Durbin's Disregard

Fresh from voting to quash workers' right to a secret ballot in union elections, a move fortunately forestalled by the Republican congressional minority, last week Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Il) also pushed to stomp on free speech by reviving the "Fairness Doctrine". Background from The Hill. WSJ "Fairness Follies" 6/29:

Radio airwaves aren't ideological, but conservatives tend to dominate the talk genre. Perhaps this is because conservative listeners have few other broadcast media outlets, or perhaps their leading radio lights are simply better. Liberal talkers have tried to compete but have mostly flopped, led by Al Franken and Air America.

This seems to frustrate Democrats, whose response is that if you can't join 'em, shut 'em up by restoring the Fairness Doctrine. California's Dianne Feinstein floated the idea on "Fox News Sunday" this week. And Dick Durbin of Illinois said the doctrine needs to be reinstituted because "I have this old-fashioned idea that when Americans hear both sides of the story, they're in a better position to decide."

Puh-leeze. The talk-radio market has flourished as a counterpoint to the liberal-filtered MSM, and so has democracy. And let's pull the government subsidy plug on PBS radio and TV and see how many ordinary Americans want to listen to that elitist liberal drivel Durbin so seems to love.

Durbin shows an elitist's disregard for the free flow of ideas. Perhaps he's not up to the debate.

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