OUTRAGEOUS! GOP SCUMBAG PUSHES VOTE AGAINST FAIRNESS DOCTRINE

[redacted]

Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) filed a discharge petition Wednesday to force a vote on legislation to ban the so-called Fairness Doctrine.

“The time has come to do away with the Fairness Doctrine once and for all,” the lawmaker said on the House floor. Pence’s legislation would require an act of Congress before the Fairness Doctrine, which would require broadcasters to give time to both sides on an issue, can be implemented.

A discharge petition allows a lawmaker to force an up-or-down vote in the House if it is signed by a majority of members.

“To my colleagues in Congress I respectfully say: If you oppose the Fairness Doctrine, sign the petition. If you cherish the dynamic national asset that is American talk radio, sign the petition. If you simply believe that broadcast freedom deserves an up-or-down vote on the floor of the people’s House, sign the petition,” Pence said.

Republicans strongly oppose the Fairness Doctrine, saying it is a tool Democrats use to attack conservative talk show hosts.

They are worried that forcing stations to make equal time for liberal talk radio would cut into profits so severely that radio executives would choose to scale back on conservative programming to avoid rising costs and interference from the government.

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/pence-pushes-vote-against-fairness-doctrine-2007-10-17.html

[redacted]

1. Repukelicans are disgusting, revolting slime. They hate free speech. They hate opposing views.

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. They are running scared

but what worries me is that these guys are extrmely good at parlamentary manouvers... and our guys seem not to know how to scratch their rear, let alone how to use the procedures

[Vincardog]

3. Or it might force them to give equal time to people talking sense and reason as opposed to lying

scumbags like rush and inSanity

[JFN1]

4. They crave dominion

I think they need a daddy figure. Todays Repukes would have loved Stalin...or Hitler...or King George...you know, the British one...

[charlie]

5. Trying to get Murdoch and Clearchannel to notice him

What's up Pence, money well's drying up?

[gateley]

6. The Fairness Doctrine has an interesting history...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairness_Doctrine

[Viva_La_Revolution]

7. In August 1987, the FCC abolished the doctrine by a 4-0 vote

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairness_Doctrine#End_of_Fairness_Doctrine

What a moran.

[rox63]

10. After 7 years of Reagan/Bush influencing the FCC n/t

[John Q. Citizen]

8. If anti trust laws were enforced, the fairness doctrine wouldn't be an issue.

Fox will say we have Hannity, and we have Combes,(so it's balanced) but we want to have our corporation in every market all the time everywhere.

If congress would disallow the corporate conglomeration of our media, then the fairness doctrine wouldn't be an issue, because there would certainly be enough band -width, enough channels to insure a wide range (and I mean a hell of a lot wider range) of different viewpoints.

That's not to say that this bill should be passed, it shouldn't. In fact having the fairness doctrine stashed away under FCC regulation possibility would be a good way to insure that outlets don't go to overboard.

It's just to say that their are probably other ways and much better ways to insure diverse viewpoints in commercial media.

To put it another way, should DU be required to abide by the fairness doctrine? I'd hope not.

[midlife_mo_Jo]

28. Bingo!

Without corporate media control, this wouldn't be such a huge problem.

[depakid]

9. Clinton COULD HAVE had the FCC reinstate it during the 90's

Instead- he appointed Micheal Powell and supported the Telecommunications Bill.

That one's worked out nicely for the party- and for ordinary Americans, eh?

This thing needs to be bottled up- just as the Republicans did with EVERY responsible Democratic proposal during their tenure.

Will the Dem leadership stand up FOR THEMSELVES and the rest of America? Or will they enable, legitimize and roll over to the far right bullying again?

Time will tell-

[Eagle_Eye]

11. Republicans want to own the Public Air Waves

The AM radio spectrum belongs to everyone, not just right wing talk show hosts.

Right now the republicans have the system rigged so that talk radio on both the AM and FM bands is an extension of the republican party. They like it that way and will pull every slimy trick they can to keep it that way.

[robcon]

12. The Fairness Doctrine is unconstitutional.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

The government can make no law regarding content of the press.

[John Kerry VonErich]

14. But doesn't apply for running businesses since business is not government

The doctrine is a double edged sword. Radio and TV stations are businesses as well and if stations feel Rush makes money for them then thats their decission. Same for Rhodes, Malloy, Olbermann, etc. IMO

[John Q. Citizen]

15. It's based on the fact that we own the airwaves. So we the people can require that

those we lease our airwaves to follow our rules. Just as the owner of a newspaper can require their reporters to follow thier rules.

You are certainly correct that a fairness doctrine for print media would be unconsitutional.

But the fairness doctrine never covered print media, or cable for that matter. It only covered broadcast frequencies which are owned by all of the people.

[robcon]

18. How is it decided that the government owns the airwaves?

The government regulates banks and liquor outlets, but doesn't own them. So the fact that they can regulate frequencies doesn't provide ownership.

When did the government buy the airwaves, and what did they pay, and who sold them to the government?

Avoiding the first amendment (claiming the "press" doesn't include TV and radio) seems to depend on a very weak argument, IMO.

Even granting your premise, governments own schools, and can regulate them, but that doesn't mean it can violate the Constitution in those schools.

[John Q. Citizen]

22. Same way that the people own public lands. A mining company or a

cattle grazer can often lease those lands, with certain restrictions put on by us, the owners.

If a cattle grazer wants to prohibit his employee from discussing Republican Politics while working for him on his leased lands, he can do that.

