Rockefeller wants Fox News, MSNBC ‘Off’; also supported DISCLOSE Act

Some politicians just can’t stand it when media get in the way of their business. If you’ve been in Washington for almost half a century, you might just come to view the United States sort of like a big old plantation where the serfs toil and labor on your behalf. Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) appears to be caught up in that mentality because he thinks the Federal Communications Commission should nix Fox News and MSNBC.

Ryan G. Murphy, Digital Media Editor for the Radio Television Digital News Association reported Rockefeller’s remarks. Rockefeller  said, "There's a little bug inside of me which wants to get the FCC to say to FOX and to MSNBC: 'Out. Off. End. Goodbye.' It would be a big favor to political discourse; our ability to do our work here in Congress, and to the American people, to be able to talk with each other and have some faith in their government and more importantly, in their future."

If Rockefeller stopped there, it'd be bad enough. But he just kept talking.

As if that’s not enough, there’s more. Rockefeller also said, "When it comes to developing content, our entertainment machine is too often in a race to the bottom. Even worse, our news media has all but surrendered to the forces of entertainment. Instead of a watchdog that is a check on the excesses of government and business, we have the endless barking of a 24-hour news cycle. We have journalism that is always ravenous for the next rumor, but insufficiently hungry for the facts that can nourish our democracy. As citizens, we are paying a price."

These comments really aren’t surprising. Rockefeller voted for S 3628 (related to HR 5175) popularly called the DISCLOSE Act. In a previous column I called that act a law ‘fit for totalitarians.’

I call your attention to the fact Rockefeller is only concerned about us serfs now that the Democrats lost their super majority in the House in the midterm election.

Rockefeller deserves a thump on his elitist head with a copy of the U.S. Constitution. The FCC cannot legally shut down Fox, Keith Olbermann or the Washington Post.

We should be appalled that a sitting senator would even entertain that sort of idea and bemoan the fact that the U.S. can finally discuss what the de facto plantation masters have been doing up there with trillions of our hard-earned dollars. His party in 4 years of control has set a world class record for spending.

What the Rockefellers of the world don’t like is now we voters can watch what they are doing and hold them accountable. And gee haw—we can even talk to one another about it on Facebook. Imagine that.

Maybe Rockefeller will have a totalitarian dream about social media.

Congress should insist that senator write Amendment One to the Constitution one trillion times.

(Commentary by Kay B. Day/Nov. 18, 2010)

Update on Thursday, November 18, 2010 at 11:25AM by Kay B. Day, Editor

Real Clear Politics has the video of Rockefeller making his anti-first-amendment speech. If his comments don't alarm you, nor would a house on fire. His comments suggest a governing philosophy common in countries led by dictators.

Comments

[Currdog]

What would Rockefeller do about CNN. NBC, CBS and ABC?

[Kay B. Day, Editor]

Currdog, I figure he'd give 'em an award for Democrat advocacy. ;->