Online politicking receives temporary reprieve

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Re: No money is not speech

Money facilitates my methods to get my message out. Limiting the money stifles my rights to speak.

But that's the rub, isn't it? I agree with you philosophically but as a practical matter the upshot is a relatively small group of people will have no problem exercising free speech while the majority won't be able to exercise it with the same effectiveness.

The right to vote is as sacrosanct as the right to free speech, isn't it? If you can imagine a world where the more money you have the more your votes count, then you know where I'm coming from.


"The Federal Election Commission also proposed that online-only news outlets and that even individual bloggers should be treated as legitimate journalists and immune from laws that could count their political endorsements as campaign contributions."

Do you realize what this says? I do have a political website through which I endorse candidates. By the proposed rules I will have to report the amount of money spent to maintain that website as a political contribution within the FEC restrictions.

I don't see the problem. How does one define a "legitimate" journalist? Anyone can call themselves a journalist, or a blogger, if that's what it takes to get the special treatment. Journalists/bloggers aren't licensed or regulated in any way. There are no required courses, there are no tests.

I'm a former newspaper journalist myself, having covered town, city and county political beats at one time or another. Believe me when I tell you that journalists get no official recognition. We can only go to meetings that are open to the public. Closed meetings are closed to journalists as well as everyone else. Sure, we may get reserved seats closer to the action than the public may, but that's about it.



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Posted by: none none   Posted on: 03/24/05 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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