Think off it this way. Why can't CBS show strip shows 24 hours a day on the publically owned privately leased airwaves?

But how come HBO can show porn?

HBO is on cable, the system is privately owned, but CBS leases our airwaves and we put restrictions on what they can do with our property.

It's pretty simple. Perhaps you should google the histroy of public airwaves if you want to learn more about it.

[robcon]

31. Airwaves are regulated. You've made that point clear.

But where is the deed to public airwaves???? Why ownwership, not regulation as the federal government regulates the zoning and what cab be built.

And you didn't respond to the point that Congress cannot regulate political speech in the press by the first amendment. Or are you saying the cable stations are the "press" and the TV/radio stations are not?

[John Q. Citizen]

32. I'm saying the public owns the airwaves, the frequencies. Cable doesn't use those

frequencies.

The public doesn't own the newspapers.

I'm sorry if public ownership of the airwaves is a foreign concept to you. But I'm not going to spend any more time pointing out what is obvious and is settled law since broadcasting began. This isn't new.

If you are interested, look it up. Google is your friend. If you don't think the public should own the airwaves, you are certainly intitiled to your opinion.

[Viking12]

20. That was addressed by SCOTUS 30 years ago. They say you're wrong

"A license permits broadcasting, but the licensee has no constitutional right to be the one who holds the license or to monopolize a... frequency to the exclusion of his fellow citizens. There is nothing in the First Amendment which prevents the Government from requiring a licensee to share his frequency with others.... It is the right of the viewers and listeners, not the right of the broadcasters, which is paramount."

U.S. Supreme Court, upholding the constitutionality of the Fairness Doctrine in Red Lion Broadcasting Co. v. FCC, 1969

[txaslftist]

26. A radio frequency isn't a soap box or a newspaper stand.

There's only so many of them in a given area, and if you follow your logic to it's conclusion, the government wouldn't have the right to regulate broadcasting wattage, award exclusive rights to any given frequency, or even width of band, meaning one station could broadcast all the way from 89 fm to 107.

[Drix]

29. Public Airwaves is not the Private Press

The public airwaves belong to all taxpayers. Not just right wing Republicans. Getting a little representation with our taxation is not unconstitutional.

[YareweinIraq]

13. NO to the Fairness Doctrine

We need to have the ability to use TV and radio to communicate the message about how we need to get out of Iraq.

If there was a fairness doctrine, then that message would be balanced against the opposing message. This would lead people to not know what is the truth.

We need a single minded medium to get our truth to the people.

[tom_paine]

16. OMG! ROFL! That has got to be the WORST

example of trolling that I have seen in many years.

Yeah, all we need to do is what Bushies do, but flipped around to work for our side. :silly:

That's not what the Fairness Doctrine is about, but what do you know besides what you hear on Hannity and Colmes?

Get stuffed, and by the way, even among your peers who represent the weakest-minded third of America, you are among the weakest.

[YareweinIraq]

17. Thanks for asking, but AM NOT a "Bushie"

No, just a frustrated Progressive Democrat who wants to get us out of Iraq whatever way possible.

Not sure how you got to "Bushie".

I was just reading a post by Skinner where he says that we shouldn't be attacking each other for differeing views. Did you get a chance to read that yet? Really quite a good post.

Here is the link if you care to read it. http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2087332

[tom_paine]

30. Ummm...because you appear to be arguing for totalitarian media?

which is a Bushie Talking Point.

Could you actually have been saying that "we don't want the Fairness Doctrine because we want the media to be monolthic so we can get the truth out?"

I mean, that's what you said, isn't it?

Do you believe the media is currently monolithicaly liberal, because that sure sounds like what you were saying.

If I am wrong, I apologize, but for me to buy that you aren't a Bushie, I will at least have to hear just what the hell you possibly could have meant with that first post?

:shrug: :shrug: :shrug: :wtf:

Only by showing me your caapcity to reason (and hell no, that doesn't mean agreeing with me, and if you don't understand what I mean there, then I must stroke my chin again and say "hmmmmmmmm") and what is behind your first post can you show me.

Please do.

[KamaAina]

19. We already have a single minded medium to get our truth to the people

oh, wait a minute, they own 95 percent of it. So I guess what I meant to say is, absent the Fairness Doctrine, they have a single minded medium to get their lies to the people. :puke:

[librechik]

21. hmm. You sound like a "one party, one message" type

what the hell? It seems like E Pluribus Unum
skipped your cranium.


I don't mind that Righties have a voice. Just give us a voice too.

As it is, 97% of talk radio is one viewpoint only. That is un American, no matter what the viewpoint.

[YareweinIraq]

23. And if the Fairness Doctrine is brought back...

Do you look forward to listening to Air America with "rush limpdog" spewing his venom?

[librechik]

27. Sure--but I'm thinking The Market will take care of that sort of thing.

if the shackles are taken off.

[Stinky The Clown]

24. ANY post that has both "Republican" and "Scumbag" in its title is VERY refreshing on DU

FINALLY ..... some slamming the bad guys for a change!!!!

Oh ...... and for Mike Pence .... fuck you, you shortsighted idiot. When we get back in power, I have a feeling you'll wish for the fairness doctrine. You know your days are numbered and you want to keep the air in your gasbag.

[txaslftist]

25. Hilarious.

Nobody is seriously proposing bringing back the fairness doctrine.

This is nothing but them pandering to the fears of their base.

"They're gonna take mah Rush away, Mary! I cain't stand it! Cawll the preacher! I think ah'm havin' a heart attayk!"