Apparently, MSNBC's Tucker Carlson is getting fed up with hearing Democrats talk about the need for reinstitutiing the Fariness Doctrine.
All those that agree say "aye."
With this in mind, on Thursday evening, Carlson absolutely demolished the absurd positions his guest, Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-New York), was espousing for the need to bring back this archaic doctrine that was thrown out by a court back in 1987.
Unfortunately, Hinchey and his ilk live in the past concerning free speech on the airwaves, and Carlson adroitly exposed his many hypocrisies with this opening question (video available here, h/t Hot Air):
How exactly is Congress' intervention going to make it more fair, open and honest? As I understand it, your idea is, to force television stations to put certain political views on the air. Am I misunderstanding that?
Astoundingly, here was the Congressman's answer (better fasten your seatbelts):
The fact is, that the broadcast spectrum is owned by the general public, it's not owned by any individual or any corporation. And when people turn on their television, not cable, but the broadcast system openly, they should have an opportunity to get all forms of ideas and various opinions. All forms of opinions, so that people can make decisions for themselves, not have those decisions rammed on them by anyone else.
Anybody notice a flaw in the Congressman's position? As Carlson asked about television, not radio, the Congressman was actually suggesting that television viewers - not cable viewers - don't have "an opportunity to get all forms of ideas and various opinions."
In reality, I quite agree with the Congressman, for on the broadcast networks, Americans are only getting ideas from the left. Somehow, this got passed Hinchey.
Yet, the best hypocrisy was still to come when the Congressman actually uttered the following:
If you own a television station or a radio station, you have every right to put your opinion on. But if somebody else has an alternative point of view or alternative opinion, because the broadcast spectrum is owned by the general public, not by you as the owner of a station, then you have the responsibility to put anothers' points of view out there, too.
Carlson smelled blood:
OK. So if I say, the holocaust took place, many people in this country believe that it did not take place. So I'm required to put a holocaust denier on?
Delicious. Absolutely delicious. In fact, one could make the case that any point anyone wants to make, someone with an opposing view has to be allowed on the air regardless of how absurd or repulsive their position.
And, as unbelievable as it might seem, Hinchey actually espoused such a ludicrous idea:
Any particular point of view that you have, if somebody has an alternative point of view, then there is a responsibility to give that point of view an opportunity to be heard.
Unbelievable. Imagine that. A Congressman believes that any view being presented on television and radio should offer those with an alternate opinion the opportunity to be heard regardless of how absurd or baseless.
Do you think the Congressman actually believes this nonsense, or just sees how this would benefit his Party?
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-s...es-ny-congressmans-fairness-doctrine-position
