HYPOCRACY ON THE HILL: Disclose Act Asks Groups to Sell One Constitutional Amendment Out for Another (Guest in EDT)
In the twisted irony that is D.C. politics, when some virtuous legislation becomes a mockery of itself, the Disclose Act has become a case study in corrupt backroom deal making and double standards—creating strange bedfellows and unusual adversaries.
Who would’ve thought the National Rifle Association (NRA) would sell out to a leftist Congress headed by Nancy Pelosi? But in the eyes of many critics, including the Gun Owners of America (GOA), and its Communications Director Erich Pratt, it’s difficult to call it any other way.
Struggling to get the support needed to pass the Disclose Act—a bill that would impose all kinds of restrictions on corporations and nonprofit organizations regarding how they can spend political money—the Pelosi Democrats began offering exemptions to select interest groups with tremendous power. One of them was the NRA, which took the deal.
The Sierra Club, of all groups, was one that did not, opposing any idea of a “carve out” simply based on Constitutional principles. And Pratt agrees, writing in an email alert to his constituents:
“The NRA claims, in a widely circulated letter, that ‘some of our critics believe we should put the Second Amendment at risk over the First Amendment . . . to protect other organizations.’ To the contrary, sacrificing a First Amendment principle will end up putting the Second Amendment on even more precarious footing.”
With the legislation still floating, and the covert handshakes still lingering, Pratt is available for interviews to lay it all on the table, including what is so dangerous about this bill, and why groups that accept it are losing sight of their own ideals.
Call Special Guests today to schedule an interview, and prepare for a no-nonsense commentary on a fascinating political web, with the vote still hanging in the balance.
THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE MAY BE USEFUL FOR SHOW PREP:
http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/corporate-governance/104977-over-300-organizations-send-letter-opposing-disclose-act
ABOUT ERICH PRATT…
Erich Pratt is currently the Director of Communications for Gun Owners of America. Shortly after getting an MA from Regent University in Public Policy, he went to work for GOA where he has been employed since 1990. GOA is a national membership organization of 350,000 Americans dedicated to promoting their Second Amendment freedom to keep and bear arms.
GOA lobbies for the pro-gun position in Washington, DC and is involved in firearm issues in the states. GOA’s work includes providing legal assistance to those involved in lawsuits with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the federal firearms law enforcement agency.
Pratt has appeared on numerous national radio and TV programs such as NBC’s Today Show, MSNBC, CNN and Fox Cable News. His columns have appeared in newspapers across the country.
In addition to authoring a book, Bearing Arms: Our Rights, Our Duties & Our Freedom, in 1991, he is the author of a forthcoming civil government textbook, The Constitutional Recipe for Freedom: Twelve Principles of Liberty Today’s Politicians Don’t Want You to Know.
Mr. Pratt and his wife, Stacy, have ten children.