How The Right Disguises Their Quest For Power As Free Speech

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How The Right Disguises Their Quest For Power As Free Speech

Postby admin » Thu Apr 28, 2022 10:42 am

How The Right Disguises Their Quest For Power As ‘Free Speech’ Protest
by Chris Hayes
MSNBC
Apr 27, 2022

Chris Hayes on what “free speech” means on the American right: “It is all about control—control over speech platforms and control over institutions that the right used to think were on ‘their side,’ but now believe are on ‘the other side.’”



CHRIS HAYES: GOOD EVENING FROM NEW YORK, I'M
CHRIS HAYES.
THERE IS ALMOST NO MORE
CONTESTED PHRASE IN AMERICA
THAN FREE SPEECH.
IN FACT, FREEDOM OF SPEECH HAS
BEEN, WELL, CONTESTED FOR
MILLENNIA, SINCE THE ANCIENT
GREEKS FIRST INTRODUCED THE
CONCEPT, AT LEAST IN THE WESTERN CANON, 2500 YEARS AGO.
AND OF COURSE THE FIRST
AMENDMENT TO OUR CONSTITUTION PROTECTS FREEDOM OF
SPEECH, FREEDOM OF THE PRESS
AND, IN PRACTICE, WELL, IT GETS
PRETTY COMPLICATED.
AS LEGENDARY REPORTER A.G. LIVELY
WROTE IN THE NEW YORKER, 1960, "FREEDOM
OF THE PRESS IS GUARANTEED ONLY
TO THOSE WHO OWN ONE."
PRETTY SMART THING TO SAY.
IT CARRIED ON FOR THE DECADES.
BECAUSE WE ARE NOW SEEING THAT
EXACT PRINCIPLE PLAY OUT BEFORE
US.
THIS ACTIVE DESIRE TO OWN A
PRESS, TO CONTROL FREEDOM OF
THE PRESS, FROM SOME ON THE
RIGHT, TO CONTROL WHO GETS TO
SPEAK AND HOW UNDER THE GUISE OF FREE
SPEECH.
THAT IS WHAT THE CELEBRATION OF
BILLIONAIRE ELON MUSK BUYING
TWITTER IS ALL ABOUT.
>> TWITTER!
IT'S IN ELON MUSK'S HANDS, CAN
YOU BELIEVE IT?
>> THIS ONE IS A VICTORY FOR
FREE SPEECH.
>> AND HE MAY IN FACT SAVE THE TOWN
SQUARE.
>> IT COULD BE A PIVOT POINT IN
OUR HISTORY.
ELON MUSK BELIEVES IN FREE
SPEECH.
HE THINKS EVERYONE SHOULD BE
ALLOWED TO TALK.
>> PEOPLE SHOULD BE FREE TO SAY
WHAT THEY WANT TO SAY WITHOUT
JUST BEING SHUT DOWN, SILENCED
AND CANCELED, JUST BECAUSE IT
DOESN'T FIT THE FAR-LEFT
NARRATIVE.
CHRIS HAYES: THEY WANT EVERYONE TO BE
FREE, TO SAY WHAT THEY WANT TO
SAY.
EVEN IF, IN THE CASE OF DONALD
TRUMP, THEY USE THE PLATFORM TO
INCITE A DEADLY RIOT, LIKE
TRUMP DID BEFORE HE GOT KICKED OFF TWITTER.
BUT, OKAY, FINE, EVERYONE
CAN JOIN.
EVERYONE CAN SAY WHAT THEY WANT TO
SAY AND SPEAK OUT.
BUT WELL, IT GOES BEYOND THAT.
LISTEN TO THIS RIGHT-WING RADIO
HOST SUGGESTING MUSK SHOULD
FIRE THE EMPLOYEES AT TWITTER, ALMOST ALL OF THEM,
BECAUSE OF THEIR VIEWS,
THEY SHOULDN'T BE ABLE TO SAY
WHATEVER THEY WANT, TO BELIEVE WHAT THEY BELIEVE,
THEY SHOULD BE PUNISHED
FOR THEIR BELIEFS.
>> MUSK NEEDS TO COME IN AND NEEDS TO
FIRE EVERYONE.
I MEAN, EVERYONE.
AND TWITTER HAS HUNDREDS, IF
NOT THOUSANDS OF EMPLOYEES.
THERE HAVE BEEN STUDIES DONE OF
THE DONATIONS, THE POLITICAL
DONATIONS OF THE PEOPLE WORKING
AT TWITTER.
98.7% OF ALL DONATIONS FROM THE
