Is Waxman really making us pay for this?

From The American Spectator...

"... Others on the Democrat side are pushing ahead with other plans. Rep. Henry Waxman has asked his investigative staff to begin compiling reports on Limbaugh, and fellow radio hosts Sean Hannity and Mark Levin based on transcripts from their shows, and to call in Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin to discuss the so-called 'Fairness Doctrine.'
Limbaugh isn't the only one who needs to be made uncomfortable about what he says on the radio," says a House leadership source. "We don't have as big a megaphone as these guys, but this all political, and we'll do what we can to gain the advantage. If we can take them off their game for a while, it will help our folks out there on the campaign trail."

Say freedom of speech? Will he try to use the FCC to pressure owners of radio stations? Will he try to change ownership rules? If the Democrats take the Whitehouse and keep or enlarge their majority in the house, what can we expect?

Olberman? What's that?

Keith Olbermann Admits MSNBC Is Liberally Biased
By Noel Sheppard | September 15, 2007 - 12:54 ET

The idea that cable network MSNBC is liberally biased is certainly no stunning revelation. However, when one of its foremost liberal hosts, Keith Olbermann, admits it on the air, that is truly something to behold.

Such actually occurred Thursday evening, and was captured for posterity by Real Clear Politics' Blake Dvorak (h/t NBer SMGalbraith, video available here courtesy Olbermann Watch with thanks to NB reader Damien G.).

To set this up, Democrat presidential candidate John Edwards bought some advertising time on MSNBC Thursday evening to respond to President Bush's address to the nation concerning Iraq. After the ad finished, Olbermann disgracefully said the following:

AdvertisementI don't want to be diverted by talking about commercials in the middle of the show but, Rachel, why on earth did he buy that commercial? I don't think I'm saying anything unknown to the audience, I don't think he would have gotten a hard time from this particular network. Why on earth did we do it that way?

Fascinating, wouldn't you agree? After all, here was a highly-paid newscaster asking an Air America radio host why a Democrat presidential candidate would bother spending money advertising on his network when everyone knows how biased it is.

As Dvorak noted (emphasis added):

Here's Olbermann, as an anchor, saying that his network -- as opposed to his show, or himself, or his panel -- would not have given Edwards a "hard time." MSNBC leans left, of course, but you're not supposed to admit it, you're not supposed to say, "We give Democrats an easier time than Republicans."

Naturally, this isn't a surprise, coming from Olbermann. But are there any execs at MSNBC who are slightly upset that Olbermann just trashed their objectivity as a news network?

Apparently not, Blake.

*****Update: Allah accurately points out, "Imagine Olby’s reaction to O’Reilly saying the same thing here about a Republican candidate. He’d have to do a special two-hour episode of Countdown just to allot himself enough time for all the invective." How true!

—Noel Sheppard is an economist, business owner, and Associate Editor of NewsBusters

Right Jean Marie--there should be no government involvement in the marketplace of ideas and speech.
We relinguished only some of our rights some time ago when it comes to porn but it was generally accepted as a good thing by society at large to restrict it to be sold away from churches and schools.
But political speech was in large measure the very thing our founding fathers were addressing in the Bill of Rights.

There ya go, Dawno--right on the nose (no personal pun intended for Mr. Waxman).

Newsbusters works well for me--msnbc does not.

Dawno said:

BTW - I'd feel the very same way about a Republican using his staff to "investigate" liberal media bias.

Click to expand...

Me too and I would pull my donations. Freedom of speech is what writing is about to me and I have to believe most all writers.

Beware of the misinformation from Media Matters--a specialty of theirs. Alter? Brock? Umm. No thank you.