Wingers set up Massive Coalition to Fight Free Speech Threat
which doesn’t, um, exist. That we can see. As Marin Cogan recounts in the New Republic:
careful listeners would have noticed a recurring theme of anxiety: that Obama was going to use the newly acquired levers of government to destroy them. Specifically, conservative paranoia over the possible reinstatement of the “fairness doctrine,” a defunct policy requiring that broadcasters allow opposing points of view to be heard over the airwaves, has reached a fevered pitch. In September, George Will was warning his readers that, “unless McCain is president, the government will reinstate the ... ‘fairness doctrine.’” In October, The Wall Street Journal’s editorial page chimed in, predicting that under the spooky-sounding “liberal supermajority,” the fairness doctrine was “likely to be reimposed,” with the goal being “to shut down talk radio and other voices of political opposition.” And, two weeks before the election, the New York Post blasted: “Dems Get Set to Muzzle the Right.”
Then more fuel for the fire - On election day Sen. Chuck Schumer messed with their little minds on Faux News with this statement:
after Fox News host Bill Hemmer cornered him about the issue on the air. Schumer just smirked: “I think we should all try to be fair and balanced, don’t you?”
From that point on it was full speed ahead to battle the demon “Fairness Doctrine” with all their might! But wait, some said, scratching their heads in a puzzled way. Is there really an impetus to bring back the Fairness Doctrine? Here’s what Matt Yglesias concluded:
To figure out who was causing such agitation, I went searching for the proponents of the fairness doctrine. I looked at Obama’s position–and it turns out that he doesn’t want the policy reinstated. Then I called the array of Democratic congressmen who had been tagged by conservatives as doctrine proponents. But they all denied any intention to push for its reinstatement. As some of the world’s great egotists, it’s not surprising that Limbaugh and Bill O’Reilly believe they would be the first political prisoners interred in an Obama administration. But, the more I searched for actual evidence of the doctrine’s return, the more I had to conclude that Schumer was just messing with their heads.
Never being ones to let reason or truth get in the way of paranoia, the wingers have banded together to form the Free Speech Alliance for the purpose of “Declaring War on the Censorship Doctrine!”
Hold on, hold on, just a . . . . OK, sorry, fit of giggles there.
I mean, really, what more could we ask for? They will all be so busy throwing their bodies in front of the encroaching Fairness Doctrine Express to derail it that virtually all the responsible legislation that Obama wants enacted should just sail on through without a peep of wingnutter dissent. So, whatever you do, DON"T TELL THEM IT’S NOT TRUE!! Go on their blogs and proclaim it triumphantly! Keep that fire fueled! And be sure to report back here and share your stories.
Posted by marindenver on 12/02/08 at 07:53 PM • Permalink
Categories: Knee Slappers • Messylaneous • Politics • Election '08 • Barack Obama • Bedwetters • PUMAs • Nutters • Polisnark •
Share this post: 
