• Welcome to Baptist Board, a friendly forum to discuss the Baptist Faith in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to all the features that our community has to offer.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless!

Should Foreign Money Be Allowed in USCampaigns?

Crabtownboy

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
What are your thoughts? Should foreign money be allowed in US political campaigns? Does this not allow undue foreign influence?

Arizona Senator John McCain accused a pro-Mitt Romney super PAC of accepting “foreign money” from Las Vegas casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, in an interview posted online Friday.

“Obviously, maybe in a roundabout way, foreign money is coming into an American campaign,” Mr. McCain said.

Read more: http://www.capitolcolumn.com/news/j...ominating-mitt-romney-campaign/#ixzz1y2xhPNa1

Casino mogul Sheldon Adelson has reportedly donated $10 million to a super PAC supporting Mitt Romney, as he hinted he would after a recent Las Vegas meeting with the GOP candidate.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoc...donor-list-that-now-includes-32-billionaires/
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Salty

20,000 Posts Club
Administrator
In essence, there are two different questions.
If Casino mogul Sheldon Adelson donated $10 million directly to the Romney campaign - that would be one thing.

But if he started a PAC and made his own commercials - that is a different story.

Apparently a candidate may not tell a PAC what to say or not to say - even if that PAC endorses that candidate.

So should a candidate accept a donation from a foreigner. I would say not. But suppose a non-American relative of Obama want to send - say $25 into the campaign of BO - should that be allowed?

If not, then likewise should my brother, a voting resident of South Carolina be permitted to send me money to finance my run for an office in New York State?


Back to PAC's - by not allowing a person to buy radio time with his own money - to encourage voting for or against a candidate could be considered a violation of free speech.


Crab - interesting discussion
 

th1bill

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
A person that is incapable of voting in the election should not be allowed to insert any money at all. of course that would break the connection between Obama and the King of Saudi Arabia.
 

Salty

20,000 Posts Club
Administrator
A person that is incapable of voting in the election should not be allowed to insert any money at all. of course that would break the connection between Obama and the King of Saudi Arabia.

Bill,
Are you suggesting that a non-registered voter should not be allowed to contribute to a campaign?
 

Crabtownboy

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
In essence, there are two different questions.
If Casino mogul Sheldon Adelson donated $10 million directly to the Romney campaign - that would be one thing.

But if he started a PAC and made his own commercials - that is a different story.

Apparently a candidate may not tell a PAC what to say or not to say - even if that PAC endorses that candidate.
I understand the difference. But it does, for me, come down to influence. I do not believe a person, regardless of how rich, would donate 10 million to a campaign and not expect something favorable in return. Also, I seriously doubt that a foreign contributor would have the interest of the average American at heart. [Of course, who would who had enough money to donate 10 million?]



So should a candidate accept a donation from a foreigner. I would say not. But suppose a non-American relative of Obama want to send - say $25 into the campaign of BO - should that be allowed?

Good question. But my feeling is they should not be allowed to contribute.

If not, then likewise should my brother, a voting resident of South Carolina be permitted to send me money to finance my run for an office in New York State?

I'll scratch my head over this one for a bit. OK?


Back to PAC's - by not allowing a person to buy radio time with his own money - to encourage voting for or against a candidate could be considered a violation of free speech.

I agree if that person is a US citizen. However I do not believe the Constitution (Bill of Rights) covers foreign, non-citizens.

Crab - interesting discussion

I am quite sure as long as it is legal politicians on both sides will accept foreign money.

I also feel the SC decision to treat corporations as individuals was a terrible decision as it make the average US citizen, with his/her $25.00, or $100.00 or even $1,000.00 donation of little importance and thus of little or no influence on their elected representatives, senators, etc.
 

freeatlast

New Member
What are your thoughts? Should foreign money be allowed in US political campaigns? Does this not allow undue foreign influence?



[/size]

My answer is no it should not be allowed, but I would also think it would be impossible to prevent. Slowed down, hindered to some degree, yes, but preventable, I doubt it.
 

InTheLight

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
What are your thoughts? Should foreign money be allowed in US political campaigns?
[/size]

Why not? If a foreigner comes to the U.S. do they not have freedom of speech? Or are they in a separate class of people?

