Fascinating Patrick Marley piece for the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:

As a state legislator nearly 20 years ago, Gov. Scott Walkerproposed a restructuring of campaign finance laws that goes against today’s Republican orthodoxy and includes provisions that would now be considered unconstitutional.

His proposals from the late 1990s could provide fodder for his GOP opponents who want to blunt the momentum of his all-but-certain presidential campaign.

The ideas offer a contrast to Walker’s current views and the way he has conducted his recent campaigns.

Walker’s campaign has faced an investigation for how it worked with independent groups; the probe has been stalled for more than a year and the state Supreme Court is expected to rule this year on whether it can continue or will be ended for good.

In 1995, Walker was the lead sponsor of a sweeping bill that would have required independent groups to provide scripts of their ads to the government 24 hours before running them; prohibited political action committees from transferring more than $5,000 to one another; and lifted spending limits for candidates who took public money for campaigns if they came under attack from outside groups.

“It’s not the kind of thing I’d suspect Gov. Walker proposing or supporting today,” said Rick Hasen, an election law professor at the University of California, Irvine.

“I’d also point out that people have the right to change their minds over 20 years.”

Some provisions of Walker’s package would be widely considered unconstitutional today because of court rulings, said James Bopp, an Indiana attorney who has won a series of cases broadening political speech rights. Bopp has backed Walker and conservative groups in the campaign finance investigation they have faced.