Fairness Doctrine moving to "front burner?" (update) Posted by: McQ
on Tuesday, May 15, 2007
It certainly wouldn't surprise me to find out this is true:
According to two members of the House Democrat Caucus, Reps. Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer have informed them that they will "aggressively pursue" reinstatement of the so-called Fairness Doctrine over the next six months. In January, Democrat presidential candidate Rep. Dennis Kucinich announced that he was going to pursue the Fairness Doctrine through his Government Reform subcommittee. That announcement was greeted with silence. But now, Pelosi has moved things to the front burner.
Radical egalitarianism rears it's ugly head at the expense of the right of free speech. The government, via the Democrats, will attempt to regulate political speech in the name of equality.
Of course, in reality, it's all about political advantage:
The decision to press for re-establishment of the Fairness Doctrine now seems to have developed for two reasons. "First, [Democrats] failed on the radio airwaves with Air America, no one wanted to listen," says a senior adviser to Pelosi. "Conservative radio is a huge threat and political advantage for Republicans and we have had to find a way to limit it. Second, it looks like the Republicans are going to have someone in the presidential race who has access to media in ways our folks don't want, so we want to make sure the GOP has no advantages going into 2008."
Naturally, that would be Fred Thompson. And, as if there was any question about the targets of all of this, well, rest assured your hunch was right:
According to another Democrat leadership aide, Pelosi and her team are focused on several targets in the fight, including Rush Limbaugh and the Salem Radio Network. In fact, Kucinich's staff has begun investigating Salem, one of the fastest growing radio networks in the country, which features such popular — and highly rated — conservative hosts as Bill Bennett and Michael Medved, and Christian hosts such as Dr. Richard Land.
"They are identifying senior employees, their political activities and their political giving," says a Government Reform committee staffer. "Salem is a big target, but the big one is going to be Limbaugh. We know we can't shut him up, but we want to make life a bit more difficult for him."
Well of course, because that's what we want our government to do ... act like a mafia enforcer.
And the era of the Brave New World continues apace.
UPDATE: Bithead asks if, given my happiness at the moment with "mixed government" whether the possibility for passage of the Fairness Doctrine isn't actually closer to reality than it was when Republicans controlled Congress. My answer?
Not really. Why? Because of their slim majority in the Senate. And right on cue, Sen. Mitch McConnell chimes in:
“Our Founding Fathers understood free speech is fundamental to our nation and sought to protect it with the First Amendment. As a strong supporter of First Amendment freedoms for all Americans, I will continue to work to prevent government limitations on speech.
“The latest attempt by House Democrats to revive the misnamed ‘fairness doctrine’ will silence active political voices and limit the free flow of information. Government is not the speech police and I will not support these efforts to restrict free speech.
“Political debate is among the most important democratic traditions of our nation and a hallmark of free society. We must continue to preserve the right of all Americans to express their views.”
In fact, right now, this is one of the real benefits of mixed government ... Republicans actually acting like, well, Republicans.
The irony is that when Kenneth Tomlinson tried to achieve some balance at NPR, which is, after all, supported by the taxpayers, the Left went batsh*t crazy, and now they want to do the same thing to all media.
The decision to press for re-establishment of the Fairness Doctrine now seems to have developed for two reasons. “First, [Democrats] failed on the radio airwaves with Air America, no one wanted to listen,” says a senior adviser to Pelosi. “Conservative radio is a huge threat and political advantage for Republicans and we have had to find a way to limit it. Second, it looks like the Republicans are going to have someone in the presidential race who has access to media in ways our folks don’t want, so we want to make sure the GOP has no advantages going into 2008.”
Okay, wait a minute. Who is this senior advisor and where did the Prowler get this quote?
I have no doubt that the Dems would love to bring back the fairness doctrine especially if it would help them and hurt the Reps. But this quote smells funny. Maybe I’m wrong, maybe it’s legit, but the Prowler offers no links on his website. Do you have any?
Because, come on, doesn’t that quote sound a little too convenient?
Basically, the Prowler says that not an advisor, but a senior advisor, to Pelosi says, “No one wants to listen to us so we want to shut out people on the radio and tv.”
Whoever this senior advisor is – if true, Pelosi would be wise to sack him or her on the spot.
I mean, who talks to the enemy (Right wing pundits) like that?
If something like this passes, NPR will have to hire five new lawyers just to get me off their back, I will make it my life calling to demand equal time from Moyers and all the other leftward hacks in the CPB.
