Senate votes on the Fairness Doctrine...and guess what...

Today the Senate voted to prevent the FCC from reinstating the fairness doctrine 87-11, 1NV. So you would think that is great, right? Here are the votes:
U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 111th Congress - 1st Session

as compiled through Senate LIS by the Senate Bill Clerk under the direction of the Secretary of the Senate

Vote Summary

Question: On the Amendment (DeMint Amdt. No. 573 )
Vote Number: 71 Vote Date: February 26, 2009, 02:30 PM
Required For Majority: 1/2 Vote Result: Amendment Agreed to
Amendment Number: S.Amdt. 573 to S. 160 (District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2009)
Statement of Purpose: To prevent the Federal Communications Commission from repromulgating the fairness doctrine.

Vote Counts: YEAs 87
NAYs 11
Not Voting 1

NAYs ---11
Bingaman (D-NM)
Conrad (D-ND)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Harkin (D-IA)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kerry (D-MA)
Reed (D-RI)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Sanders (I-VT)
Whitehouse (D-RI)

Not Voting - 1
Kennedy (D-MA)

But watch what the Democrats in the senate do. They turn around and pass the DURBIN amendment which "promotes diversity" in other words they just voted FOR the exact same legislation they had previously voted against. (57-41, right down party lines) Why? So when election time rolls around they can thump their chest and say "I voted AGAINST the Fairness Doctrine...before I voted FOR the Fairness Doctrine" This goes to the House next.

I don't care if you are liberal or conservative, left or right wing or square in the middle, please understand how dangerous this is to our right to speak out without fear of retribution from the government. What will happen if the voices of talk radio are silenced? What will happen if the pundits on TV are silenced? This will apply to everything, not just political programs. What about religious broadcasting networks? Will they be forced to give equal time to atheists or other opposing points of view? Are we in danger of having federally controlled television, newspapers and radio?

Narrow it down to right here in our blogging community, what will happen if we are silenced and blogging sites are monitored for any activity that might be considered by the government to not promote diversity. What if the federal gov't comes shuts any of us down because in their judgement we aren't using the public airwaves for the public interest. Well, who determines the public interest? The people of the United States...or will it be the federal government?

I know we disagree on very many things, but surely we can all agree that anytime the gov't gets in the business of telling people what they can write, or read, or say then that has to become our line in the sand, the point beyond they must not advance.

U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 111th Congress - 1st Session

as compiled through Senate LIS by the Senate Bill Clerk under the direction of the Secretary of the Senate

Vote Summary

Question: On the Amendment (Durbin Amdt. No. 591 )
Vote Number: 70 Vote Date: February 26, 2009, 02:04 PM
Required For Majority: 1/2 Vote Result: Amendment Agreed to
Amendment Number: S.Amdt. 591 to S. 160 (District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2009)
Statement of Purpose: To encourage and promote diversity in communication media ownership, and to ensure that the public airwaves are used in the public interest.
Vote Counts: YEAs 57
NAYs 41
Not Voting 1


YEAs ---57
Akaka (D-HI)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Begich (D-AK)
Bennet (D-CO)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Burris (D-IL)
Byrd (D-WV)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Conrad (D-ND)
Dodd (D-CT)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Gillibrand (D-NY)
Hagan (D-NC)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kaufman (D-DE)
Kerry (D-MA)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Kohl (D-WI)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (ID-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
McCaskill (D-MO)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Merkley (D-OR)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schumer (D-NY)
Shaheen (D-NH)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Tester (D-MT)
Udall (D-CO)
Udall (D-NM)
Warner (D-VA)
Webb (D-VA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)

NAYs ---41
Alexander (R-TN)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bond (R-MO)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burr (R-NC)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Collins (R-ME)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johanns (R-NE)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Lugar (R-IN)
Martinez (R-FL)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Risch (R-ID)
Roberts (R-KS)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (R-PA)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Wicker (R-MS)

Not Voting - 1
Kennedy (D-MA)
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=1&vote=00071