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Posted by Jeff Dircksen - March 03, 2005the Federal Election Commission. The blogosphere is buzzing over an interview that
CNet reporter Declan McCullagh had with FEC Commissioner Bradley Smith. Here is the intro to the piece:
Bradley Smith says that the freewheeling days of political blogging and online punditry are over.
In just a few months, he warns, bloggers and news organizations could risk the wrath of the federal government if they improperly link to a campaign's Web site. Even forwarding a political candidate's press release to a mailing list, depending on the details, could be punished by fines.
One has to wonder if the Sons of Liberty, Patrick Henry, and Thomas Paine are spinning in their graves. I suppose it would be wishful thinking to hope that any uproar over this would force the FEC
and Congress to realize just how silly McCain-Feingold is. I would say more but it might be construed as an in-kind contribution to some campaign-finance reform reform organization, but I can't afford the fines.
Add Comment -
Ehi said on Mar 04 2005 at 11:27am
Hey why not, they already ratcheted back free speech with the bipartisan campaign reform bill. Oh, the things that can be accomplished when Democrats and Republicans work together!
John Berthoud said on Mar 07 2005 at 8:25pm
One of the more entertaining events of 2005 will be the tortured debate on the American left between the campaign finance reformers (they'll no doubt promise that "just one or two more fixes and we'll have this regulation of free speech down pat") and the websites and blogs on the left (who, um, need that free speech).
Grab the popcorn and sit back to enjoy the show!
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