Commentary:
A few days ago Mr. Obama told GOP leaders, "You can't just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done."
Recently Rush Limbaugh was criticised, out of context, for saying he wanted Obama to fail. Limbaugh actually said he wanted him to fail IF he pursued socialist policies, if he pursued policies that were bad for the country. What freedom loving American wouldn't want someone to fail if they were going to destroy the underpinning of our country? if they were going to move us from a democracy to socialism or worse?
Mr. Obama's showed his ignorance regarding how conservatives think, and he showed his bias, when he made his remarks. I seriously doubt if Mr. Obama has listened to Rush Limbaugh enough to have formed a balanced opinion of the show. I would bet that all he ever hears are the snippets played by the media when there's a controversy. I'd guess some of his staff and friends have reported things second-hand to him, also.
Of course, no one likes having holes poked in their policies. The Democratic caucus would prefer that conservative talk radio die a quick death. Talk show hosts across the country present an opposing view that raises the hackles of some.
I liken talk radio to the two party system. The mainstream media is the Democratic Party, talk radio is the Republican Party. Just like our current situation, the Dems are in the majority.
One of the best, and possibly worst, things about conservatives is our independent thinking process. We can listen to Rush and others, but we're not going to follow like sheep. Gosh, just look at the divergent views expressed by the most popular talk show hosts! They disagree with each other.
On the negative side, it's rather hard to get us all to rally around one candidate or issue simply because we are so independent minded. We'll stick to our principles to the detriment of the overall goal of electing Republicans at times.
I believe Mr. Obama and the Democratic caucus have a long term goal to shut down talk radio. They're very openly trying to enact the un-"Fairness Doctrine" which would do just that.
The so-called Fairness Doctrine is on the near-horizon. Conservatives and proponents of free speech should be concerned. Like Limbaugh or not, once the government successfully shuts down talk radio, they'll go after the next bastion of opposition be it newspapers, television or the Internet. In fact, with the growth of blogradio and similar on-line quasi-radio ventures, one has to wonder if they'll be included.
This is not a Rush Limbaugh issue, this is a free speech issue.
Yesterday Georgia Rep Phil Gingrey was interviewed by Politico and the current flap was brought up. Here are links to a blog about the interview and to the actual Politico article. I've also included some information on the "Fairness Doctrine" and encourage all everyone to learn more about this issue. - Janet McGregor Dunn
House GOP member to Rush: Back off
Rush Limbaugh may command a large following, but his caustic comments Monday about the GOP’s congressional leadership have at least one Republican House member defending his colleagues and offering an unusually candid critique of the talk radio powerhouse and his fellow commentators.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0109/18049.html
Rep Gingrey Steps Into The Limbaugh Brouhaha
Posted by: Danny Garner 01/28/2009 5:21 AM
In an interview yesterday with Politico Rep Phil Gingrey (GA-11) stepped into the dust up between Rush Limbaugh and Barack Obama. This whole soap opera started a couple of days ago when when Obama warned Republicans not to listen to Limbaugh.
"You can't just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done," he told top GOP leaders, whom he had invited to the White House to discuss his nearly $1 trillion stimulus package.
http://www.redcounty.com/cobb/2009/01/rep-gingrey-steps-into-the-lim/
Great site that "talks" you through the Fairness Doctrine: http://www.aclj.org/FairnessDoctrine/default.html
Petition to voice your opposition to the Fairness Doctrine: https://www.aclj.org/Petition/Default.aspx?sc=3293&ac=1
Why the Fairness Doctrine is Anything But Fair
Legislation currently is before Congress that would reinstate a federal communications policy known as the "fairness doctrine." The legislation, entitled the "Fairness in Broadcasting Act of 1993," is sponsored in the Senate (S. 333) by Ernest Hollings, the South Carolina Democrat, and in the House (H.R. 1985) by Bill Hefner, the North Carolina Democrat. It would codify a 1949 Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulation that once required broadcasters to "afford reasonable opportunity for the discussion of conflicting views of public importance." The fairness doctrine was overturned by the FCC in 1987. The FCC discarded the rule because, contrary to its purpose, it failed to encourage the discussion of more controversial issues. There were also concerns that it was in violation of First Amendment free speech principles. The legislation now before Congress would enshrine the fairness doctrine into law.
The doctrine's supporters seem not to appreciate just how much the broadcast world has changed since 1949. With the proliferation of informational resources and technology, the number of broadcast outlets available to the public has increased steadily. In such an environment, it is hard to understand why the federal government must police the airwaves to ensure that differing views are heard. The result of a reinstituted fairness doctrine would not be fair at all. In practice, much controversial speech heard today would be stifled as the threat of random investigations and warnings discouraged broadcasters from airing what FCC bureaucrats might refer to as "unbalanced" views....
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Regulation/EM368.cfm
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