Dems were for Web 2.0 before they were against it

zenpundit aka Mark Safranski on the congressional Democrats war on Web 2.0

Nor was one of the leading Web 2.0 experts, Clay Shirky, reassured either, writing at

Open House Project: “They can enforce it the way we enforce parking rules, which is to miss most violations, and then bring in draconian enforcement of enough violations to have a chilling effect. This will also allow the Rules Committee to wield enforcement selectively as a stick.” Representative Capuano, who has described the internet as “a necessary evil,” would be one of the enforcers and he is part of a larger Democratic House leadership whose speaker, Nancy Pelosi, also supports a revival of the long-defunct “Fairness Doctrine” that made it unprofitable for broadcast networks to permit robust political expression on air.

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More ominous still would be the precedent of the U.S. government designating “official” external websites — imagine having the power to select “official” newspapers — that would have to hew to House regulations and be as free as possible from political or commercial advertising. Given the ubiquity of blogads, most blogs, bulletin boards, and discussion forums would be shut out of the conversation with our nation’s elected officials. Essentially, Capuano is demanding that the internet adapt itself to the House of Representatives instead of the House adapting to the reality of the internet.

Looks like a good diversion from normal critical DC wealth destroying activities, and baseball steroid and NFL team filming practices investigations,

Comments

[Forg Snud]

Obviously this is a reaction to the effectiveness of disinformation from the right. The Democrats seem to think this is a lot like pump and dump and shady short selling. It's the election equivalent. Accordingly, they think it can and maybe even should be regulated in the same manner.

I think the should simply get better at disinformation. Or better yet, they should get better at being pissed off.

I personally like to bring up fairness doctrine when the right winger types start sputtering about media bias. Well let's fix it then! Let's have a fairness doctrine again! Because these guys are brain-washed by their car radios every morning and afternoon they seem to realize pretty quickly that "fairness" in media is not the answer.