How did our founders manage to establish a republic committed to free speech and the rights of the individual without a Federal Election Commission?
Not only did the Sons of Liberty and other patriots lack a functioning FEC to protect them from “big-money interests,” many of the political communications of the founding era, including works as consequential as The Federalist Papers, were put forth anonymously. Horrors!
Consider organizing like-minded people during colonial times: No TV, radio, the Internet, smart phones … and sans, too, the Internal Revenue Service, strategically blocking them from creating non-profit groups that “criticize how the country is run.”
Which brings up the sorry case of Lois G. Lerner, head of the IRS’s exempt organizations division, now mired in the muck of controversy over unequal treatment of non-profit organizations. She expressed her innocence in the whole affair, but then took the Fifth, refusing to testify.
Ms. Lerner’s now on paid leave. That’ll learn ’er.
I bumped into her back in the 1990s, while I headed U.S. Term Limits and she led the FEC’s enforcement division, which was targeting conservative and libertarian groups. The FEC was never able to prove we did anything wrong, but did cost us plenty of time and money defending against their assault.
What sparked the FEC’s action, then, was incumbent Congressman Mike Synar’s complaint after we informed the people of Oklahoma that Synar opposed term limits. He lost in the Democratic Party primary … to a guy who spent less than $3,000.
Yes, that’s the sort of speech the folks in Washington want to regulate.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
4 replies on “Regulating Protest”
Ms. Lerner planted the person and the question that outed the IRS activity and controversy. The IRS is being thrown under the bus intentionally. This straw dog storm has been contrived to fill up media time and to dilute the atttention of the public away from the illegal and impeachable and questionably treasonable actions of smuggling arms to Al Qaida to overthrow Syria and thence to set the Muslim Brotherhood up running that country also. Makes no sense that such should be the previously covert and now official policy of the federal government. I know I didn’t vote for it. I don’t know any family or friends or work associates that think that is a good idea or that tax dollars should be spent in that pursuit. This American government is in name only for it is chasing an agenda that puts our future at more risk. I know that our troops should not be fighting and dying in that country that is no threat to us, any more than Chris Stevens and his staffer and the 2 ex-SEALs should have died.
The running guns to Al Qaida was a violation of federal law and an impeachable offense. Getting the media something to distract them from Benghazi relieved some of the heat and gives the administration time to come up with a better cover story.
This stinks to high heaven.
I agree, Drrik.
And now, McCain (over the weekend) went to Syrria to “mmet with the opposition” and wants to give them money, arms, etc. I think (and I voted for him) that he has a problem.
If he ( and Kerry, who while we are mired in debt and have WH tours cancelled)- ( and gave/is giving $100 million in “humanitarian” aid – want to give money LET THEM GIVE THEIR/THEIR WIVE’S MONEY.
Mrs. Kerry ( formerly Mrs. Heinz) is worth several hundred million dollars, and Mrs. McCain is suppsoed to be worth north of $100 million. I am not worth even 1% of that, and resent my money going to enemies of my country and my people.
Come on Drrik, I’ve seen no articles indicating we’re arming the Syrian rebels. You are just throwing that out there (and you might be right).
One thing Benghazi, the AP wire taps and the IRS scandals all have in common: they are attempts by Obama to limit the speech of those he disagrees with.
Benghazi of course, wasn’t something orchestrated in DC, but the cover up was. And we’re getting our info on all 3 scandals in drips. And every drip appears to reveal another lie from the Obama administration. And in all 3 cases, Obama is pressuring government employees to not testify, or hiding them.
Seldom mentioned, is that the AP phone records seizure was meant to find out who in government is talking to reporters. You can bet they will be held accountable for ratting on Obama.
I hope we learn the truth about all 3 within 2 years.
[…] a spurious complaint by former Rep. Mike Synar (D‑Okla.), Lerner launched a political persecution against U.S. Term […]