I've been following some of the deliberations in the U.S. House about campaign finance and the internet, especially those involving Rep. Christopher Shays (R-4).
I don't want to delve too deeply into this, since national blogs like Daily Kos and RedState have done a much better job of explaining and denouncing what Rep. Shays is after than I could at this time.
The upshot is that Shays wants to see FEC regulation of political blogs like this one, which means that our ability to discuss, endorse and even link to candidates may be limited. Bloggers want the same sorts of exemptions given to more established news media, such as FOX News and the Courant.
Both sides seem a bit prone to hysteria. Any regulations the FEC hands down will be nearly unenforcable, and Shays seems not to understand that a lot of what he's trying to define already has laws written about it.
Shays may find very little support from the Web next year, especially as national attention turns on the 4th District.
1 comment:
I think Delauro should retire. Since losing that leadership job for the umpteenth time, its obvious that she a minority in a minority. No one listens to her.
Has Shays ever heard of the first Amendment? Is even the text of the 1st meaningless to liberals who consider the Constitution a "living document"?
You would think that at least the right to free speech, that is meaningful political debate and not dancing naked on a bar or burning a flag, would be sacred to even a liberal.
But I guess not.
I can remember a day when a liberal would say, “I don’t agree with what you’re saying but I will stand up right next to you and defend your right to say it.
Ah, the good old days. This is issue is worth exploring --- like we need another reason to vote Shays out!
He simply has got to go.
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