Astroturf Soon To Be Illegal

Apparently, congressional Democrats are worried about polls calling them do-nothings. So they've decided to do something: Restrict political speech.

The amendment, pushed by Rep. Marty Meehan of Massachusetts, would require groups that organize such grassroots campaigns to register as "lobbyists" and file detailed quarterly reports on their donors and activities. The law would apply to any group that took in at least $100,000 in any given quarter for "paid communications campaigns" aimed at mobilizing the public….

But the First Amendment specifically prohibits Congress from abridging "the right of the people . . . to petition the Government for redress of grievances." The Supreme Court twice ruled in the 1950s that grassroots communication isn't "lobbying activity," and is fully protected by the First Amendment….The idea goes too far even for Sen. John McCain, who voted to strip a similar provision from a Senate lobbying reform bill last January.

Just a quick example of the kind of astroturf–"fake" grassroots–campaigns that would be covered under the law:

Oprah Winfrey operates a website dedicated to urging people to contact Congress to demand intervention in Darfur. If her Web master took in over $100,000 in revenue from Ms. Winfrey and similar clients in a single quarter, he might be forced to make disclosures under the law.

Thank God Congress is keeping us safe from the poisonous influence of money on politics. Sheesh.

More on congressional restrictions on political speech here and here.