Thread: Bush opposes 'Fairness Doctrine'

Bush opposes 'Fairness Doctrine'
But spokeswoman warns Congress doesn't share opinion

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Posted: March 13, 2008
12:15 am Eastern

© 2008 WorldNetDaily

President Bush believes the so-called Fairness Doctrine is "Orwellian" and disagrees with its very concept, but that isn't the case in the Democrat-controlled Congress, a spokeswoman said today, hinting perhaps a warning of what could come under a Democratic triumvirate in the Senate, House and White House.

The response came from White House spokeswoman Dana Perino, who said President Bush, "believes in a free press, yes."

The question was from Les Kinsolving, WND's correspondent at the White House, who asked:

"Yesterday in Nashville the president called the so-called Fairness Doctrine 'an Orwellian name,' whose supporters, by 'insisting on so-called balance they want to silence those they don't agree with.' And my question: This means the president believes that the First Amendment's freedom of both speech and of the press means that there must be as much freedom for the electronic or spoken or e-mailed press, as for the printed press, doesn't it?


Then Kinsolving continued. "The president also said, 'Republicans have drafted legislation that would ban reinstatement of the so-called Fairness Doctrine. Unfortunately, Democratic leaders have blocked action on this bill' My question: Does that mean the entire Democratic leadership in both Houses, or was it just San Francisco Speaker Pelosi and Nevada Majority Leader Reid?"

Perino said she wasn't sure and those congressional leaders would have to respond.

Former White House spokesman Tony Snow earlier told WND when he held the post that the Fairness Doctrine, which periodically is raised as an issue by members of Congress, is not needed. Such a provision requires broadcast outlets to air both sides of any issue, and was instituted when the industry often had only a single station outlet in many cities.

"Our views on the Fairness Doctrine are well known, which we don't think it's necessary," Snow said.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., has lobbied for the provision. "I have this old-fashioned attitude that when Americans hear both sides of the story, they're in a better position to make a decision."

In a column, WND founder and editor Joseph Farah, issued a warning about what would be coming if Democrats retain control of the Senate and House in November.

"Prepare for a major, frontal assault on the First Amendment – perhaps the worst in American history," he wrote, citing a letter written by U.S. Senate President Harry Reid, D-Ariz., to talk radio superstar Rush Limbaugh's network several months ago, demanding he apologize for something he never said.

"It was a shot across the bow by an arrogant group of petty, wannabe tyrants who would, if they could, use the coercive power of the state to stifle all dissenting views," Farah warned.

"They would do it under the rubric of 'hate speech' legislation. They would do it with the rationalization of 'fairness' and 'accuracy' – two qualities they wouldn't recognize if they tripped over them. They would do it in the name of campaign finance reform. In fact, they would do it without any excuse whatsoever," he continued.

"To them, the First Amendment doesn't actually protect the inalienable right to free speech and the free press. It only protects their speech and their press. They want a monopoly on media. They had it once and they got spoiled. They decided they can't live without it any more."

He said come January 2009, if Reid still is running the Senate and Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., still is running the house, "they are going to pass a law bringing back the so-called 'Fairness Doctrine.' If Barack Obama is in the White House, he will sign it. If Hillary Clinton is in the White House, she will sign it."

Its chilling effect can be assessed by the fact that in 1987, the last year it existed, there were 75 radio talk shows in the United States. Today there are more than 3,000, he said.

President Ronald Reagan saw to it that it died while he was in office, because it apparently required a balance of opposing views on radio and television airwaves, but in reality, opened the door to government to meddle in the content of radio talk shows and other mediums.

"If the Democrats and their me-too Republican allies are successful at sacking talk radio, there will be no stopping them," Farah warned. "Broadcast will be first. Then they will go after the Internet with taxes and new regulations and hate-crimes laws. And when they succeed at muzzling dissenting voices there, they will even turn to print. Remember, we are dealing with a neo-fascist mentality here," he said.


http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php? ... geId=58767

The same goes if McShame gets the presidency. He is an idiot also.