Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

A Few MA Dissenters on “Broadcast Decency”

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(Part of my occasional series of posts highlighting Congressional votes where the Massachusetts delegation was interestingly split, or where Massachusetts stood out from the crowd – or, in this case, both.)

Last week, the US House passed S.193, the “Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act”, increasing FCC penalties for “indecency” on the air.

“If […] such violator is determined by the FCC to have broadcast obscene, indecent, or profane language, the amount of forfeiture penalty shall not exceed $325,000 for each violation or day of such violation, to a maximum of $3 million for any single act or failure to act.”

The vote in the house was a lopsided 379-35.  The 35 nay voters includes some of the House’s most prominent progressives, such as Bernie Sanders (who made Vermont the only state with no yes votes), Dennis Kucinich, Barbara Lee, Zoe Lofgren, Maxine Waters, Henry Waxman, Jim McDermott, and John Conyers.  Among those 35 were three from our state:

  • Barney Frank (MA-4)
  • William Delahunt (MA-10)
  • John Olver (MA-1)

Massachusetts stands out with a 30% nay vote on this attempt to enforce morality.  Aside from Vermont (1 nay) and Nevada (split 1 vote for and 1 against), the only other state with a significant nay vote was California, where 12 members voted against this censorship measure – that’s 24% of their delegation, 26% of those who voted on this bill.

Only one Republican joined 33 Democrats and Independent Bernie Sanders to oppose this bill: Libertarian Ron Paul of Texas.

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Comments

  1. then they wouldn’t screw up our nation so badly.

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    p>
    Ron Paul knew this war in Iraq was a bad idea back in 2003.

    TO: Why haven’t more people seen through this effort to link Hussein to the war on terrorism?
    RP: It seems that those who advise the president, those who control foreign policy, need another war for various reasons: whether it has to do with the oil or this principle that we are such good people that we know what is best; our views should dominate. I think they believe it almost like a religion. What has happened is that they have been able to control the propaganda. Even if there are some in Washington who have questioned this–and many of them did question it–the propaganda has been so powerful. All [Congress] had to do was look at the polls and say, “Oh, the polls show that we must do this.” I have told others, and I am convinced that if Bill Clinton was doing exactly what the president is doing today, I bet I wouldn’t be a lonely Republican. I bet I would have a lot of Republican supporters on my side…. But now it’s a Republican president, and he can do no wrong.

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