Fairness Doctrine and Campaign Finance Reform

What do they have in common? Radley Balko will tell you:

This is all thinly-disguised posturing for what's really bothering the senators: They don't like that people are allowed to criticize them on public airwaves.

This is why they continue to pass ever more stringent "campaign finance reform" laws, which at heart are really just laws that prevent people and organizations from criticizing politicians. Supporters of campaign finance reform talk about the corrupting influence of money in politics, but the truth of the matter is that it takes money to criticize a member of Congress in a forum where anyone's going to hear it. Take away the ability of citizens to pool their money to buy television and radio time, and you effectively take away their ability to criticize politicians, at least in a manner that anyone will notice.

All this blather about Fairness Doctrine is nothing more than another attempt to solidify a hold on the reins of power, creating a permanent political class.

In another time, this might have worked, but now it is not only silly, it is stupid and self-destructive. Of course, I don't mind if people like Dianne Feinstein self-destruct their political career.