Kerry Refutes Own Point

Via Matt Drudge comes this YouTube video (which shows a still shot during a voice recording, at least for me) of John Kerry calling for a return to the "Fairness" Doctrine.

Note two things: (1) He is whining about the "squeez[ing] out and squeez[ing] down [of] opposing views" with the repeal of the "Fairness" Doctrine and Equal Time; and (2) His insipid opinion is available to all comers over the Internet at all hours, and for free. This is what he calls being "squeezed out"?

He is plainly wrong about "opposing views" being squelched, as the wide availability of his own remarks attests. And yet he (and numerous other Democrats) continue floating this proposal. If they are right that the American electorate is so dumbed-down that they will get away with this, we are all but cooked. (And thanks to generations of socialized "education", they may be correct.)

Plainly, the Left can be heard -- by those who want to hear them. Their desire for Equal Time is basically to force everyone to have to hear their opinions at all times. Consider the snidest, most obnoxious person you have ever wasted time "debating": Try to make a point and get interrupted mid-sentence. Actually succeed and get treated to numerous dishonest and wholly irrelevant objections. Convince any bystanders anyway and get personally smeared for your trouble. And on top of that, if they can get you into trouble with the authorities on some pretext, watch your back!

Most of us who understand the vital importance of free inquiry and actual debate learn to avoid such types whenever possible after some experience. We look for worthier opponents and more sophisticated audiences.

When I think of Equal Time, I think of some of the more acrimonious debates of my youth. This attempt to resurrect it and the "Fairness" Doctrine is essentially an attempt to force, by government fiat, anyone who isn't a leftist to have to talk past the kind of snide moron I just described any time he wants to be heard.

Under a renewed "Fairness" Doctrine, the Democrats hope to bring debate back down to the adolescent level they are accustomed to, thereby making it so distasteful and troublesome that it becomes an activity that few psychologically healthy people will care to undertake.

-- CAV