Playahata

In their desperation to score political points, members of Congress are handing companies like AT&T and Comcast unlimited power to block popular websites and services, and interfere with our ability to connect with others.

Thursday, the House leadership passed the “Resolution of Disapproval” (see below). It’s now en route to the Senate. President Obama has vowed to veto this resolution, but let’s make sure it doesn’t get that far. Please sign this letter to tell both your senators to “Save Free Speech Online.”

After you’ve signed, please share this action via Facebook and Twitter. (more…)

Media Misreading Midterms: As usual, press urge a move to the right

With the Democrats suffering substantial losses in Tuesday’s midterms, many journalists and pundits were offering a familiar diagnosis (Extra!, 7-8/06; FAIR Media Advisory, 2/3/09): The Democrats had misread their mandate and governed too far to the left. The solution, as always, is for Democrats to move to the right and reclaim “the center.” But this conventional wisdom falls apart under scrutiny.

For months, the problem for Democrats was correctly identified as the “enthusiasm gap”–the idea that the progressive base of the party was not excited about voting. The exit polls from Tuesday’s vote confirm that many Democratic-tending voters failed to show up. How, then, does one square this fact with the idea that Obama and Democrats were pushing policies that were considered too left-wing? If that were the case, then presumably more of those base voters would have voted to support that agenda. It is difficult to fathom how both things could be true. (more…)

There is disturbing evidence that Ms. Christine O’Donnell has been living off campaign funds and improperly living in the home that serves as her office. Her illegal use of campaign funding requires that a thorough investigation be done, into the Delaware senatorial candidate for both her improper use of campaign funds for her personal support and for submitting false reports to the Federal Elections Commission.