Debbie Stabenow Wants 'Hearings' For Fairness Doctrine Censorship

Check out this exchange between Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and radio host Bill Press:

BILL PRESS: Yeah, I mean, look: They have a right to say that. They’ve got a right to express that. But, they should not be the only voices heard. So, is it time to bring back the Fairness Doctrine? SENATOR DEBBIE STABENOW (D-MI): I think it’s absolutely time to pass a standard. Now, whether it’s called the Fairness Standard, whether it’s called something else — I absolutely think it’s time to be bringing accountability to the airwaves. I mean, our new president has talked rightly about accountability and transparency. You know, that we all have to step up and be responsible. And, I think in this case, there needs to be some accountability and standards put in place. BILL PRESS: Can we count on you to push for some hearings in the United States Senate this year, to bring these owners in and hold them accountable? SENATOR DEBBIE STABENOW (D-MI): I have already had some discussions with colleagues and, you know, I feel like that’s gonna happen. Yep.

First, it is a well-known fact that attempts to bring back censorship under the guise of a "Fairness Doctrine" are nothing more than attempts to squelch the opposition's point of view.

But even more interesting is that Stabenow want hearings on the issue.

I say: "Bring it on!"

I'll bet that Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Laura Ingraham, Monica Crowley and Mark Levin will have a five-way fist fight to see who will be the first to march into those hearings and rake those Senators over the coals.

The conservative talk radio hosts who do show up and testify will expose every hypocrisy and every double-standard people like Stabenow hold. For example, why does Stabenow want "fairness" brought to talk radio but is perfectly willing to allow programs like Today Show, Good Morning America, Larry King and newspapers like The Washington Post and New York Times, to continue to be biased towards the leftist-liberals?

That is exactly the type of hypocrisy that would be highlighted during these hearings.

Further, talk radio hosts will bring to the fore-front many stories that television and print media largely ignored. For example, why did the media give Obama a pass for his relationship with the racist Reverend Jeremiah Wright but came down so hard on Sarah Palin for her main-stream religious views? Why was Obama not fully vetted by the media while an Army of reporters stormed Alaska looking for any dirt they could find?

These and other issues will come to light if Stabenow really does hold these hearings.

I say: "Let's do it! Let's start peeling back the onion!"

It would be one of the best things to happen in America in a long time.

You can access the transcripts and a video on-line here:

Sen. Stabenow Wants Hearings On Radio 'Accountability'; Talks Fairness Doctrine
Michael Calderone
The Politico
February 5, 2009

Decision Time And An Open Letter To McCain's Detractors

It's been almost a week since Mitt Romney bowed out and the vitriol against John McCain that has been coming from the right has steady flowed non-stop, almost to the point of becoming a sort of derangement syndrome. Frankly, the Dems couldn't have asked for a better scenario than that, especially since their contest may actually come down to the Convention and who has control over the superdelegates. Such a situation could tear the Dems apart and seriously hamper their efforts in the final two months before November.

Lt. Col. Oliver North reminds us that the same thing can happen to the GOP and that the voter turnout numbers in the Dem and GOP primaries are not encouraging. From his latest column:

My "colleagues" in the so-called mainstream media gladly roll their cameras and recorders for those who assert that "McCain is not a real conservative" or who say, "I can never support him," and the ones claiming, "I just won't vote this year." It is, for me, a disheartening display because I have, as we say in the Marines, "been there -- done that." After I won the 1994 Republican nomination for a U.S. Senate seat in Virginia, I naively assumed that all in the GOP would pull together behind my conservative candidacy. I clearly don't know much about politics. If I did, I'd be writing this from my U.S. Senate office instead of my home in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains. But at the trade school John McCain and I attended in Annapolis, Md., they did teach me how to count. I lost by a narrow margin in a three-way race. Some of those who were with me then are among those who now say they won't support John McCain.

I remember that race. I couldn't vote in it because I was living in Maryland at the time but I do remember how it turned out. The same thing could very well happen to the GOP if we don't unite.

Lt. Col. North goes on:

Worse still, since this election cycle began last year, the Democrats have raised more money than the GOP, and in the primary balloting that began last month, Democrats have turned out more voters. These numbers matter because they reflect the energy and commitment of the opposing parties in this year's presidential contest.

And this begs a question: Where were all the GOP voters who claim they could only support a Conservative during these past primary elections and on Super Tuesday? It seems as if there are more anti-McCain Republicans than there were people who actually showed up to vote in the primaries! How did that happen?

For some reason, the more Conservative candidates such as Duncan Hunter, Tom Tancredo and Fred Thompson had fewer supporters than the more liberal candidates McCain, Romney, Huckabee and Giuliani. Where were these Conservative "values voters" when the voting happened in places like Florida? I can't tell you where those people were when the polls opened, but I can tell you where they were not: voting or campaigning for a Conservative candidate.

Thus, my belief is that it is not one single person or one faction of the GOP that brought us to where we are now. We all share in this responsibility either by commission or by omission. Now, we need to deal with the reality of that collective responsibility.

Lt. Col. North is right: the most logical way to deal with it is to unite.

You can access the complete column on-line here:

Decision Time
Lt. Col. Oliver North
GOPUSA.com
February 12, 2008

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And along this line of reasoning, we have an open letter from Jack Kemp to radio personalities Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Laura Ingraham and columnist Ann Coulter. Jack writes:

The mistakes he alluded to in his CPAC speech reflect humility going forward that is encouraging to those of us like me, Steve Forbes, Ted Olsen, former Sen. George Allen and other conservatives who wanted to see in him a genuine desire to work with, and listen to, some of the original Reaganites. ... Collectively, you have all pointed out some of his faults (and failures), but overall, McCain is a genuine American hero, an 82.5 percent conservative, according to the American Conservative Union, and a man whose courage and tenacity are well-chronicled. You gave him your best shots and he took it like a man. Now, as he heads toward the nomination, I urge you to continue to be critical, but to do so in measured ways that will not damage his ability to win in November against those who would weaken our nation's defense, wave a white flag to al-Qaida, socialize our health-care system, and promote income redistribution and class warfare instead of economic growth and equality of opportunity. With Supreme Court appointments to be made in the near future and attacks mounting on traditional family values, it's critical to our cause to have a candidate who can appeal to Reagan Democrats and independent voters who share our world view. The stakes are enormous, and I urge you to put the McCain candidacy into historical perspective and recognize that he isn't just a bulldog of the Senate, but that he can become the lion of the 21st century.

We all know what the alternative is. Is anyone seriously willing to risk that?

I'm not.

You can access the complete column on-line here:

An Open Letter To Rush, Sean, Laura, Ann, Mark, et al.
Jack Kemp
TownHall.com
February 11, 2008