But a majority expects Congress to try to pass it anyway:
47% Oppose Fairness Doctrine, But 51% Think Congress Likely To Bring It Back
Just 38% of U.S. voters think that the government should require all radio stations to offer equal amounts of conservative and liberal political commentary.
Forty-seven percent (47%) oppose government-imposed political balance on radio stations, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Fifteen percent (15%) are not sure which course is better.
These findings are a dramatic nine-point drop-off in support for the Fairness Doctrine from a survey last August when 47% said the government should require all radio and television stations to offer balanced political commentary.
Hot Air this morning linked to an interview with David Axelrod where he declined to make talk of suppressing free speech via “the Fairness Doctrine” an instant non-story. On the one hand, I would like to think that the current administration is not so foolish as to think that trying to institute a program that will instantly galvanize every Red-represented-by-Blue district in the country (it’ll galvanize the regular Red districts, too, but that’s another issue) is a good idea, but apparently just over half of the country disagrees with me on that. On the other hand, they probably have a point. On the gripping hand, it’s entirely likely that the President will have effectively no say in the deliberations: the last three weeks have demonstrated that Obama has no meaningful control over Congress at all. Speaker Pelosi probably needs to have this fight in order to throw her liberal base a bone, and carrying a President who doesn’t bring anything to the table will be a burden she’ll be unwilling to bear…
Moe Lane
PS: “What about Obama’s personal charisma and ability to move a crowd?” I hear you ask. Well, I don’t know: why don’t you go call Rep. Aaron Schock (R, IL-18) and ask him about how scared we should be about that?
PPS: In fact, keep an eye on this guy.
Crossposted at Moe Lane.
Moe Lane
Steve Maley
Dan McLaughlin
Neil Stevens
Daniel Horowitz
I'm tired of polls
DerKrieger (Diary) Sunday, February 15th at 6:39PM EST (link)If I’ve learned only one thing in my last 20 years of being a political junkie it is that most Americans know very little about the issues. How many of those polled know what the Fairness Doctrine is, what it would do if reimposed, why the Democrats support it, or even what party is pushing for it? I believe one of our most serious political problems is the stunning ignorance of most voters. They have simply no idea what the issues are, who supports what and why, or how any given issue affects them personally. As Rush says” ignorance is our most expensive commodity.”
I would like to see the voting age returned to 21 and Senators once again elected by state legislatures. Not likely to ever happen but I beieve both would benefit more informed voting.
“In questions of power, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.” – Thomas Jefferson
“I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents.” – James Madison
Whenever the legislators endeavor to take away and destroy the property of the people, or to reduce them to slavery under arbitrary power, they put themselves into a state of war with the people, who are thereupon absolved from any further obedience.” — John Locke, 1690
Congress Doesn't Care About Public Opinion
JX12 (Diary) Sunday, February 15th at 7:44PM EST (link)One would think that if public opinion had any bearing, the so-called stimulus package would have had a significantly harder time passing – if at all. I personally think Congress knows they’re overreaching, and are attempting to do so as early in this session as possible in the hopes that most voters will have forgotten about it come November 2010. They probably wish this is how they had handled things in Jan-Feb 1993.
Be prepared for the same lack of concern over public opinion when the amnesty issue is once again placed on the table for consideration. Emboldened by their stimulus victory despite calls to Capitol numbering over 100 to 1 against it, they’re not going to be deterred during the amnesty debate either. They will likely get more than just Specter, Snowe, and Collins to go along with them on it, too (about that – I’m an Arizonan, and I look forward with great anticipation to the senatorial primary in 2010 in hopes that a viable and worthy challenger will emerge).
But I digress.
I don’t say all this because I’m depressed about it (I’m not so much depressed as disappointed in what has become of the soul of this nation that we would send people like the current crop of lawmakers to Washington in the first place – although I’m encouraged by the unified stand of the House Republicans, and am confident we can win it all back later). I’m just stating what I perceive to be fact. Congress will do the bulk of their overreaching now, in order to have it way behind them by the time the next election rolls around.
Many voters, however, will not forget. Mark my words on that. There’s still the 20% of disgruntled conservatives who voted FOR Obama (never mind all those who just stayed home this past November) who I’m sure are making notes, taking names, and will be ready to pounce on the ballot in 2010. And this fact – along with whatever national security disasters surely await us down the road due to Democrat foreign policy – is the 800 lb gorilla in the room.