California politicians are getting into the business of regulating websites that earn money from political campaigns, according to CalWatchdog, a brazen attempt at interfering with the most important kind of speech.
Talk about the fox guarding the chicken coop. Politicians are going to pass judgment on political coverage?
Even the name of the regulator sounds like it could come from George Orwell’s 1984: the Fair Political Practices Commission.
According to CalWatchdog’s John Hrabe, the FPCC could even regulate out-of-state websites that weigh in on California politics.
Campaign finance laws are the new frontier of suppressing political speech.
Think about it this way: if you have a right to do X, can the government forbid you to pay for X? The First Amendment would be empty if everyone had the right to worship but couldn’t donate money to a church (or could only donate $2,500). Similarly the freedom of the press is no good if no one is allowed to buy presses or sell newspapers.
Each Friday, Raising Hale will highlight one crazy thing from the latest headlines that could happen in Connecticut. To suggest a topic, contact Zach.
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