Monday, October 20, 2008

Will Dems seek to censor the Right?

Is the Pope a Catholic?

From the NY Post today, the magic question:  What would Obama do?

SHOULD Barack Obama win the presidency and Democrats take full control of Congress, next year will see a real legislative attempt to bring back the Fairness Doctrine - and to diminish conservatives' influence on broadcast radio, the one medium they dominate.

Yes, the Obama campaign said some months back that the candidate doesn't seek to re-impose this regulation, which, until Ronald Reagan's FCC phased it out in the 1980s, required TV and radio broadcasters to give balanced airtime to opposing viewpoints or face steep fines or even loss of license. But most Democrats - including party elders Nancy Pelosi, John Kerry and Al Gore - strongly support the idea of mandating "fairness."

Would a President Obama veto a new Fairness Doctrine if Congress enacted one? It's doubtful.

I ask a slightly different question.  Would a guy who already says he wants to "spread the wealth around" shrink from telling y'all to shut up about it? Would he buck the people who moved heaven and earth to get him in to office just to protect the God given right to free speech?  Of his opposition?

I agree with The Post. It's doubtful. 

Instead, I think its likely a Department of Fairness will be created.  Kind of like the Ministry of Truth, but more folksy and American.  A whole new bureaucracy of bright eyed recent college graduates (English majors, of course) run by wily old Dem ward heelers.  Their job it will be to sift the Internet, print and broadcast media for "unfairness".  Which will of course be subject to interpretation.

So, all you Americans, bear that in mind when you vote.  Its going to affect you rather directly, particularly if you blog on the web or even comment on other people's blogs.

Still, the silver lining is it will be a major boon to "off-shore" web hosting should it come to pass.  Canada is pretty off-shore.  Maybe I'll buy a couple server racks and take the Phantom Soapbox international.  Seeing as how there's a butt-load of Blogger accounts going to go dark real soon, them being "unfair" to DemocRats and all.  No reason a good conservative shouldn't make some money fighting  DemocRat censorship, eh?

The Phantom

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