Campaign donations are a form of freedom of speech. I suppose I could support a law that all campaign donations must be drawn upon a U.S. bank.
 

freeatlast

New Member
Why not? If a foreigner comes to the U.S. do they not have freedom of speech? Or are they in a separate class of people?

Campaign donations are a form of freedom of speech. I suppose I could support a law that all campaign donations must be drawn upon a U.S. bank.


Just because some rights are afforded a non resident does not mean all are. This same person could not vote so they should not be allowed to try and sway the election with their money or campaign for someone in any way.
 

targus

New Member
This thread is deceitful.

From the OP article:

"The 2008 Republican presidential nominee accused Mr. Adelson of using profits from properties that he owns in Macau to influence the general election."

Sheldon Adelson is an American born citizen.

These are not foreign contributions.

That Sheldon Adelson makes some of his money in investments outside of the U.S. is irrelevant.

If the OP author truly cares about foreign contributions to American presidential elections he is a little late to the party...

"Only after the president's 2008 win, in July of last year, his (Obama) campaign returned foreign campaign donations coming from different 39 countries..."

http://www.washingtontimes.com/webl.../obamas-amnesia-08-campaigns-fishy-donations/
 

Bro. Curtis

<img src =/curtis.gif>
Site Supporter
Liberals do not think corporations should be allowed to act in their best interest.

Nice find, targus. But we already know C.T.Boy will continue the deceit, and not bother to answer the point you raised.
 

InTheLight

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Just because some rights are afforded a non resident does not mean all are.


I got news for ya--all constitutional rights do apply to all people inside the borders of the U.S.A.

Campaign contributions are not a constitutional right, so they may be regulated.
 

Bro. Curtis

<img src =/curtis.gif>
Site Supporter
Money spent on political campaigns does not worry me. I do not believe there should be any limits on it. People should be able to freely spend their money on whatever they believe will make them enjoy life.

Democrats really seem to think they have the moral high ground here. Why is this ? Because their money comes from Hollywood (no foreign money there, chuckle), or is coerced from union workers ?

I saw a stupid bumper sticker the other day that said "I'll believe corporations are people when they execute one". I assume that's this ridiculous Citizens Untied, or sumpthin ? LOL. Corporations have been being regulated out of business since Nixon. Executed. So there you go.


Two words for you, C.T.Boy....George Soros.
 

LadyEagle

<b>Moderator</b> <img src =/israel.gif>
This thread is deceitful.

From the OP article:

"The 2008 Republican presidential nominee accused Mr. Adelson of using profits from properties that he owns in Macau to influence the general election."

Sheldon Adelson is an American born citizen.

These are not foreign contributions.

That Sheldon Adelson makes some of his money in investments outside of the U.S. is irrelevant.

If the OP author truly cares about foreign contributions to American presidential elections he is a little late to the party...

"Only after the president's 2008 win, in July of last year, his (Obama) campaign returned foreign campaign donations coming from different 39 countries..."

http://www.washingtontimes.com/webl.../obamas-amnesia-08-campaigns-fishy-donations/


Agreed.

Plus Mr. McCain, pleeeeease. McCain Feingold is the reason for some of the mess in campain contributions. Foreign money should not be allowed, but it has been going on for a long time on both sides of the aisle. I recall something about selling a Lincoln bedroom stay to the Chinese during the Clinton era.
 

Salty

20,000 Posts Club
Administrator
I saw a stupid bumper sticker the other day that said "I'll believe corporations are people when they execute one". I assume that's this ridiculous Citizens Untied, or sumpthin ? LOL. Corporations have been being regulated out of business since Nixon. Executed. So there you go.

Exactly - Unions have "executed" corporations by strikes, excessive union demands, ect - not to mention excessive government regulations.
One such example
 

billwald

New Member
Now that international corporations are de facto US citizens and have all American rights except voting . . . .
 

billwald

New Member
> People should be able to freely spend their money on whatever they believe will make them enjoy life.

I also support legalizing the growing of marijuana in one's own living room.
 

Salty

20,000 Posts Club
Administrator
Now that international corporations are de facto US citizens and have all American rights except voting . . . .
Talk about taxation without representation

People should be able to freely spend their money on whatever they believe will make them enjoy life.
I also support legalizing the growing of marijuana in one's own living room.

So you also support hard drugs also,
 
Top