From the Wall Street Journal’s Political Diary E-mail — good news!!
It isn’t every Tuesday that DailyKos and the Heritage Foundation find common cause, but that was the case after a Federal Election Commission ruling this week that exempts political bloggers from rules governing political organizations. The decision, great news for bloggers, also highlights the proliferation of chronic whiners that the campaign finance laws have produced. Politicians and their allies increasingly are resorting to lawsuits and regulatory complaints in an attempt to silence opponents and critics.
In this case, the whining was done by a Hillary Clinton supporter who complained that a pro-Obama blog called "Iowa True Blue" was working hand-in-glove with the Obama campaign. The FEC found the two were not coordinating their efforts, but even if they had been, the agency said it wouldn’t have been a violation of the rules. Blogs fall under the "media" exemption of the campaign laws, just like when a newspaper quotes campaign materials or talks to campaign staffers or even champions a candidate.
DailyKos, the influential ultraliberal blog founded by Markos Moulitsas, applauded the decision but still noted fears that "political opponents would file frivolous complaints against Web sites in order to try and shut them down." David Mason of the Heritage Foundation says the ruling means "bloggers are free to engage in politics." But the agency must still codify new regulations to implement its ruling, so don’t be surprised by more battles to come over preserving freedom of speech in the land of McCain-Feingold.
— Collin Levy