016, but is that Good News?
August 24, 2017   •  By Luke Wachob   •  , ,

How transparent is political spending in the United States? Data from the 2016 election cycle may surprise you. So-called “dark money” actually went down, ...

Did Dean Heller Really “Change” His Vote on Health Care Because of Donor Pressure?
August 2, 2017   •  By Joe Albanese   •  ,

When it comes to the complexity of American politics, the multi-month effort by congressional Republicans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (also ...

What’s The Matter With Election Spending?
June 28, 2017   •  By Joe Albanese   •  ,

American politics is corrupt. Big donors buy elections. Voters have no say in their government. These clichés are completely untrue. Sadly, many Americans take ...

Mainstream Media Baffled by National Interest in Georgia Special Election

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June 23, 2017   •  By Alex Cordell   •  ,

Following the Senate’s confirmation of former Representative Tom Price as the Secretary of Health and Human Services in early February 2017, all eyes have ...

New York Times Rewrites History To Cast GOP Climate Stance As New
June 14, 2017   •  By Luke Wachob   •  , ,

Name a problem in politics, and somebody will blame Citizens United for it. Corruption, gridlock, negative campaigning—but also gun violence, taxes, and bad health-care ...

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