The Bitch Is Dead

Justice Scalia was never so revered by left wing radicals in New Hampshire as he was yesterday.  In Wednesday morning’s Union Leader amendment ghost writer and former New Hampshire Democrat party chairman Kathy Sullivan threw down 789 words in defense of political profiling, several of which quoted Justice Scalia.  This to validate her new three ring circus approach to controlling registering paid political speech participants in the Granite State.  Not long after the paper hit the front porch, Democrat State Senator Maggie Hassan the amendment “sponsor,” is reported to have invoked Scalia as well. 

What are the odds that the two radical leftists who colluded on the construction and deployment of a heavy-handed amendment designed to intimidate paid political speech would call upon the wisdom of the same Supreme Court Judge on the same subject, in the same way--if not exactly the same words--within hours of each other? 

I guess complex liberty-choking amendments to legislation are not the only thing they collaborate on. 

Scalia’s words, no doubt sounding empty coming from the mouth of Maggie Hassan did not change the original party line vote.  The State Senate passed the bill (watered down but still poisonous amendment in tow), on a party line vote 14-10 with the same 14 democrat Senators voting to stifle speech again.

But the New Hampshire House was not as impressed.  The House, no doubt moved by words coming from closer to home, killed the amendment and the bill 184 to 135 with some 80 representatives ‘not voting,’ an intolerable number on an issue of such magnitude. 

Democrat Jim Splaine, a reliable liberal vote under other circumstances, continued to press against the changes. 

“I find it shameful that the Senate has already approved this today, and I would be sad if the House went along,” Splaine urged. “We’re creating a bureaucracy that does very little, but create hoops and loops for groups. If all of the “T’s” are not crossed and all of the “I’s” are not dotted, they’ll be brought into court.” 

And Splaine has it right.  The legislation is not just about disclosure.  It would give lawyers like Sullivan, with a penchant for using the legal process to intimidate opponents, the ability to skip past the AG and file legal suit against anyone who even appears to have missed a hoop.  Sullivan wrote it that way, and the democrat bloated conference committee made sure that provision survived the reconciliation process. 

So the Hassan amendment had a very specific purpose.  It would complicate any corporate act of political speech with plenty of chutes and ladders—scaring off more than a few people in the process.   It would also open up the threat of legal action against anyone who dared to speak and might have missed a chute or a ladder.  And according to Sullivan, the regulations would expire at the end of 2012 unless renewed, so it was specifically designed to give the democrats a political speech advantage (media corporations and unions did not appear to be affected--you know, first amendment rights and all) until after the 2012 presidential elections.  Is that transparent enough for you?

And now that bitch of an amendment is dead, thanks to bloggers, and House Reps, and Activists Oh my!  But we best not forget who supported it and why.

And while Maggie Hassan and Kathy Sullivan might not think so, I believe Justice Scalia would be proud of us today.