Arnold might have been able to spend hard money on it, but groups couldn’t. People in advocacy groups that support Arnold could not have run ads responding to this. There are no constraints whatsoever on the media in campaign finance reform and that includes the broadcast media. So if a half-hour newscast or any other program, wanted to do the same thing the Times did, the only person who could respond to it would be Schwarzenegger himself, but associated groups could not run ads 30 days or 60 days prior to an election, be it a primary or general. This is a great example of why that stinks. This is a great example of why that’s rotten, because approved outlets such as the media have no limitations on what they can do when. Not true with the people.
And the people are who these groups are. People think special interests are somehow not composed of the people. Well, who else are they, if they’re not the people? And special interests, oriented toward electing Arnold, would have had no recourse. Arnold would have had to spend his own money to counter this on television as best he could.
Imagine if campaign finance reform were in place now. The LA Times would still be free to run this Arnold smear with no constraints, no restraints, and Arnold would not legally be allowed to answer on television via paid commercial. Campaign finance reform assaults the First Amendment. Is this what you want when we get to national elections? Because this is what’s ahead, folks, if you don’t stop it. Think about it.
<*ICON*> Study in the Limbaugh Institute’s Library of Knowledge…
<a target=new href=”//home/eibessential.member.html#0018″>(The Campaign Finance Reform Scandal: The Attack on the 1st Amendment)</a>