Posted on 03/04/2019 11:14:46 PM PST by Freedom'sWorthIt
The American Civil Liberties Union dealt a blow Monday to Democrats’ new election overhaul legislation, saying the bill does too much damage to the First Amendment and the storied rights group cannot support it.
ACLU officials said they support parts of the bill, such as making it easier to register to vote, but said the legislation attempts to control even the mere mention of a politician, which goes too far.
“They will have the effect of harming our public discourse by silencing necessary voices that would otherwise speak out about the public issues of the day,” the ACLU’s national political director and senior legislative counsel wrote in a 13-page letter announcing opposition.
Democrats plan to put the bill, H.R. 1, on the chamber floor for a vote later this week.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Please go down to the Executive summary on this website of the Free Speech Institute’s analysis of HR 1.
Just a few of the provisions in this nightmare of a bill:
- Subject far more issue ads to burdensome disclaimer requirements, which will coerce groups into truncating their substantive message and make some advertising, especially online, practically impossible.
- Likely eliminate the ability of many employees to make voluntary contributions through employee-funded PACs, which give employees a voice in the political process with respect to issues that affect their livelihoods.
- Effectively prohibit many domestic subsidiaries, and perhaps most corporations with even a single foreign shareholder with voting shares, from making independent expenditures, contributions to super PACs, or contributions to candidates for state and local office, thus usurping the laws in more than half of the states that allow such contributions.
This appears to be a thinly veiled artifice to overturn Citizens United and to unconstitutionally accomplish by legislation what congressional Democrats failed to achieve by constitutional amendment in 2014.
- Disproportionately burden the political speech rights of corporations, thereby ending the long-standing parity in the campaign finance law between corporations and unions.
- Increase regulation of the online speech of American citizens while purporting to address the threat of Russian propaganda.
- Expand the universe of regulated online political speech (by Americans) beyond paid advertising to include, apparently, communications on groups’ or individuals’ own websites and e-mail messages.
- Make broadcast, cable, satellite, and Internet media platforms liable if they allow political advertising by prohibited speakers to slip through, thereby driving up the costs of political advertising, especially for online ads where compliance costs are relatively high.
Impose inflexible disclaimer requirements on online ads that may make many forms of small, popular, and cost-effective ads off-limits for (American) political advertisers.
THese are just some of the provisions.
Chilling.
Thanks FW!
Really appreciate.
You are very welcome.
“They will have the effect of harming our public discourse by silencing necessary voices that would otherwise speak out about the public issues of the day,”
That’s the whole point of the bill. The First Amendment only covers flag burning and taking a knee, and preventing anyone from putting up nativity scenes./s
That’s right. Exactly.
Thank you!
You are very welcome!
Found this summary on the linked website:
H.R. 1 is clearly a slapdash legislative vehicle that stitches together prior standalone bills comprised of unworkable and likely unconstitutional provisions that rightfully went nowhere. For this reason, the bill may seem like an unserious political ploy that is unlikely to pass the Senate or to be signed into law. Nonetheless, it should be examined carefully and subjected to critical pushback. As the first bill to be introduced in the House of Representatives for the 116th Congress, H.R. 1 is a disturbing statement of legislative priorities that does not augur well for efforts to protect free speech and associational and donor privacy for the rest of this Congress.
Welcome to the reality in Canada. Ezra Levant made the mistake of criticizing a government official from the Canadian Human Rights tribunal and was sued successfully for defamation. The message is do NOT criticize government officials - at least not publicly. Sounds like the Democrats want the same thing for you guys.
Wow! Canada sounds like the new USSR and the USA is fast moving to that same condition should the Dems get full power.
Yes. His crime was to critique a non-elected official. Bashing elected politicians is still OK, but Trudeau is trying to pass a law to even restrict the ability of third parties to do so of elected officials. Here the RCMP, our version of the FBI, has ZERO oversight. Well, it technically is under the purview of Parliament, but that is too clunky and too slow. They consistently run rough shod over our rights, especially gun rights. We have Human Rights commissions and they are essentially our thought police.
Oh my. Not good. So sorry to know this. Trudeau has to go. Praying this doesn’t come to America but it will when / if the Dims take full control...this will happen and worse.
America is the bulwark. If the Deep State prevails it is game over for the rest of the free world. I guess that is why all their resources and players are gunning for the USA these days.
Is there any hope for Canada?
What's the best way to grow the bureaucracy? Pass laws that need "interpretation." The resulting regs would be likely to lean (or shove) toward the left.
Not really. While the UK is on the fast track we are on the slow track to oblivion. Conservatives only win elections by a happy accident of vote splitting between the NDP and Liberal Party.
Canada has not ONE conservative newspaper or news channel. It really doesn’t even have conservative think tanks. There is the taxpayer federation, but its mandate is not partisan, and is not that influential.
We are also flooding the nation with so called Syrian refugees. 20 years from now I think major cities will have rape epidemics from this.
Conservative Parties here have thrown in the towel. Abortion is not even allowed to be discussed.
Well said.
OH, dear Lord. I am so sorry to read your info.
But if America sleeps, the same things will happen here.
Very scary.
God help us if/when the Dems have the White House and both houses of congress.
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