PEOPLE WORKING AT TWITTER,
WENT TO DEMOCRATS IN THE LAST
ELECTION CYCLE.
HE SHOULD REVIEW THE EMPLOYEE
LIST AND FIGURE OUT WHO IS GOOD
AND WHO IS BAD.
NOT PURELY ON THE BASIS OF
POLITICS, BUT ON THE BASIS OF PERFORMANCE.
AND THE GOOD NEEWS IS, MANY OF THESE EMPLOYEES ARE
ALREADY SOUNDING OFF ON ELON
MUSK.
AND THEY HAVE GIVEN HIM A GOOD
EXCUSE TO FIRE THEM.
CHRIS HAYES: OH, THAT'S INTERESTING.
A POLITICAL PURGE BUT MAINLY ON THE
BASIS OF MERIT.
BUT ALSO A POLITICAL PURGE
BUT ALSO, IF THEY SOUND OFF ON
ELON MUSK, WHICH IS THAT THEY
SPEAK FREELY THEIR VIEWS, AXE
THEM.
THAT'S WHAT IT IS ABOUT.
RIGHT?
IT SHOWS IT'S ALL ABOUT
CONTROL.
CONTROL OVER SPEECH PLATFORMS,
CONTROL OVER INSTITUTIONS THE RIGHT USED TO THINK WERE ON THEIR SIDE,
AND NOW BELIEVE ARE ON THE OTHER
SIDE.
WE ARE ACTUALLY SEEING THIS PUT
INTO PRACTICE.
NOT JUST THE WHINING OR ECSTASY
ABOUT ELON MUSK, WHICH IS
FRANKLY A LITTLE BIT WEIRD AND PARASOCIAL.
BUT IN A WAY THAT IS NOT JUST A
VIOLATION OF THE FIRST
AMENDMENT BUT LOOKS DOWNRIGHT THUGGISH AND
AUTHORITARIAN.
AND THAT IS IN FLORIDA, WHERE
THIS IS BEING MADE INTO POLICY,
WHERE REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR RON
DESANTIS RECENTLY SIGNED INTO A
LAW A MEASURE PASSED BY THE
REPUBLICANS IN BOTH HOUSES
BANNING TEACHERS FROM
DISCUSSING SEXUAL ORIENTATION
OR GENDER IDENTITY IN EARLY
ELEMENTARY CLASSROOMS.
NOW OPPONENTS DUBBED IT "THE DON'T SAY
GAY LAW"
IT HAS ATTRACTED A LOT OF
CRITICISM, INCLUDING FROM
FLORIDA'S LARGEST PRIVATE EMPLOYER,
DISNEY, WHICH ISSUED A
STATEMENT VOWING TO SUPPORT
EFFORT FOR THE LAW TO BE REPEALED BY THE LEGISLATURE OR
STRUCK DOWN IN THE COURTS.
OKAY, SO THAT'S JUST DISNEY SAYING, WE
DON'T LIKE THIS LAW. RIGHT?
FREE SPEECH! HA HA.
WELL, LAST WEEK FLORIDA
REPUBLICANS RETALIATED,
REVOKING DISNEY WORLD SPECIAL
TAX STATUS, A PRIVILEGE DISNEY
HAS HELD FOR 55 YEARS,
EFFECTIVELY ALLOWING THE
COMPANY TO SELF GOVERN IT'S
25,000 ACRE THEMEPARK COMPLEX.
NOW AGAIN, THEY DIDN'T EVEN REALLY
PRETEND THERE WAS SOME
OTHER POLICY REASON.
THIS WAS PURE PAYBACK.
YOU CRITICIZED US, WE ARE
TAKING AWAY YOUR TAX STATUS.
AND THERE IS A NAME FOR THAT, IT IS
VIEWPOINT DISCRIMINATION, AN
ESTABLISHED CONCEPT IN FIRST
AMENDMENT JURISPRUDENCE.
THE STATE CANNOT TREAT A PERSON OR ENTITY
DIFFERENTLY SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY DO NOT
LIKE WHAT THEY SAY.
IF FREE SPEECH MEANS ANYTHING,
IT MEANS THAT.
LET'S IMAGINE IF THE FLORIDA
LEGISLATURE PASSED A LAW SAYING
THAT ANYONE WHO PUBLICLY
CRITICIZES THE DON'T SAY GAY
BILL HAS TO PAY A SPECIAL TAX
PENALTY OR DOESN'T QUALIFY FOR
CERTAIN TAX BENEFITS.
OBVIOUSLY, UNCONSTITUTIONAL.
OBVIOUSLY COMPLETELY INIMICAL
TO THE SPIRIT OF AMERICAN
DEMOCRACY.
BUT THAT IS NOT REALLY THAT
DIFFERENT FROM WHAT THEY DID TO
DISNEY.
AGAIN, THIS IS LAW.
THIS ISN'T PEOPLE WHINING ON
