Free Speech Or Speech Free?
Written by Brian Garst, Posted in Waste & Government Reform
Warning: you are entering a speech free zone.
As of Friday, when the 60-day blackout period for “electioneering communications” by nonprofit interest groups begins, political speech will enjoy less protection than dirty movies. While a sexually explicit film is protected by the First Amendment if it has some socially redeeming value, an “electioneering communication” is forbidden even if it deals with important and timely public policy issues.
Supporters of this ban, imposed by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, say they want to eliminate “sham issue ads” that are aimed at electing or defeating a candidate and therefore should be funded only by political action committees subject to campaign contribution limits. But since the ban applies to any TV or radio spot that mentions a federal official who is up for re-election, it also prohibits genuine issue ads.
Club for Growth has a list of all the big government Republicans who helped make this attack on free speech possible.
More on the folly of McCain-Feingold.
I serve as Vice President of the Center for Freedom and Prosperity, a non-profit think tank dedicated to preserving tax competition and free markets. This site features my personal views, which are not reflective of CF&P.