Reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine? Don't even try it, Barry

Some people have been making a big deal out of it, and as Captain Ed notes, Barry's administration isn't even denying it any longer. Back in June of 2008, he was on the record as being opposed to it. Today? Not so much:

CHRIS WALLACE: Will you rule out reimposing the Fairness Doctrine?

DAVID AXELROD: I’m going to leave that issue to Julius Genachowski, our new head of the FCC, to, and the president, to discuss. So I don’t have an answer for you now.

Axelrod could have issued another statement equal to Barry's back in June, and it would have put this issue to rest. At the very least, the only ones who would be discussing it would be those that sounded paranoid; kooky, conservative conspiracy nuts, if you will. Michael Calderone agrees with me:

Lester Kinsolving, the conservative radio host, has twice asked Robert Gibbs about it in the briefing room, and each time, the press secretary didn’t reveal the administration’s position.

Last week, I reached out to press office staffers in order to find out if the administration’s position is the same as in June, and have not yet received a response.

If Obama’s position on the Fairness Doctrine is the same as during the campaign — and I have no reason to believe it isn’t — stating such clearly would quickly silence a lot of conservative critics who assume the Democratic president is going to try and reinstate the defunct policy. Otherwise, the Fairness Doctrine chatter on the airwaves isn’t likely to die down.

It's not going to die down now, and Barry had best rethink the idea if he decides it's a great idea. The Supreme Court will likely strike down the Fairness Doctrine on the grounds that it directly violates the First Amendment protections with regard to freedom of speech. Technically, the airwaves belong to the people, not the government.

The media dropped the ball on Barry during the election. They didn't vet him. They didn't ask him any tough questions. And honestly, they didn't want to. They were too busy with their tingling legs and gushing rhetoric. What's truly sad about this is that the media is supposed to be the watchdog over freedom of speech. They are, after all, included in the First Amendment. But it's clear the liberal media doesn't care about freedom of speech. The appear to be more concerned about keeping their speech while they endorse and back government censorship, which is exactly what the Fairness Doctrine is.

Publius II