Long post but pertinent.
Campaign Finance Reform is the biggest speech stiffler ever in American History. There are some good things about this bill but ther are some really bad things about it.
Critics of the current campaign finance system fear that the growing amount of money pouring into elections is having a corrupting influence on politics. The more money that is involved in running for office, critics say, the more influence that donors – wealthy individuals, companies, labor unions, interest groups – have over elected officials and public policy.
-Excerpt of New York Times Article
As part of their campaign finance reform efforts, Senator McCain and his liberal Democratic colleague Sen. Russ Feingold have been adamant in their demands that Congress make it illegal for individuals or groups to purchase radio or television ads that use the name or likeness of a federal candidate within 60 days of an election. This, in the land of the free. Thus, Cato Board member Howie Rich, head of U.S. Term Limits, would be committing a crime if he ran a TV ad stating, for instance, that George Nethercutt broke his word about serving no more than six years in the House of Representatives. The same would be true for tax, environmental, or any other groups attempting to inform the voters.
-Ed Crane, Presisdent of Cato Institute
Basically the media has more rights then we do. This is bad.
While non-profit organizations remain muzzled by campaign finance rules, Hollywood is free to shoot its mouth off.
Tinseltown isn’t expressing itself with conventional campaign advertising. No, it’s doing it with agenda-driven movies.
In addition to Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11: The Temperature When Freedom Burns,” a bunch of other Bush-bashing films are due to arrive in multiplexes soon.
In last week’s Left Coast Report, I wrote about Hollywood’s unprecedented interest in Richard Clarke's book “Against All Enemies,” which led to a deal with Sony. Although it’s unlikely that the flick will be ready in time for this year’s election, who knows, Tinseltown might be able to work some of its leftist magic.
Another attempt to bypass the regs and exert influence is the upcoming piece of propaganda called “The Hunting of the President,” a celluloid presentation of the book with the same name. It’s about Hillary Clinton’s "vast right-wing conspiracy" theory and the lefty explanation for Willie’s impeachment. Hollywood Clintonista Harry Thomason is producing the handy little election-season contribution to DNC.
Then there’s “Silver City,” a movie in which the central character is a born-again Christian who’s part of a prominent Republican family. The character just happens to struggle with verbal fluency. The movie’s director, John Sayles, acknowledges that the protagonist of the flick is modeled after the prez. Also on the Hollywood campaign agenda is a “documentary” recently screened at the South by Southwest Film Festival. It’s based on the book “Bush’s Brain.” The thing is a less-than-flattering account of the relationship between the president and his chief political adviser, Karl Rove.
The Left Coast Report is dreaming of a big ol’ red states’ box-office mutiny with no bounty.
-James Hirson, News Max
Do you see what is happening? We will now have the richer and the more powerful pining for our allegiance. Debate will now reside in the News, Rush Limbaugh, film and movies, and TV sitcom and melodramas for the 60 days before the election. Keep your eyes open for some crazy stuff the last two months before this election. It will be nothing like we have ever seen in a presidential election.
Other evils of Finance Reform later on...
