More on the FEC 527 Decision

Brad Smith has an editorial in today's LA Times, with this to say at the end about the efforts of groups like Swift Boat Veterans and Moveon.org:

Certainly some didn't like what one group or the other had to say. But isn't the point of the 1st Amendment that we hear these messages and make up our own minds, without the government telling us whom to believe or silencing voices before we hear them?

If last week's fines have the desired effect, in future elections we will not hear from groups such as the Swifties or MoveOn. Instead, there will be issues not raised, points of view not heard. The funny thing is, we voters won't even know who is not getting to speak or what issues are not being raised. Politicians who want to "control their own campaigns" will find this to their advantage. But how this is an advantage for democracy, I'm not sure.