RE: GOP standards were higher that DEM standards

From: Harvey Newstrom (mail@HarveyNewstrom.com)
Date: Sat Aug 11 2001 - 10:42:53 MDT


Mike Lorrey wrote,
> Well, what I don't understand why, if restricting your ability to yell
> fire in a theater is a legally regulatable, that restricting the ability
> of the media to bias the election cannot be similarly regulated.

Not to disagree with you, but the answer is simple. Republicans and
Democrats agree that yelling "fire" in a theater should be outlawed, so they
pass legislation to outlaw it. They do not agree that the media biases
elections, so there is not enough consensus to pass a law on this. You may
think both examples are equally obvious, but not all lawmakers would agree.
Hence, no law.

I would have thought that events of the last election would prompt lawmakers
to block media polling of elections. However, Democrats don't believe in
the bias of the media. Republicans don't believe in more government
regulation. The media put on a big campaign to self-regulate so that the
laws weren't needed. In the end, nobody wanted to pass these laws.

--
Harvey Newstrom <http://HarveyNewstrom.com> <http://Newstaff.com>



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