First They Came for Talk Radio, and Then They Came for the Internet.
Monday, October 8, 2007 at 09:28PM Henry Waxman (D, United States House of Representative, 30th District) is now using US government money to investigate Conservative Talk Radio Host, Rush Limbaugh.
Dan Riehl reports:
"Whether you enjoy, and, or appreciate talk radio shouldn't matter …That our government is looking to launch investigations into private citizens not suspected or accused of any crime should. In one sense, this is precisely the type of thing the framers were most concerned with when it came to government over-reaching."
And from The American Spectator:
“…Rep. Henry Waxman has asked his investigative staff to begin compiling reports on Limbaugh, and fellow radio hosts Sean Hannity and Mark Levin based on transcripts from their shows, and to call in Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin to discuss the so-called "Fairness Doctrine."
"Limbaugh isn't the only one who needs to be made uncomfortable about what he says on the radio," says a House leadership source. "We don't have as big a megaphone as these guys, but this all political, and we'll do what we can to gain the advantage. If we can take them off their game for a while, it will help our folks out there on the campaign trail."
Fasten your seat belts; the 2008 US Presidential election is shaping up to be one of the nastiest elections in a long, long time.
America 
View Printer Friendly Version
Reader Comments (21)
I doubt there is much room for anything other than saber rattling here. Why Waxman would want to give Limbaugh any sympathy is beyond me.
"the DNC hopes to raise millions of dollars of Limbaugh. "If we can't silence him, we should at least make some money to make his life more miserable in a Democratic-controlled Washington in 2008," says a Senate Democrat leadership aide. "
Excellent!
I love it. The heat is on.
Mahons: "saber rattling here"
Nothing to see here. Move along. Until the Republicans or Independents in Congress rise to the occassion and start trying to regulate media they have a partisan problem with. This is a road we do not want to go down.
Patty,
I think this has more to do with holding people accountable for the things they DO say, rather than an attempt to stop them actually saying it.
I think this is a good thing.
I love that Rush will become a Democrats fund raiser in a round about way; just like his behaviour influenced the 2006 elections to the democrats favour.
I would say that the Democrats would be much smarter giving Rush a couple more radio shows, and TV shows as well- out him on every channel. Then watch the funds flow in.
its Brilliant. LOL
Why Waxman would want to give Limbaugh any sympathy is beyond me.
Agreed.
Mahons & Alex: Who said Waxman should sympathize with Rush?
From what I understand, Rush Limbaugh has the only 1 hour political broadcast on NPR. NPR is funded by tax-payers. It is right that tax-payers also monitor what Rush Limbaugh is saying to and about the troops on a station they fund.
My solution is to give equal air-time to someone with the opposite views as Rush. And monitor them all.
Patty makes an excellent point. Imagine the outrage if the RNC said they were going to make life as awkward as possible for the NY Times or CNN! Rush Limbaugh, of whom I am a great fan (I once managed to get on to his show!) is an excellent antidote for the pro-DNC network news bias that exists.
What really hacks off those inside the beltway is that Rush is more popular that Al Franken, Rosie O'Donnell and Cindy Sheehan put together. When he speaks more than 20 million Americans listen.
I agree with David re. 2008 election being a real battle royal. If Hilary Clinton is the Democratic candidate we can expect a truly polarising race. If I were a US GOP member I think I'd back Fred Thompson - I like what I hear from him. Anyway US elections are always great craic - it makes the "rough and tumble" of British elections look like a teddy bears picnic!
Imagine the outrage if the RNC said they were going to make life as awkward as possible for the NY Times
They did lead the effort to censure Moveon org, I believe. Mahons can you confirm?
Moveon and the NYT are 2 very different organisations. If a Republican controlled Congress made public utterances about investigating the New York Times, which is an extension of the Democratic National Committee but likes to portray itself as an independent purveyor of news information, Democrats on the hill would be denouncing Republican attempts to curtail freedom of the press. But when Dems do it to a citizen of the United States, just like they tried to over Rush's addiction to painkillers it's OK, because its Rush.
Frankly the Big Man (Rush that is!) has seen of Democratic attempts to probe into his life before and I have no doubt that he'll send Waxman packing just like the rest of them.
If a Republican controlled Congress made public utterances about investigating the New York Times,
Chris, I believe they did.
The Democrats are bullies and cry babies. The US media is overwhelmingly supportive of them but they still foam at the mouth at the prospect that there is someone somewhere who doesn't parrot their lines and when they can't win the argument try to use the power of the state to silence them..
Oh, I'm liking Christopher!
Rush is a target because the left can't beat him on the open airwaves. He commands a mighty audience of conservatives that the Left can't counter in the open media market. The Left's ideas don't appeal to the majority of Americans, so recieve no commercial funding. They have to try to shut him down through legislation and ad hominen attacks, they can't do it through the open market - they always lose.
Rush rules! So does conservative radio overall, with a vast paying commercial market that the Left can't compete with in the the open market of ideas and paid advertising. Nobody wants to hear the Left's socialist crap and apparently no advertisers (other than head shops) want to pay to broadcast their message.
Rush is fine. It's the Left that has problems. They have to shut down alternatives to their message in order to be accepted. The Right has no problem debating politics openly, the Left apparently does.
Patty: Allow me to explain. Waxman's actions would make a faux martyr out of Limbaugh who is a renowned blowheart. Hence my question as to why Waxman would want to help him (ie build sympathy) by investigating him.
Pinky: Many Republicans decry the Times, which does have a liberal bias, but I don't think they've tried to seriously threaten it since the Vietnam War. The Move On crowd is silly and actually help the Republicans by their over the top sophistry.
Daphne: You have a point, talk radio is much more successful with rightwing programming, the format apearsto suit them better.
Mahons: "“…Rep. Henry Waxman has asked his investigative staff to begin compiling reports on Limbaugh, and fellow radio hosts Sean Hannity and Mark Levin based on transcripts from their shows, and to call in Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin to discuss the so-called "Fairness Doctrine."
The whole point, Mahons, is the reintroduction of the "Fairness Doctrine." The Democrats -- due to the runaway popularity of talk show hosts like RUsh, the internet, and cable -- no longer control the message. They tried talk radio and failed. So now they will legislate it?
They want to control the message. Activist politicians and journalists should stay out of legislation of "free speech." (Which is what the Fairness Doctrine essentially will be in this day of media proliferation.)
The MSM is overwhelming liberal. As is NPR. To attack Talk Radio because it's not "fair" underscores the weakness of their message.
Mahons: Just carefully read your comment. You were clarifying your "sympathy" comment..oopps. Too much California Chardonnay with dinner, I think.
Dallas 10 NY Bills 17
Dallas is gonna kick their ass!!!!!!!
Go Romo!
Romo is throwing like a punk!
Ah, 'Liberals'. Never a truer oxymoron was spoken.
Patty,
Are you really asking us to believe that the situation of Limbaugh, Hannity, Levin, usw., in today's United States is in any way similar to that of Jews, social democrats and communists in Hitler's Germany?
On the other hand, perhaps the echo in the title of your thread to Pastor Niemoller's poem was unintentional.
I hope it's the latter.
Alexander Bowman: Mea Culpa. I cherish free speech and when it is threatened I take this seriously.