Apparently Liberals Only Hate Free Speech If It’s Not Theirs

by Austin Petersen

Hollywood Liberals Unwittingly Make The Case For Citizens United

by Luke Wachob

A pair of recently announced projects from prominent Hollywood democrats further complicates the Left’s strained relationship with Citizens United, the 2010 Supreme Court decision that reaffirmed the right of corporations and unions to spend money engaging in political speech. Despite initially denouncing the opinion as a victory for plutocrats and big business, big name Democratic supporters aren’t shy about harnessing corporate funds to get their own message out, with the biggest winners of the decision being Democratic candidates.

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Bill Maher, a liberal comedian and host of HBO’s “Real Time With Bill Maher”, announced plans to use his show to attempt to unseat one Republican Congressman in the 2014 elections. Maher may sound like he’s poking fun at politics when he says he will be “entering into the exciting world of outright meddling with the political process,” but the project he’s calling the “flip the district” campaign sounds a lot more serious than satire, promising to target a competitive race featuring a particularly outrageous incumbent. “We want the chance to win,” said Scott Carter, the show’s executive producer.

Just weeks prior, Harvey Weinstein announced on the Howard Stern show that he will be making an entire film to promote his views on gun control. Explaining the project, Weinstein said: “I don’t think we need guns in this country. And I hate it.” He went as far as saying the NRA would “wish they weren’t alive after I’m done with them.”




Both Maher and Weinstein will rely on for-profit corporations to produce and distribute their openly political speech, putting the so-called “campaign finance reformers” they once openly supported in a tough spot. But will the “progressives” call out two of their own for “corrupting” politics with big corporate money, or just cheer on Maher and Weinstein’s anti-Republican and anti-gun messages?

They don’t sound very credible denouncing corporate money’s role in politics with one breath and asking for a ticket to the multimillion-dollar anti-gun movie at Regal Cinemas with the next.

Luke is the McWethy Fellow and Policy Analyst at the Center for Competitive Politics.

 

Austin Petersen is a homegrown Missourian with a lifelong passion for liberty. He grew up on a horse farm in Peculiar, Missouri and went on to attend Missouri State University, graduating with a degree in the Fine Arts. After developing a career in media in both New York City and Washington, D.C., he returned to Kansas City, MO, the city he now calls home. In 2016, Petersen appeared on the national stage as a candidate for president of the United States. He took second place in the crowded Libertarian primary behind Governor Gary Johnson and ahead of cyber security maverick John McAfee. During his campaign, Petersen earned many high-profile conservative endorsements, including Mary Matalin, Erick Erickson and Leon Wolf of RedState.com. Petersen also brings decades of professional experience in a wide variety of fields, from content production and media to business and political activism. He is the owner and chief executive of Stonegait LLC, a consulting firm specializing in photo and video services. He was also the director of production at FreedomWorks and an associate producer for Judge Andrew Napolitano’s show “Freedom Watch” on the Fox Business Network. Additionally, Petersen has a national following as a commentator and professional pundit. He is the founder of The Libertarian Republic, a powerful online news source for the public that receives an average of 1 million unique visits monthly and whose podcast, The Freedom Report, receives an average of one million monthly downloads. He is also a frequent contributor on television, appearing on Fox News, Fox Business, CNN, MSNBC and on dozens of local radio shows.

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