Michael Barone: The Coming Liberal Thugocracy

Chris Jones — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 15:00:45 +0000

When John McCain told a group of supporters the other day they have nothing to fear if Barack Obama gets elected, he was was wrong. Anyone who enjoys exercising their free speech rights has a lot to fear from an Obama administration. No campaign in history has done more to chill free expression than Barack Obama and his ultra left-wing pals.

Michael Barone’s latest column in the Washington Times explains in detail the dangers of an Obama presidency as it relatest to free speech.

Other Obama supporters have threatened critics with criminal prosecution. In September, St. Louis County Circuit Attorney Bob McCulloch and St. Louis City Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce warned citizens that they would bring criminal libel prosecutions against anyone who made statements against Mr. Obama that were “false.” I had been under the impression that the Alien and Sedition Acts had gone out of existence in 1801-’02. Not so, apparently, in metropolitan St. Louis. Similarly, the Obama campaign called for a criminal investigation of the American Issues Project when it ran ads highlighting Mr. Obama’s ties to Mr. Ayers.

These attempts to shut down political speech have become routine for liberals. Congressional Democrats sought to reimpose the “fairness doctrine” on broadcasters, which until it was repealed in the 1980s required equal time for different points of view. The motive was plain: to shut down the one conservative-leaning communications medium, talk radio. Liberal talk-show hosts have mostly failed to draw audiences, and many liberals can’t abide having citizens hear contrary views.

Let’s not forget about NBC’s hideous behavior during this election cycle which has even infected ‘Saturday Night Live’:

Corporate liberals have done their share in shutting down anti-liberal speech, too. “Saturday Night Live” ran a spoof of the financial crisis that skewered Democrats like House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank and liberal contributors Herbert and Marion Sandler, who sold toxic-waste-filled Golden West to Wachovia Bank for $24 billion. Kind of surprising, but not for long. The tape of the broadcast disappeared from NBC’s Web site and was replaced with another that omitted the references to Mr. Frank and the Sandlers. Evidently NBC and its parent, General Electric, don’t want people to hear speech that attacks liberals.

Barone also points out the extremely troubling activities of labor unions which are certain to run wild under a liberal administration:

Then there’s the Democrats’ “card check” legislation that would abolish secret ballot elections in determining whether employees are represented by unions. The unions’ strategy is obvious: Send a few thugs over to employees’ homes – we know where you live – and get them to sign cards that will trigger a union victory without giving employers a chance to be heard.

Once upon a time, liberals prided themselves, with considerable reason, as the staunchest defenders of free speech. Union organizers in the 1930s and 1940s made the case that they should have access to employees to speak freely to them, and union leaders like George Meany and Walter Reuther were ardent defenders of the First Amendment.

Everyone should read the rest of Michael Barone’s piece. All this “Change We Can Believe In” crap makes for a great campaign slogan, but many Americans have no idea just what kind of change is coming.

-Chris Jones

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Michael Barone: The Coming Liberal Thugocracy

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