Senate Dems Pivot to Campaign Finance Bill

With the controversy over the military's policy on gays kicked down the road for another day, Senate Democrats intend to shift focus to another piece of legislation that also failed to break a Republican filibuster and revs up their base.

Jim Manley, spokesman for Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., announced on Twitter late Tuesday, "We're debating DISCLOSE Act tomorrow w/ vote Thursday." The bill is a direct response to the Supreme Court's controversial ruling in January that opens up federal campaigns to unlimited spending from corporations, labor unions and others. Democrats contend the DISCLOSE Act will immediately rein in the influence of these outside groups.

In his most recent weekly address, President Obama once again blasted the high court ruling and claims the decision has led to a "flood of deceptive attack ads sponsored by special interests using front groups with misleading names."

Democrats lost a vote in late July on the bill, and Reid will move to reconsider this bill later in the week, filing a cloture motion to shut off a GOP filibuster with the key vote on Thursday.

Republicans are expected, once again, to oppose the measure, depriving Reid of the 60 votes needed to start debate but not depriving him of a campaign issue. Reid has moved to a number of election year issues ahead of Nov. 2, including a repeal of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, as well as the DREAM Act.

Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., was absent for the July vote on the campaign bill, but his spokesman later said he would have voted to proceed to debate, leaving Reid one vote short. Lieberman spokesman Marshall Wittman said the senator would not, however, have supported the underlying bill.