I have talked with Kucinich’s office a dozen times about this and they are only interested in breaking the total unfair monopoly AM talk radio has given the right to the exclusion of any opposing voices whatsoever. Air America was badly managed but it managed to get on their feet a dozen major stations like KTLK here in LA which has more major advertisers (United Airlines, BofA) than the rightie stations can get. The programs may not all be Air Amer but ED Schultz, Stephanie Miller and Randi Rhodes (just named talk radio bible "Talkers Magazine" Woman of the Year) are kicking some major ass and their stations in Miami, Seattle, Portland, Chicago, Minneapolis, Denver, Buffalo, St. Louis and elsewhere are moving up the charts. Arbitron ratings are LIES as focus groups show up to a third in L.A. are listening to KTLK where ratings show only one should be. Watch those ratings change overnight when their testers start wearing monitors.
You would think rightie dirty tricksters who pirated the AM dial and were allowed to lie and smear 24/7 for 15 years, poisoning our politics, would have a bit of shame now that you won it all and the world stands aghast at the ruin you have created. Not only is our country the #1 pariah nation in the world because of YOU, with a bankrupt government and attempt to install theocracy, but you still think you are going to snuff out the voices of the opposition which are totally ascendant at a time where hardly anyone will even admit to being a rightie and you have to bail out of a dirty illegal immoral war to not lose every single House and Senate seat? Give me a break. All of this as it pertains to your AM disinformation operation is going to be exposed in hearings - EVERY LAST LIE - and then the public will decide for itself.
Heh ... you’d be surprised what "senior advisors" will say, and to whom they’ll say it.
I probably would be. But I wouldn’t be surprised at just who “The Prowler” at The American Spectator considers to be Pelosi’s “senior advisor”. Is it the coat check guy in the lobby of the Capitol building?
Who is this person?
It certainly wouldn’t surprise me to find out this is true:
You know, McQ, there is Red Meat… and of course, there is Spam.
You would think rightie dirty tricksters who pirated the AM dial and were allowed to lie and smear 24/7 for 15 years, poisoning our politics, would have a bit of shame now that you won it all and the world stands aghast at the ruin you have created
I realize you don’t believe in the concepts of free enterprise or competition, but if right wing talkers dominate the airwaves, it’s because they draw in listeners. That makes money for the stations. If listeners tuned in left wing talkers, they would be on the air for the same reason. The left can’t compete in the competition for ideas, so their solution is to hold a gun to the public’s head and force them to listen to what the left feels is best for them.
I have talked with Kucinich’s office a dozen times about this and they are only interested in breaking the total unfair monopoly AM talk radio has given the right to the exclusion of any opposing voices whatsoever. Air America was badly managed but it managed to get on their feet a dozen major stations like KTLK here in LA which has more major advertisers (United Airlines, BofA) than the rightie stations can get. The programs may not all be Air Amer but ED Schultz, Stephanie Miller and Randi Rhodes (just named talk radio bible "Talkers Magazine" Woman of the Year) are kicking some major ass and their stations in Miami, Seattle, Portland, Chicago, Minneapolis, Denver, Buffalo, St. Louis and elsewhere are moving up the charts. Arbitron ratings are LIES as focus groups show up to a third in L.A. are listening to KTLK where ratings show only one should be. Watch those ratings change overnight when their testers start wearing monitors.
You would think rightie dirty tricksters who pirated the AM dial and were allowed to lie and smear 24/7 for 15 years, poisoning our politics, would have a bit of shame now that you won it all and the world stands aghast at the ruin you have created. Not only is our country the #1 pariah nation in the world because of YOU, with a bankrupt government and attempt to install theocracy, but you still think you are going to snuff out the voices of the opposition which are totally ascendant at a time where hardly anyone will even admit to being a rightie and you have to bail out of a dirty illegal immoral war to not lose every single House and Senate seat? Give me a break. All of this as it pertains to your AM disinformation operation is going to be exposed in hearings - EVERY LAST LIE - and then the public will decide for itself.
ROTFLMAO - McQ is that you? This is beyond parody.
Much as I hate to admit it, I have to agree with Pogue on this one. Those quotes are kind of fishy. I’m sure that that is in fact what Pelosi and her ilk think, but I’d be shocked if any of them were stupid enough to come right out and say it so explicitly.
