George Will, writing in this morning's Washington Post:
Parker North [Colorado] is a cluster of about 300 houses close to the town of Parker. When two residents proposed a vote on annexation of their subdivision to Parker, six others began trying to persuade the rest to oppose annexation. They printed lawn signs and fliers, started an online discussion group and canvassed neighbors, little knowing that they were provoking Colorado's speech police.James Madison and Thomas Jefferson must be shaking their heavenly heads in dismay - not just because John McCain was able to foist this harmful legislation upon an undeserving people, in defiance of everything that our founding fathers held precious, but also because he may very well be our next president.
One proponent of annexation sued them. This tactic -- wielding campaign finance regulations to suppress opponents' speech -- is common in the America of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law.
John McCain bears principal responsibility for legitimizing the idea that government should have broad powers to regulate political activity in the name of combating corruption. If his wanderings take him to Parker North, he can make partial amends by congratulating the Parker Six on defeating annexation and by endorsing their federal lawsuit, which is supported by the libertarian Institute for Justice, to overturn Colorado's
regulations as unconstitutional burdens on the exercise of fundamental rights. That last might be too much straight talk to expect from the perpetrator of McCain-Feingold's restrictions on the quantity, timing and content of political speech. (link)
May God have mercy on us should that occur.
1 comments:
Right now McCain is making decisions to gain a vote and in the process loses 10,000 votes. He'll be forever in the history books as a two time loser in his runs for president. He became a whinging backstabber after losing to Bush for the 2000 ticket, nothing has changed.
Firefighter
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