[EL] Check out Ford Pulls Ad Touting Bailout-Free Success, After Calls fr...

Wed Sep 28 07:09:41 PDT 2011

I am perplexed by the Common Cause response to  this.  The First Amendment 
protects citizens from government retaliation  for their political speech.  
So it is a oneway ratchet. All citizens enjoy  this freedom against the 
government and it needs to be zealously guarded. So  this is not the "give and 
take" that "what we expect and welcome in a  free society."  This is 
antithetical to a free society.

    Unfortunately, there appears to be a partisan  response to this event, 
but such "questioning" of political speech by high  ranking governmental 
officials because of it content can occur with any  administration.

    Further, this demonstrates the danger of  "mere-disclosure." Of course, 
Ford cannot avoid it here, but it is inevitable  that government officials 
will want to threaten and intimidate their  perceived "rivals" and those who 
might criticize them. And, as if they needed  the encouragement, CC thinks 
that is just peachy.  Jim Bopp

In a message dated 9/27/2011 11:12:48 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
DEisman at CommonCause.org writes:

One  would think that folks who spend millions of dollars on ads touting 
their  "built Ford tough" trucks wouldn't be so easily  intimidated.

-----------------------
Dale Eisman
Senior  researcher/writer
Common Cause
1133 19th St. NW
Washington,  D.C.
202 736-5788

-----Original Message-----
From:  Smith, Brad [mailto:BSmith at law.capital.edu]
Sent: Tue 9/27/2011 6:13  PM
To: Dale Eisman; law-election at uci.edu
Subject: RE: [EL] Check out  Ford Pulls Ad Touting Bailout-Free 
Success,After Calls from White

I  recall a few years back when reformers just howled and howled and
howled  because Senator McConnell had the gall to urge corporations not
to support  groups that sought to limit their First Amendment rights.
Russ Feingold  took to the floor of the Senate, saying it "smacks of
intimidation."   Reformers were apoplectic. EJ Dionne even wrote a
column. I guess the  "persuasive" power of government isn't so scary when
it's used against the  other guy.

Look, we welcome give and take in ideas. We don't  welcome private calls
by the White House to people in heavily regulated  industries, competing
against government owned companies, suggesting that  maybe they shouldn't
be running their ads.

Bradley A.  Smith

Josiah H. Blackmore II/Shirley M. Nault 

Designated  Professor of Law

Capital University Law School

303 East Broad  Street

Columbus, OH 43215

(614)  236-6317

bsmith at law.capital.edu <mailto:bsmith at law.capital.edu>  

http://www.law.capital.edu/faculty/bios/bsmith.asp
<http://www.law.capital.edu/faculty/bios/bsmith.asp>  

From:  law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu
[mailto:law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu]  On Behalf Of Dale
Eisman
Sent: Tuesday, September 27, 2011 4:34  PM
To: JBoppjr at aol.com; rhasen at law.uci.edu;  law-election at uci.edu
Subject: Re: [EL] Check out Ford Pulls Ad Touting  Bailout-Free
Success,After Calls from White

Since when is  free speech a one-way street? Ford produced an ad that
took a shot at the  President and one of his signature programs. Some of
the President's men  took exception to that. Such give and take is what
we expect and welcome in  a free society. 

If there is evidence the President's friends used or  threatened to use
the government's power  to silence or punish Ford,  let's hear it -
please. All we've got here, so far anyway, is circumstance  and
assumptions.

-----------------------------------------------

Dale  Eisman

Senior researcher/writer

Common Cause -- Holding Power  Accountable

1133 19th St NW

Washington, D.C. 20036

202  736-5788

From:  law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu
[mailto:law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu]  On Behalf Of
JBoppjr at aol.com
Sent: Tuesday, September 27, 2011 2:28  PM
To: rhasen at law.uci.edu; law-election at uci.edu
Subject: [EL] Check out  Ford Pulls Ad Touting Bailout-Free Success,After
Calls from  White

Click here: Ford Pulls Ad Touting Bailout-Free Success,  After Calls from
White House - By Daniel Foster - The Corner -  Nationa
<http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/278478/ford-pulls-ad-touting-bailo
ut-free-success-after-calls-white-house-daniel-foster>   

This is a reprehensible violation of freedom of speech by the  Obama
White House and an example of what will happen to those who  are
"DISCLOSED" to be on the "wrong" side of government policy.  Jim  Bopp

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