Good day all. Last night a story broke regarding the Democrats on the Federal Election Commission voting to punish Fox News regarding the debates they hosted.
The vote was split right along party lines, and is yet more proof that the Democrat members of the commission need to be removed from their positions. Here are the details from, (Who else?), Fox News:
Democratic members of the Federal Election Commission, in a decision to be made public on Thursday, voted last month to punish Fox News over criteria changes for the network’s first Republican presidential primary debate – but were blocked by Republican commissioners.
Commissioner Lee Goodman, one of those who voted to block the move, confirmed the details of the vote to FoxNews.com. He called the attempt to punish Fox News over the debate changes “astonishing” and described it as a move toward censorship.
“All press organizations should be concerned when the government asserts regulatory authority to punish and censor news coverage,” Goodman said in a statement.
I have no idea why this is so shocking. The three Democrats, led by Ann Ravel, have been pusing to suppress free speech for years. I’ve written about it here and here. Ravel has had a particular hatred for Fox, The Drudge Report and Breitbart. Interestingly, I haven’ seen any similar moves against more “Progressive” organizations by either side on the commission.
The vote concerned changes made to the criteria for the Fox News-hosted GOP primary debate on Aug. 6, 2015 in Cleveland. For that debate, Fox News decided to alter the format – hosting two debates instead of one and expanding the first debate for lower-polling candidates to include any candidate identified as such in national polls. Seven candidates ultimately participated in the first debate, and 10 participated in the prime-time event.
So what’s the issue here? They gave everyone access to the debates. They had to make some changes to the format due to the huge number of candidates this cycle.
A complaint subsequently was filed with the FEC claiming those changes were tantamount to an illegal corporate contribution to the candidates on stage.
FoxNews.com is told that after consideration, three commissioners – Ellen Weintraub, Ann Ravel, and Steven Walther – determined the network had made such an illegal contribution to the seven candidates invited to the first debate.
And how did they make that determination? What were the criteria? Hello, it’s Fox News! That was the only reason. Fox does not toe the Progressive Democrat party line.
The case ended on a split 3-3 vote, resulting in no action. Three commissioners concluded Fox News violated election law; two of the Democratic commissioners went a step further and voted to penalize the network. But because any enforcement action requires four votes, the case was dismissed.
Thankfully, due to the requirement that there has to be an equal number of commissioners from each party, the Democrats weren’t able to shut down Fox. That was the reason that the commission is required to have an equal number from each party. It prevents attempts like this from either side of the aisle.
Until recently, the FEC had steered clear of threatening action over press-sponsored debates.
They avoided it for several reasons. First, it isn’t any of their business. Second, if they had gone forward with this, or frankly any of the other cockamamie plans Ravel and her cronies cooked up, they probably would have had their heads handed to them in the inevitable lawsuits. The courts tend to frown on attempts to block political speech.
Goodman argued that such “editorial decisions” regarding debate rules should be free from FEC regulation. He suggested there is “no practical or logical difference” between hosting a debate with 17 candidates and interviewing 17 candidates.
“How could expanding debate news coverage from 10 to 17 candidates be against the law?” he said.
Do you really not have a clue? The Democrats have moved into full Totalitarian mode. They no longer consider the Constitution to be the controlling document of the United States. Any dissent from their ideas has to be ruthlessly crushed by whatever means necessary. Their own Party Platform calls for the arrest of anyone who doesn’t agree with Man Made global warming be criminally investigated. Here’s the relevant part:
Another joint proposal calling on the Department of Justice to investigate alleged corporate fraud on the part of fossil fuel companies who have reportedly misled shareholders and the public on the scientific reality of climate change was also adopted by unanimous consent.
The Democrat party is now moving to their end game started under Woodrow Wilson to end the constitutional republic and institute rule by an elite few. Elections? Not needed. Disagree with the ruling elite? Off to prison with you. Do not pass go, don’t bother with Due Process. Now you can see why the Progressive Democrats are so dead set against the private ownership of firearms. It interferes with their plans to create their idea of “Utopia.” Without a doubt the Democrats on the FEC want to suppress the Republican party and restore the Mostly Stupid Media to their former glory as mouth pieces for the Party. Good luck with that Ravel.
Thatisall
~The Angry Webmaster~
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“Disagree with the ruling elite? Off to prison with you.”
The word prison is so gauche, the Politikaly Korreckt term is Center for Re-Education Through Productive Labor.
Is that what they call mass graves now?
No, those are reserved for the ruling elite.