Monday, August 09, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

EDITORIAL: Campaign laws

The conservative group Citizens United wants it both ways.

In June, the group asked the Federal Election Commission to rule that ads for Michael Moore's anti-Bush documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" violate the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law, which restricts ads close to presidential nominating conventions and the Nov. 2 election.

But now, Citizens United wants an exemption from that very campaign finance law, so it can run election-time ads for a book by its president, David Bossie, called "The Many Faces of John Kerry: Why This Massachusetts Liberal is Wrong for America."

Citizens United argues it should qualify for a media exemption because it publishes and releases newsletters, position papers, documentaries and books -- while "Fahrenheit 9/11" shouldn't qualify for the media exemption, since it's "anti-Bush propaganda."

Yeah. And "Why This Massachusetts Liberal is Wrong for America" is going to be a paragon of even-handedness?

Citizens United should be ashamed for trying to shut down public access to Mr. Moore's loose-with-the-facts film. The proper course would be to celebrate Mr. Moore's right to say whatever he wants, and then to refute him in the open forum of public debate.

As to the notion that Citizens United needs a bureaucratic ruling, exception or permission to publish and advertise its own book and movie, this only proves what an evil, insidious, and unworkable violation of the Bill of Rights this McCain-Feingold monstrosity is, in the first place.