RU|Bush tells Swift Vets to stop

Bush tells Swift Vets to stop

Ravenwood - 08/23/04 03:00 PM

President Bush said on Monday advertisements by independent groups attacking Democrat John Kerry's service in Vietnam should be stopped along with all other ads run by independent groups.

The president said he wants to stop "all of them. That means that ad and every other ad." He was referring to a commercial by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, who have claimed Kerry lied about his record.

Unlike previous statements by the White House, Bush this time referred specifically to the ad attacking Kerry's Vietnam service record.

He did not specify what action might be taken to stop the advertisements run by independent groups.

Any specific actions taken to prevent campaign advertising is a violation of the First Amendment. In this author's opinion, the mere suggestion by political powers that be that 527 groups should cease and desist their ad efforts reeks of intimidation. Shame on both the Republicans and Democrats for even thinking such a thing.

And why is the press letting them get away with this? Could it be that they want to continue to enjoy a near monopoly on campaign speech? With 527 groups out of the way it's much easier for the media to continue furthering their political agenda. Otherwise you would think they would be the biggest proponents for keeping political speech unregulated.

That we are even discussing the regulation of political speech is appalling. Should specific action be taken on either side of the political aisle, it's time to gather up the tar and feathers.

Category: Fall of Western Civilization
Comments (6) top link me

Comments

Possession of feathers is illegal. Tar will be next.

Posted by: Ron Hardin at August 23, 2004 3:40 PM

Only if you have a lot of them. Then it's possession with intent to distribute.

Posted by: Ravenwood at August 23, 2004 3:43 PM

Hell, since they all seem to agree on needing to shut down the 527's, they might as well just pass Campaign Finance Reform II. You know, just do the Big Government thing - if at first you don't succeed, try increasing amounts of the same shit. The problem is always not enough money and/or regulation.

Besides, the 1st "reform" wasn't recognized as a violation of the 1st Amendment so why should any additional restrictions be seen any differently?

I have a feeling that Bush wouldn't sign Reform II, though, since he already got burned leaving his dirty work up to the idiotic Supreme Court.

Posted by: roger at August 23, 2004 4:47 PM

So character assassination, lies, half-truths, and accusations made up out of whole cloth are acceptable and belong in the public domain? I would agree with you that the protection of free speech is paramount, but don't we at some point need to consider the impact of smear campaigns? Especially when it appears that a sitting President is (implicitly, if not overtly) behind this type of campaigning?

I'm not about to say that I have a solution, but I recognize a problem when I see it, and 527s are subverting the process (whether it is Swift Boat Veterans For Truth or MoveOn). Surely, we can devise a better system for conducting a national campaign.

Posted by: Jack Cluth at August 25, 2004 9:28 AM

Jack -

If you really believed that protecting free speech was "paramount", then you wouldn't suggest that we need to "consider the impact of smear campaigns". Is "smear" not free speech as well?

The 527s are not "subverting the process". They are simply working within the constraints of McCain-Feingold, which is the primary "subversion" in and of itself. The more I think about it, considering the damage they've done to the US Constitution, I wouldn't care one bit if John McCain or Russ Feingold just f-ing died.

I do, however, have a solution. Strike down McCain-Feingold. It is not money that is the problem here, it is the presence of corrupt politicians. Campaign Finance "Reform" has done nothing but make it harder to remove those very politicians.

Posted by: roger at August 25, 2004 12:07 PM

That's what libel and slander lawsuits are for.

Posted by: Ravenwood at August 25, 2004 2:55 PM