I'm not sure if this has been discussed anywhere, but it occurs to me that MoveOn.org could have a civil rights case against CBS.
As my Senator, Mitch McConnell, reminds us, money is free speech. According to the Supreme Court, at least. If that is the case, then anyone with a political message and a few dollars to spend should be granted access to air time. If I want to rant and rave about what companies pollute what, or if I want to make a solid case that Jerry Falwell is the Anti-christ and I have the dough, they have to take it. Don't they?
Sure, they'll try to argue that a certain spot doesn't meet their "network standards," but the irony of them doing so after the Super Bowl debacle is too rich and delicious for a scandal hungry American public to pass up. Besides, didn't they have affiliates that ran the scandalous Saxby Chamblis ads? (Didn't he morph into Osama, or something?) If so, how high could their standards be?
The bottom line is if money truly is free speech, then couldn't a good case be made that CBS violated MoveOn.org and its contributors' civil rights? Maybe I'll give McConnell a call and find out what he intends to do about this.
Mr. Hinky Dink
2-6-04