Posted on 12/10/2003 8:57:47 PM PST by Lazamataz
The mainstream media is protected from the campaign finance law. Yes, Congress has limited the right to free speech of "We the People," but left the media's power intact. In fact, it's actually enhanced the media's power by letting them dominate the airwaves 30 to 60 days before an election.
But let me ask you a simple question: "If the Supreme Court can limit free speech today - under, I cannot believe, a GOP president, House and Senate - why can't it limit freedom of the press tomorrow? Once you amend the Constitution this way, anything goes!
Those who don't respect liberty - and by that I mean the left, these phony political reformers, most editorial pages and five Supreme Court justices - can't have it both ways. If the Constitution can be amended on the fly like this rather than through the 3/4ths majority in both houses of Congress and the states, then no aspect of the Constitution is safe from this kind of manipulation. All it's going to take is somebody in Congress to write a law saying, "We're going to put some regulations and restrictions on the broadcast and print media," and bingo...
Will that ever happen? No. The Congress is afraid of the media, but they are not afraid of you. Thus they felt free to pass a law taking away your most basic freedom: political speech. Why? What did you do wrong? Why, you corrupted the process! Yes, the way this ruling came down and the way the law was written, your rotten, dirty money is corrupting out courageous and brave elected officials. Why, as soon as they take a dime, they turn from angels into corrupt monsters! You're ruining their morals! So if you try to buy an ad, well, now there's a law to stop you rotten jerks!
I took some calls on this story, which you can hear below. These came from the same sort of people who were so sure Bush would veto the bill, or that the Supreme Court would overturn it, "So why fight it?" Frank in Auburn, Maine asked, "How long do you think it's going to be before we have a midnight session to overturn this in the Congress?" I gently told Frank that the very Congress that passed this abomination, and that is now insulated as incumbents from the annoying voices of you idiot voters, is not going to now right what it did. Hello?
They're overjoyed about this! So is the media - which debunks another caller's claim that the press would miss the ad revenue they'll lose from political ads. They'll still get the cash from all these other groups who've weaseled out of this law. This is worthy of more than a "whine," folks. After all, members of the House and Senate can easily get face time on TV. That's why I called this the "Incumbent Protection Act." This is a day of darkness, folks. We may as well be Hobbits, with dark cloaked figures looking for our rings.
Michael Barone, a brilliant guy, wrote the other day that this president is redefining conservatism from limited government to a government of choice and accountability. I disagreed with Mr. Barone for the first time in my life about something. Not only are we not advancing limited government, we are now limiting choice and accountability by restricting freedom of speech. We're not expanding anything that's conservative, here. We're not expanding liberty or expanding freedom - which is choice. That is the antithesis of what happened in the Supreme Court.
When all is said and done, when it comes to domestic issues, it looks to me like the legacy of the Republican control of Congress and the presidency for the first time in 50 years is going to be the largest entitlement in modern times, the greatest increase in domestic spending in modern times and one of the greatest set-backs for liberty in modern times. That's the legacy of Republican control of government. This may be "compassionate" conservatism, but it's not "conservatism" at all.
My, aren't we whistling Pollyana past the graveyard?
The pendulum swings. In the US, more toward cental control since about 1916. Great times to be alive, we get to "see" it. As always, one is always, ultimately, in control of one's own destiny.
Merry Christams to you and yours!
This sounds really pathetic, and if true, we are in alot more trouble than we realize.
That's not what Scalia said; he said that this was "Act 2 in a long tragedy", and tragedies, by definition, end... well, tragically.
I betcha' many die-hard conservatives felt the same way you do when that abomination called Roe v. Wade became the "law of the land." Yet here we are, 30 years later. Mark my words. CFR is here to stay.
And, well, now, can you tell us if their efforts helped or hindered?
Let me be blunt again: They have a stronger connection to SCOTUS (via Bader-Ginsburg) than the mob had to JFK (via his father).
As in I fear the Neudow (Scalia recused) case may be greeted by a non-recused Bader-Ginsburg like a spider does a fly.
It was a strong brief. It did no good, unfortunately.
John / Billybob
Actually, you are a little annoyed with me because I don't agree with you that it's the end of times. Anybody who reads #30 can pretty much tell who is annoyed with who.
But feel free to characterize it any way that suits your agenda.
L
You make good points, but why say it is all futile?
Bush and the Republicans in the last 2 years passed tremendous tax cuts, did move many things in a more conservative direction ... in the next 2 years they can reverse their errors on spending by passing tight spending contraints / cuts.
I think letting them know we are not happy with the spending and the 'pandering' on entitlements pork etc. would get them off the dime. I *do* think this problem is fixable. Heck, it better be. I dont want to see our new majority or GWB get the fate of Bush's father - lost to a Socialist boob because he abandoned his base. When will they ever learn???
So kicking the crap out of the First Amendment is acceptable so long as the Republicans benefit from it?
What sort of sick logic is that?
They will only learn when enough people stop voting for Republicans for no other reason than they are scared of the Democrats, and those Republicans start losing elections as a result.
You know how Republicans get all pissy when Democrats scare old people or minorities about the "bad old GOP" as a method of getting those votes? The GOP is just as guilty with its base. Unfortunately, it works just as well for both camps.
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