21. Democrats, who are preparing a separate set of findings and recommendations, say their report will support a ban on soft money and regulation of issue ads. 22. Early this month, Gramm unveiled his first issues ad, focusing on the budget. 23. FEC spokesman Ian Stirton said that issue ads are a fairly new phenomena and that the agency has increasingly grappled with whether such spots fall under federal regulations. 24. For black members of Congress, there is pride at the memory of at least one issue ad. 25. Goldstein was unconvinced that banning issue ads would make elections more civil. 26. He added that candidates criticized in issue ads ended up spending millions to respond to the accusations. 27. He also was hopeful the limits on issue ads would be retained. 28. Groups like the Sierra Club and the National Rifle Association will not be entirely constrained to curb issue ads. 29. He needs to stand up in front of the unions, to get all his friends not to run issue ads. 30. However, the issue ads, must be paid for with a blend of legally restricted donations and unrestricted contributions. |