Sunday, June 22, 2014

Conservative group says Ban on Lying in Political Ads "chills core political speech."

Get this: A right wing conservative group, anti-abortion’s Susan B. Anthony List, is fighting to keep lying in campaigns a protected free speech right. In defense of lying, the group said a legal ban “chills core political speech.”

Republicans think lying is at the core of political speech. I’m loving this:
Fox News: A national anti-abortion group wants a federal court to block an Ohio law barring people from recklessly making false statements about candidates seeking elective office. The Susan B. Anthony List filed a motion Friday in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati, asking that the law not be enforced … the motion says the statute violates free speech rights and "chills core political speech."
Highest Court on Board with Lying:
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously Monday that the group could challenge the law, raising doubts about whether Ohio's law and similar ones in other states can survive complaints that they violate free speech rights.

The anti-abortion group challenged Ohio's ban when it … planned billboards attacking then-U.S. Rep. Steve Driehaus in 2010 … accused him of supporting taxpayer-funded abortion with his vote for Obama's health care law … The billboard owner feared threatened legal action by Driehaus and declined to post the ads.
Truth in Advertising: This law made the system work, discouraging lies from being used to falsely sell bad products. But smear political candidates? But that’s the catch; you can lie about who governs our country, but can’t lie about consumer products.
FTC: When consumers see or hear an advertisement, whether it’s on the Internet, radio or television, or anywhere else, federal law says that ad must be truthful, not misleading, and, when appropriate, backed by scientific evidence. The FTC looks especially closely at advertising claims that can affect consumers’ health or their pocketbooks.
But shouldn't that include politicians who would directly affect our health and pocketbooks too? Political ads are made to “sell” the candidate to the public, just like cereal.

And if lying is determined to be a free speech right in political advertising, what’s to stop this new "right" from repealing our truth in advertising laws altogether?

The Lazy Press: Does ObamaCare fund abortions with taxpayer money? The news article never said. Why?
The anti-abortion group during the 2014 midterm elections plans to criticize members of Congress who voted for the health care law. The group maintains that its statement about … abortion is true … The Obama administration has steadfastly denied that.
A quick Google search: No taxpayer money pays for abortions. A separate fund paid for by the insured can be provided by insurers on the exchange, depending on state laws. 

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