Do Campaign Finance Reformers Think People Are Stupid?

The short answer to the question is yes.

Allison Hayward, someone quickly becoming one of my favorite writers and bloggers, argues in a recent Personal Democracy Forum article that all of the regulations promulgated by the FEC and forced down our throats by the campaign finance reformer groups are quite unnecessary. The Federal Election Commission is considering rules about whether or not bloggers would be considered exempt under the press exemption or not.

As Allison notes:

Political pundits and commentators are a unique species called on to wear several hats in the course of doing their jobs. One individual could be an advisor to several campaigns, private interest groups, and be a regular on-air pundit as well as a pithy source of off-the-record information for beat reporters and editorial writers. This accepted state of affairs (at least inside the Beltway) strikes bloggers as supremely unfair.

In the world of public opinion, many people in America seem content to be driven by the opinion leaders of both sides of the aisle. But when a group of bloggers decides to do something that is becoming apprently more and more un-American, that is think for themselves and opine about it publicly, then such activity must be hammered to a halt by the reformers. The thoughts and opinions of bloggers might be--gasp!!!--biased!. You think!! That is the point of a blogger, to spout of one's opinion free of the yoke of newspaper editors and TV producers.

More from Allison:

Washington attorney Bob Bauer – a Democrat who blogs – says bias and connections shouldn’t matter. After all, it's part of the process. “It is not clear why being paid by an interest matters, except to suggest that the argument that the commentator makes should be disregarded. Why, however, should it be disregarded? It might be an excellent argument, even a persuasive one, but the audience is being asked, in the name of ‘bias’ to dismiss it” says Bauer. “By turning to the question of bias or motivation, critics are seeking to steer away from substance to quick, highly personal or reactive judgments about the speaker."

Bauer (another of my favorite reads) hits the nail on the head here. Rather debating, or dismissing, the quality of a bloggers words or ideas, campaign finance reformers what to label all such work as biased and therefore without merit simply because it is posted on a blog. What is next, a warning label required on teh blog: "Warning: This Blog Contains Liberal Biased Content" or "Warning: Conservative content ahead--proceed with caution."

You see, I think groups like Democracy 21 and its leader Fred Wertheimer treat people like idiots, thinking that we cannot determine for ourselves whether or not someone's ideas or viewpoints are biased. People in positions like Wertheimer treat the average guy like an idiot, incapable of rational, civilized thoughts of their own. I for one think that people reading this blog can make the determination for themselves.