TWITTER, IT'S NOT SOME PRIVATE COMPANY
SAYING, YOU ARE BANNED.
AND OF COURSE, RON DE SANTIS
RUSHED TO SIGN THAT PUNISHING
BILL, THE ONE THAT PUNISHES
DISNEY, SO THAT HE COULD DON HIS
POPULIST COSTUME AND SHOW OFF
HIS PERFORMATIVE ANGER AT
CORPORATE AMERICA ON THE
CORPORATE MEDIA, FOX NEWS.
>> THEY PLEDGED THEMSELVES TO
MOBILIZE THEIR CONSIDERABLE
CORPORATE RESOURCES OUT OF THE
COFFERS OF THIS BURBANK,
CALIFORNIA-BASED CORPORATION,
TO OVERTURN THE RIGHTS OF
PARENTS IN THE STATE OF
FLORIDA.
AND EFFECTIVELY COMMANDEER OUR
DEMOCRATIC PROCESS.
AND SO THAT OBVIOUSLY IS
SOMETHING THAT WE VERY MUCH
OBJECTED TO.
I JUST STAND WITH THE PEOPLE.
I STAND AGAINST A LOT OF MEDIA
AND A LOT OF BIG CORPORATIONS.
CHRIS HAYES: SO, THIS IS WHY HE DID IT,
OBVIOUSLY.
JUST, TO BE CLEAR, WHAT DISNEY
SAID IS
THEY WERE GOING TO MOBILIZE
AGAINST THE LAW IN THE POLITICAL
SPACE.
WHICH AGAIN, REPUBLICANS AND
THE REPUBLICAN RIGHT-WING
JUDICIARY ARE THE ONES WHO GAVE
US CITIZENS UNITED, GRANTING
LIKE THE FULLY UNFETTERED ABILITY OF
PRIVATE ENTITIES TO DO WHATEVER THE HECK
THEY WANT.
BUT IN THEIR EAGER RUSH TO
PENALIZE DISNEY, DE SANTIS AND THE REPUBLICAN
LEGISLATORS APPARENTLY DID NOT
NOTICE A PRETTY BIG ISSUE WITH THEIR PUNISHMENT.
THE MIAMI HERALD REPORTS
"AN OBSCURE PROVISION IN STATE
LAW SAYS THE STATE COULD
NOT DO WHAT LEGISLATORS WERE
DOING, REVOKE DISNEY'S SPECIAL TAX STATUS,
UNLESS THE DISTRICT'S BOND DEBT WAS PAID
OFF.
DISNEY, HOWEVER, NOTICED AND
QUIETLY SENT A NOTE TO ITS
INVESTORS TO SHOW IT WAS
CONFIDENT THE
LEGISLATURE'S ATTEMPT TO
DISSOLVE THE SPECIAL TAXING DISTRICT
WAS NOT LEGAL.
ANOTHER FLORIDA LAW STIPULATES
THAT IF THE DISTRICT WAS DISSOLVED
BY DEFAULT
THE COUNTY WOULD ASSUME IT'S
DEBT. SO THE TWO FLORIDA COUNTIES
WHERE DISNEY IS LOCATED WOULD
INHERIT UPWARDS OF ONE BILLION DOLLARS IN
BOND DEBT.
NOW, LET'S JUST BE CLEAR HERE.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, BIG
BUSINESSES AND CORPORATIONS,
THEY HAVE A RELIABLE FRIEND IN
RON DESANTIS.
HE RECENTLY TOUTED HOW HE IS
"PROTECTING THE FREEDOM
FLORIDIANS NEED TO DO BUSINESS AND
DRIVE ECONOMIC SUCCESS."
THAT IS PART OF WHAT MAKES THIS ALL SO
DISINGENUOUS BUT ALSO BEWILDERING.
BECAUSE, AGAIN, IT'S NOT ABOUT THE
CONCENTRATION OF CORPORATE
POWER, RIGHT?
IN CORPORATE AMERICA.
IT'S NOT ABOUT FREE SPEECH
PRINCIPLES.
IT IS ACTUALLY JUST A
PROTECTION RACKET.
STRAIGHT-UP.
IN MAGA CONSERVATISM,
EVERYTHING IS RUN WITH THE
MINDSET OF MAFIA BOSSES OR AUTOCRATIC LEADERS.
YOU ARE EITHER WITH US OR
AGAINST US.
WE HAVE THE POWER AND WE ARE
GOING TO USE THAT POWER TO GO
AFTER YOU UNLESS YOU DO WHAT WE
SAY.
AND THAT IS FUNDAMENTALLY OFFENSIVE
TO BASIC CORE, CHERISHED AMERICAN IDEALS.
AND IT IS EVERYWHERE AND ON THE RISE, ALL OVER
THE AMERICAN RIGHT.

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