Ahead of a widely-expected crackdown on free speech and political dissent by the incoming Obama administration, our Dear Leader has appointed a new FCC transition czar to oversee the process.
Henry Rivera, a longtime radical leftist, lawyer and former FCC commissioner, is expected to lead the push to dismantle commercial talk radio that is favored by a number of Democratic Party senators. Rivera will play a pivotal role in preventing critics from having a public voice during Obama’s tenure in office.
Rivera, who resigned from the FCC nearly a quarter-century ago during the Reagan years, believes in a doctrine of “communications policy as a civil rights issue”.
His exit during the Reagan Administration paved the way for the Fairness Doctrine’s repeal when the late president appointed Patricia Diaz Dennis in 1986 to fill out the rest of Rivera’s term. Had this not occurred, talk radio as we know it today would not exist.
That gives Rivera’s new task a great deal of personal urgency: it’s a late-career, second chance opportunity to shut down opposition voices that have been allowed to flourish since his depature from the commission.
In particular, Rivera is known for his push for more minority broadcasting ownership, but this issue has largely been rendered obsolete as former commercial broadcasting empires teeter on the brink of bankruptcy.
Rivera’s first opportunity to eliminate commercial talk radio will occur in June 2009, as the term of Republican Robert McDowell expires and he can be replaced with a pro-Fairness Doctrine Democrat. That will give the commission a three-vote Democratic majority, though the final two seats must remain in Republican hands.
If they can strong-arm one of the three Republicans into leaving early, this can be implemented even sooner.
UPDATE: From the Zogby link below:
Those who say they will vote for Barack Obama support reinstating the Fairness Doctrine 53 to 37 percent (10 percent are not sure). Meanwhile, Independent voters oppose reviving the Doctrine 49 to 40 percent, and undecided voters reject it 50 to 17 percent (33 percent are not sure).
Originally instituted in 1949 by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Fairness Doctrine was soon recognized as a tool for silencing any opposing views – particularly conservative views.
The FCC repealed the Fairness Doctrine in 1987 admitting the doctrine “had the net effect of reducing rather than enhancing the discussion of controversial issues of public importance.”
According to O’Leary, Obama and the Democrats would rather silence their detractors through oppressive regulation than compete on an even playing field. To make his case, he cites several examples:
* When Chicago radio station WGN scheduled journalist Stanley Kurtz to talk about Obama’s ties to Ayers, the Obama campaign recruited 100,000 supporters to act in a cult-like manner and besiege the station with protests.
* When “Joe the Plumber” questioned Obama about his plan to raise taxes on small businesses, Obama supporters sought to destroy Joe and publicly embarrass him by digging through his tax files, work history and personal life.
* Obama forces also tried to hush a national organization that ran TV and radio ads attacking the candidate’s position on an issue. In that instance, Obama’s general counsel fired off a letter threatening the licenses of stations that didn’t pull the ad “for the sake of FCC licensing and the public interest.”
* After seeing a dip in the polls in September, the Obama campaign dispatched prosecutors and law enforcement officials in Missouri to act as so-called “truth squads” to target anyone who runs ads on TV or radio critical of Obama.
“There is nothing ‘fair’ about the Fairness Doctrine, and re-establishing the Doctrine would have the chilling effect of silencing America’s 2,000 talk radio show hosts that discuss politics,” warned O’Leary.
6 Comments
November 9, 2008 at 4:33 am
Check this out from the We The People Foundation:
WTP.org Open Letter to President-elect Obama, to be Published in USA Today Next Week
-Phil
November 9, 2008 at 4:48 am
I know I already posted a comment here about my site, but I wanted to add a bit of the following.
The theory behind the “Fairness Doctrine” is two-fold: (1) any given communications medium must provide equal time to both (or whatever) sides of an issue; (2) it must be invoked if an individual calls a communications medium out on the apparent lack of “fairness.”
Therefore, it is quite simple, in my not-so-humble opinion, to invoke the Doctrine, should it become law once again, against the Left (and while I know that sites such as this one appeal to folks who are like-minded to Sen. Hillary Clinton, bear with me, because all of this affects you, too), anyone who disagrees with what, say, ABC, CBS, NBC and the like have to say about Sen. Clinton or anyone else they’re treating in an unbalanced fashion, call them up.
That’s all that anyone who disagrees with the disagree-ers have to do. Make your voice heard.
You do realize, do you not, that the whole Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction fiasco a few years ago was brought about by a handful of people calling up to the FCC, griping and complaining, as opposed to merely changing the channel!
How whack is that?
-Phil
November 9, 2008 at 7:57 am
Curiously, in response to your first post. Imagine, NOT ONE reporter or news person has never publicly asked Obama, if he is a Natural Born Citizen!
Yes, Phil…I LOVE how your mind works..
Whenever they revisit an old piece of legislation, you know darn well, there is something they are not telling us about they intent inserting into the newer version on the basis of national security.
And THAT…is what will be problematic. It will be something to the effect we will not be allowed to criticize the Obama presidency, because for security reasons, we need to show a united front to our aggressors. (read: rouge nations.) bleh!
November 8, 2008 at 5:11 pm
Why is pratically the entire media in bed with obama? I don’t get it.
November 9, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Betty, the media are well paid by the principals supporting Obama.
Chris Matthews has solemnly sworn to see to it Obama enjoys a “successful” presidency.
Is Tweety bucking for a raise or maybe Press Sect for an Obama administration?
I was thinking, he might enjoy spending more time with his family.
November 10, 2008 at 5:51 am
[...] The 1st to GO… …talk radio that is favored by a number of Democratic Party senators. … expires and he can be replaced with a pro-Fairness Doctrine Democrat. [...]
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