For Immediate Release
August 11, 2000
Contact Information:
Brian Faith, 202 667–0901
Brennan Center President to Address shadow Convention
Constitutional Scholar and Reform Advocate to Discuss Issue Advocacy
Wednesday, August 16, 1:45 p.m.
Joshua Rosenkranz, President of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, will address the “Shadow Convention” at the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. Mr. Rosenkranz’s remarks will focus on the explosion of sham “issue advocacy” advertising by the parties and outside interest groups.
Which reform measures are constitutionally permissible? Which First Amendment arguments used against reform hold water, and which of those arguments are myths? Mr. Rosenkranz will separate constitutional fact from fiction.
Earlier this year, the Brennan Center released a series of policy recommendations to deal with the problems posed by campaign appeals masquerading as issue advocacy. The recommendations respond to problems underscored by the Brennan Center report, Buying Time, a groundbreaking empirical study of political TV advertising.
WHO: Brennan Center President, Joshua Rosenkranz.
WHAT: Shadow Conventions 2000: A Citizens’ Intervention in American Politics is providing an “alternative” forum to the national party conventions to promote campaign finance reform and other issues. Rosenkranz will join with Senator Russell Feingold and leading reformers to address and discuss campaign finance reform. More information on the Shadow Convention is available at http://www.shadowconventions.org.
WHEN: Wednesday, August 16 at 1:45 p.m.
WHERE: Patriotic Hall, 1816 Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA (1 mile from the Staples Center)
NOTE: Additional information on the Brennan Center’s research will be available at booth #37 on “Democracy Row” in the West Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center. A demonstration of the Brennan Center’s new interactive web site will be available at the booth; the web site will be released to the public later this month. Users of the online research tool will be able to examine in detail what candidates, parties and interest groups said in the 1998 congressional elections, and how much they spent to say it.