The article looked to me to be pro-Democrat, anti-Republican, and favored the unthinkable: changing the First Amendment, specifically so that conservatives lose their political voice. There was no mention of why the First Amendment should not be changed and plenty of mention of why it should.

Where are the pro-conservative, pro-Republican articles, essays, or even the discussions on conservative radio over this proposed anti-American amendment? There has been no public debate, now it is all over, and only the Democrats got any traction on this issue — that the Republicans are evil for opposing campaign reform.

No one is rallying the vote for Republican candidates. Instead, they are talking about football and the NFL commissioner. I’m with PeterF on this; the only place that I have seen or heard of this happening is on this site; no one else is discussing it.

The Republicans seem to have voted in favor of discussion of this amendment only to have the discussion turn against them rather than in their favor. They have failed to *do* anything to take advantage of the ability to say, “see? The Democrats are trying to take away more of your rights, but we are here to save the day.” If delaying other action was the goal, it stopped at best only two days of such progress, while putting our precious free speech rights at risk — and what was being delayed that is worth risking our most important of rights? It seems that the Republicans have risked our freedom of speech to create an opportunity — only to squander it.

The Democratic base is already in favor of shutting up any opposition to Democrat policies, beliefs, or tyrannical takeovers, and they have no problem in exercising shut-uppery, even if it goes against everything that America has stood for for most of a quarter millennium. I was in Berkeley (ironically, home of the Free Speech Movement, celebrating 50 years, this year) when they shouted down Jeane Kirkpatrick as she gave a speech on campus in the early 1980s, so they are willing to go against their own precious Free Speech Movement in order to suppress conservative’s free speech rights.

Now, students across the country are so bold about shutting down conservative speech that they make sure that other prominent conservatives who are likewise invited to speak on campuses are *disinvited*. They see nothing wrong with disinvitating conservatives after an invitation has been accepted, because it is more important to shut them up than it is to be civil.

There are many other tactics employed to shut up conservative speech:
http://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/essays-and-commentaries/what-ever-you-do-dont-shut-up

There once was a time when we Americans were taught the phrase, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” (said by Evelyn Beatrice Hall, but often misattributed to Voltaire) Today’s American students seem to be taught: think liberal, otherwise shut up. This hideous amendment proposal as well as this article reinforce that attitude.

This “discussion” over this proposed heinous amendment failed to result in the promised win for the Republicans. Once again, they were out maneuvered, and the Democrat base has yet another reason to be against conservative speech and to get out and vote Democrat in November. But this article presented no reason why Republicans or conservatives should do anything to protect the First Amendment.