Pelosi Is A True Fascist
Written by Sam on June 25th, 2008The speaker of the House made it clear to me and more than forty of my colleagues yesterday that a bill by Rep. Mike Pence (R.-Ind.) to outlaw the “Fairness Doctrine” (which a liberal administration could use to silence Rush Limbaugh, other radio talk show hosts and much of the new alternative media) would not see the light of day in Congress during ’08. In ruling out a vote on Pence’s proposed Broadcaster’s Freedom Act, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D.-CA.) also signaled her strong support for revival of the “Fairness Doctrine” — which would require radio station owners to provide equal time to radio commentary when it is requested.Experts say that the “Fairness Doctrine,” which was ended under the Reagan Administration, would put a major burden on small radio stations in providing equal time to Rush Limbaugh and other conservative broadcasters, who are a potent political force. Rather than engage in the costly practice of providing that time, the experts conclude, many stations would simply not carry Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and other talk show hosts who are likely to generate demands for equal time.
I’m not just loosely throwing out the term like stupid college kids do to describe George Bush when they don’t even know what the word means. When the government can pass a law that dictates what is government permitted speech and what is not, that is real, live fascism folks. We are already being told what to expect for the next four years under an Obama presidency and freedom is in jeopardy.
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Whoever wins, we lose. McCain is no friend of the First Amendment, and he’s taken so many beatings from talk radio that conservatives really don’t have a dog in this fight. I know McCain has given the impression that he’s against the Fairness Doctrine, but as we’ve seen from all the flip-flops he’s done in this campaign, we really can’t take him at his word. Especially not when we know, deep down, that McCain must be nursing a grudge against the Right. McCain isn’t the type to handle all that criticism (or any criticism) the way a mature person would. He’s a thin-skinned bully and he may well be an enthusiastic proponent of the Fairness Doctrine.
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Didn’t someone at National Review just write a book calling the left a bunch of fascists? This would seem to prove their point.
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What the heck? Is that a serious comment?
“We know deep down that McCain must be nursing a grudge against the Right”
“McCain isn’t the type to handle all that criticism”
“may well be an enthusiastic proponent”
What are you basing these claims on, your personal knowledge of McCain’s personality and temperament? Please don’t expect me to take political advice based on nothing more then your feelings.
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I have no personal knowledge of McCain. But he’s spent most of his career, especially over the last decade, pissing off conservatives. More than eight years ago, Dr. William Bennett famously said that McCain thinks of those who disagree with him as not merely wrong, but wicked. (This came up at one of the primary debates in 2000.) George Will, in his column, called John McCain “St. John of Arizona” for his self-righteousness, and compared him to Theodore Roosevelt for believing that those who disagree with him are morally inferior. He called an FEC chairman (whose name escapes me) “corrupt” not because there was any evidence of corruption on the man’s part, but because the man disagreed with McCain about campaign-finance reform. During the immigration battle in 2007, McCain blew up at Senator Cornyn for criticizing McCain, using language I trust we all remember. I could go on forever.
McCain’s hatred of the Right and his thin skin are both so well-documented that to accuse me of basing my statements on “nothing more then [sic] your feelings” is nothing short of stupid. McCain has been hitting conservatives where it hurts on issue after issue–taxes, judges, immigration, free speech, you name it. The idea that nonetheless, despite the conflagrations of his temper when people dare criticize him, despite the fact that he’s been spitting in our faces for years, despite his long war against the First Amendment and what he himself called “quote, First Amendment rights,” he nonetheless wants the people who hate him most to have the same type of freedoms he’s worked so assiduously to curtail, strikes me as no less speculative than anything I’ve said. At the very least, Mt. St. McCain’s conduct over the years, including but not limited to his habit of blowing up when people criticize him, would make it reasonable to infer that there’s a very high risk McCain would bring back the Fairness Doctrine. McCain gets the harshest criticism from the Right; he doesn’t like the Right and he can’t stand criticism; and it’s pretty obvious by now that the freedom of speech is the freedom for which McCain has by far the least regard. Anyone who thinks McCain doesn’t pose at least some danger to the freedom of talk radio is simply nuts.
So, to your question whether I made a serious comment, the answer is yes. It’s not like there’s no support for what I’ve said. I’m most puzzled by your challenging the idea that McCain can’t handle criticism. I’m amazed that any literate person would have a hard time accepting that.
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Right on Alan. His antics over the years are so well-documented that I really don’t bother explaining them to people who insist that “it’s better him than Obama,” or, “we have to keep Obama out,” or my favorite, “I know, I don’t like him either, but we have to or we’re all doomed!” People would not have to be as passionate about these things as we are to do some cursory research and see this pattern pretty clearly.
Check out Ace’s great post about more of McCains environmental claptrap: http://ace.mu.nu/archives/267371.php
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I agree with Alan’s first post. Now I’ll admit that I know nothing about McCain’s stance on the fairness doctrine, but McCain has made it clear over the last several yeas that he’s willing to support the abridgment of our rights. So while it’s easy to say “save our rights — keep Obama out of office!!!,” it’s not like his opponent has a stellar record defending liberties.