I have been feeling
rather blue. Those who know me know that I never give up without a
fight. My problem is with the so-called “Fairness Doctrine,” which
represents the opposite of fairness. Talk Radio, as we now know it,
represents one of the very few weapons in the conservative media
arsenal. 630 WMAL’s brilliant commentator, Chris Plante, has declared
that 2008 is the year that true journalism died in the United States of
America. I agree with him. The national media overwhelmingly supports
Senator Barack H. Obama (D-IL), the presumed Democratic nominee, for
President. How can he lose with the national media all but carrying his
bags as he goes abroad? With the exception of Fox News Channel the
television media is all in the hands of the left. Fox itself is more
Republican than conservative. The left also controls nearly all of the
print media.
So I reviewed
conservative options for the next Congress. Speaker of the House Nancy
Pelosi, D-CA, and Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid, D-NV, have two
ways to achieve their objective, which is to pass the Fairness
Doctrine. First, they can deny opponents the opportunity for an
up-or-down vote (which they have done in the present Congress). They do
so because they correctly fear that anti-Fairness Doctrine Members
would prevail. Test votes have so indicated. Second, they could wait
for the Democrats to win complete control of the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) and then let it reinstate the doctrine. It took
President Ronald W. Reagan seven years to accomplish de-regulation.
Rush Limbaugh launched nationally in 1988. My guess is that the
Democratic Leadership will not want to wait that long, lest opposition
grow throughout the country.
I did not see a way out
of this situation until I interviewed Senate Republican Leader Mitch
McConnell, R-KY, last week on the “Right Hour” program on the Right
Talk Radio Network. McConnell pointed to the record of the Supreme
Court under Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. In ruling after ruling
the Court is suspicious of any legislation which tries to limit
political free speech and our First Amendment rights. McConnell has
been the plaintiff in the most important cases before the Court. He
believes that with a few more rulings and McCain-Feingold Campaign
Finance Reform will belong to the ashbin of history.
I had not considered the
Supreme Court’s role in the Fairness Doctrine. There is little doubt
that if the Fairness Doctrine is re-instated by Congress it immediately
will attract many free-speech lawsuits. Seldom is it that a United
States Senator says anything to cheer me up. Congratulations, Mitch
McConnell. You managed to just do that.