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Advocacy Blog
Thursday, January 03, 2008
In Defense of Free Speech Rights and Fair Elections
An editorial in today's LA Times responds to the worries that outside groups will have dangerous influences on the election, taking on the concept that, "a 'fair' election . . . means ones in which voters are shielded from the propaganda of special interest groups." Importantly, it is noted that the support of wealthy individuals, or newspaper editorial boards, is just as prevalent as any outside group.
The 1st Amendment is a significant barrier to the sort of 'fair' . . . elections in which special-interest groups (but not newspapers or Oprah!) are prevented from saying too much about candidates for public office lest their message change a voter's mind. Huckabee was right to tell the Elks that "your vote counts as much as a person who can write a check for $100,000." But their votes — and all of ours — will be influenced by messages that require the writing of checks, as well as the framing of arguments, to get into circulation. If that's anti-democratic, so is the 1st Amendment.
Posted by Amanda Adams
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