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McConnell Successfully Blocks Disclose Act

A bill that would require Super PACs to release their donor list was defeated due to a Republican filibuster led by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who has been a vocal opponent of the legislation.The DISCLOSE (Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections) Act failed by a 51-to-44 vote, falling short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster. Since last month, McConnell has ripped the legislationas a form of intimidation being led by the Obama administration.Local and national critics, including U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Ky., have pounced on McConnell's opposition, pointing out that he once supported the idea of full transparency.From The Daily Beast: Originally, conservatives like Mitch McConnell who backed the money-is-speech position offered the consolation prize of radical transparency and instant disclosure for all election-related spending, including independent expenditures. But now such a proposal represents, in McConnell’s words, an attempt to “protect unpopular Democrat politicians by silencing their critics and exempting their campaign supporters from an all-out attack on the First Amendment.”

Democrats wanted the contributions revealed to the public. However, Republicans stood unified against the measure, arguing it gave special treatment to unions and other groups.Even Sen. John McCain, R-Az., who has jousted with McConnell over campaign finance reform for years, called the disclosure bill "a clever attempt at political gamesmanship" and voted against it.