CANDIDATES BANNED FROM FEDERAL FACILITIES

[Viking12]

No More Campaign “Photo Ops” or Speeches at National Parks
Directive Issued Same Day Kerry Was at Grand Canyon National Park

Washington, DC — The U.S. Office of Special Counsel has issued an advisory forbidding Presidential or other candidates “for partisan political office” from campaign appearances at federal facilities, including national parks, monuments, federal housing projects and post offices. OSC’s directive is dated August 9, the same day Senator John Kerry and his Democratic Party running mate, Sen. John Edwards, appeared at Grand Canyon National Park, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).

Citing “various complaints concerning the granting of requests from candidates and/or their campaigns to visit federal agencies,” the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) has ruled that “campaign activities, such as town hall meetings, rallies, parades, speeches, fundraisers, press conferences, ‘photo ops,’ or meet and greets” are “prohibited” in federal facilities. A civil servant who allows such activity would be fired or suspended for no less than 30 days. OSC enforces the Hatch Act (5 U.S.C. §§ 7321-7326) that forbids election activity with official resources or approval.

The OSC directive puts the onus on federal facility managers to prevent such actions by stating “Federal agencies should ensure that candidates who visit their facilities to conduct official business do not engage in any political campaign or election activity during the visit.” OSC concludes the advisory by saying “We strongly encourage all federal agencies receiving such requests to contact OSC prior to granting such a request.”

“By OSC’s rationale, President Bush should not be allowed to use military bases, the Statue of Liberty, or any other facility receiving federal funds for a political speech, but I doubt that OSC has cautioned the President’s reelection campaign,” stated PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch, noting that the current Special Counsel is a recent Bush appointee. “Places open to the public should also be open to political speech.”

more...

http://www.peer.org/press/493.html

OSC directive:

http://www.osc.gov/documents/hatchact/federal/fha-35.htm

[napi21]

1. OOPS! Does shrub have to do this too?

Could we be seeing another resignation fro the OSC soon???

[patdem]

2. NO...don't you get it...bush* can do it cause he's the pResident...

and can do any official speaches...but ONLY KERRY cannot..cause he is a candidate!!!!

[cheezus]

3. using foreign teams in the olympics is okay, but national parks not....

yeah, that totally makes sense

[ET Awful]

4. Well, the Whitehouse is a federal facility, so Shrub can't campaign

from the Whitehouse anymore right?

[seabeyond]

5. didnt i hear cheney land in a black helicopter in yellowstone???

the other day

[A_Possum]

6. When I was rafting in Jackson last week

(wearing my Kerry button on my hat, btw) the guide said he'd been along when Cheney went fishing there, and there were these secret service frogmen in the water.

Word was, they were there to put fish on his hook for him.

[No Mandate Here.]

7. Last I looked, Air Force One was Federal Property.

So was the Aircraft carrier, and all of the service bases that * hides in every time he makes a "campaign" appearance, and so on, and so on...

[no_hypocrisy]

8. Does that mean that Capitol Hill is off-limits to Kerry and Edwards?

That's kinda "federal".

[Guaranteed]

9. LOL how about aircraft carriers? nt