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Friday, May 20, 2011

Colbert Bumps Into “Free Political Speech” Laws

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703421204576329642637361406.html

“Campaign-finance laws are so complicated that few can navigate them successfully and speak during elections—which is what the First Amendment is supposed to protect. As the Supreme Court noted in Citizens United, federal laws have created "71 distinct entities" that "are subject to different rules for 33 different types of political speech." The FEC has adopted 568 pages of regulations and thousands of pages of explanations and opinions on what the laws mean. "Legalese" doesn't begin to describe this mess.”

2 comments:

  1. "Stephen Colbert" cannot violate any laws because he is a fictional character, albeit played by an actor named Stephen Colbert.

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  2. I don't even follow him. But he was complaining about "unlimited corporate money" in elections, and lo and behold, when he tried to set up his own PAC, he found out that simply wasn't the case.

    Rich and successful television personality needs powerful corporate lawyers to convince the FEC to allow him to continue making fun of the Supreme Court. Hilarious.

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