Doherty Disses DISCLOSE Act, Backs Citizens United

I don’t know what’s worse for Rhode Island: that Republican congressional candidate Brendan Doherty is so conservative that he doesn’t support legislation that would help bring a bit of transparency to political advertisements or that he actually takes money from Citizens United, the namesake of one of the worst Supreme Court decisions ever and the worst thing to ever happen to campaign finance.

Unfortunately for Rhode Islanders, we don’t get a choice as both are true.

“It’s much worse than we thought,” said Bill Fischer, a spokesman for the state Democratic Party, in an email press release. “Standing with Citizens United is disturbing enough, but to also publicly pronounce your opposition to basic campaign finance reform is simply alarming. Brendan Doherty has bought into Citizens United’s mission hook, line and sinker, all for the lowly price of $10,000 and he’s indicated that he is standing with the more extreme flanks of the Republican Party, another sign he is far removed from the political positions of most Rhode Islanders.”

Doherty has been trying to parse himself as a moderate Republican. But his continued opposition to health care reform and his anti-working class and anti-women positions make this harder and harder to believe … now that we know he doesn’t even support the DISCLOSE Act, maybe he doesn’t even support the American people’s right to know who is paying for the propaganda they are watching on TV.

“Doherty’s ‘I’m a moderate’ position is about as thin as an outdoor skating rink in the Mojave Desert,” added Fischer. “The more Mr. Doherty talks frankly about the issues, the more voters of the First Congressional District are going to find out Brendan is a conservative in moderate’s clothing.”