As those who read "The View from Right Field" know, I am very concerned about the use of campaign finance reform proposals and rhetoric to restrict free speech. In this regard I strongly recommend George Will’s article in the current issue of Newsweek, "Speechless in Seattle."
Will is worried that, if Democrats get back in power in Washington, they will push for more restrictions on free speech, maybe even including some kind of new "fairness doctrine" for television and radio. (After all, who could be against fairness?)
While I understand Mr. Will’s concerns about what the Democrats might try to do, unfortunately, many Republicans are not much better. Consider, for example, the question of whether 527 groups should be regulated as political committees. In 2004 Democrats were in favor doing this, but Republicans, figuring the 527s would help them more than the Democrats, were opposed, citing all kinds of free speech arguments.
After all the money spent by Moveon.org, etc., in the 2004 election on behalf of John Kerry, the Republicans switched sides and in the current Congress pushed for regulation of 527s. Fortunately (for the cause of freedom), the Democrats had just as few principles as the Republicans, and they opposed the regulations they had supported in 2004, and nothing passed.
All of which makes me more impressed by President Ronald Reagan. In the 1980’s Reagan’s FCC abolished the fairness doctrine, at a time when the only media that counted were the three big TV networks, not what you would call supporters of Republicans or conservatives.
When Congress tried to reinstate the fairness doctrine by passing a law, Reagan vetoed it. Maybe Reagan did this because he knew that Rush Limbaugh and right-wing talk radio was coming, but I doubt it. I think he did it because he knew it was the right thing to do and because he favored freedom over government regulation and restrictions on speech.
Let’s hope that, if calls for restrictions on free speech increase in the next Congress, we will have enough people willing to follow the example of Ronald Reagan, opposing restrictions on free speech because it is the right thing to do, and not just because they think it might help their party in the next election.
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