Brad Smith Replies to Trevor Potter

I've written about Trevor Potter before; several times, in fact. He runs a "reform" outfit called the Campaign Legal Center. They're the folks who sent out a press release that, in effect, called Brad a liar after his interview with CNET on March 3. Although Potter's biography on CLC's web site fails to mention it, he was John McCain's general counsel during the 2000 GOP primaries.

Now, Brad Smith has replied in Roll Call, the Capitol Hill newspaper, to a letter from Potter that appeared in that publication. Because the letter isn't available online, Allison Hayward, who used to work for Brad and who knows more about the inner workings of the FEC than most folks, has posted it at her superb new blog, Skeptic's Eye.

I urge you to go to Allison's site and read the letter in its entirety. Potter actually claimed, in his letter of June 9, that any inconveniences caused by campaign finance reforms are worth it. Brad takes him apart by showing the true purpose of "reform": the creation of rules so complex, and fines so expensive, that ordinary citizens are run out of the political process. Of course, this is exactly the purpose of all campaign finance "reform," and will be the result if McCain and his allies have their way.

I wrote "Why are they Smearing Bradley Smith?" on March 5, and it may provide useful background information if you haven't followed the story.