Campaign-Finance may extend to bloggers
Thanks to Badger Blog Alliance and Instapundit for this heads-up on recent developments of the McCain-Feingold "Campaign Finance Reform". Here is the article the BBA linked to on the subject.
Just as Feingold attacked the core of the First Amendment - political free speech - with his first round of campaign-Finance reform by making it illegal for membership organizations such as Gun Owners of America, the NRA, and Right to Life to put out paid political adds before an election, it is now looking to regulate what you and I can put in our blogs.
As Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote in his dissent to the Supreme Court's 5-4 decision upholding Campaign-Finance Reform, "It is an effort by Congress to ensure that civic discourse takes place only through the modes of its choosing." (emphasis added) (America's First Freedom. February 2004. pg 38). It appears that since blogs are now a force to be reckoned with, polititians must now regulate what we can say lest their stay in power be threatened.
Scary thought.
Just as Feingold attacked the core of the First Amendment - political free speech - with his first round of campaign-Finance reform by making it illegal for membership organizations such as Gun Owners of America, the NRA, and Right to Life to put out paid political adds before an election, it is now looking to regulate what you and I can put in our blogs.
As Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote in his dissent to the Supreme Court's 5-4 decision upholding Campaign-Finance Reform, "It is an effort by Congress to ensure that civic discourse takes place only through the modes of its choosing." (emphasis added) (America's First Freedom. February 2004. pg 38). It appears that since blogs are now a force to be reckoned with, polititians must now regulate what we can say lest their stay in power be threatened.
Scary thought.
posted by Paul | 5:26 AM
1 Comments:
Good thought on this. I hope to post more about it, too.
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