Emphasis on "Loser"
Poor Steve. He's not taking his defeat very well. Let's go back in time for some background on this story.
In October, the Susan B. Anthony List, a pro-life PAC, announced plans to erect billboards in Driehaus's district, criticizing him for flip-flopping on Obamacare, and voting for the bill, even though it would allow federally funded abortions. Driehaus, who is supposedly pro-life, filed a complaint with the Ohio Elections Commission, accusing SBA List of falsely claiming that he supports such abortion funding.
Meanwhile, the Ohio law used to file the complaint is being reconsidered as to whether it violates the First Amendment. Driehaus's attorney threatened the billboard company, Lamar Companies, and the billboards were never erected. After he loses the election, Driehaus effectively dropped the complaint with the OEC.
Fast forward to December. Driehaus is now suing SBA List for defamation and "loss of livelihood". Give. Me. A. Break.
Driehaus is wrong in so many ways here.
1. Regarding Obamacare, SBA List is right. Several other pro-life groups agree that the health care bill will allow for taxpayer funding of abortions, including the National Right to Life Committee, Ohio Right to Life, and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
2. This is a clear violation of free speech. If we cannot criticize our government officials, we might as well pack it up and move to Cuba. Driehaus wants to be the only one allowed to describe his vote to you, while punishing any others who offer a different version. Even the ACLU weighed in on this, and defended SBA List.
“The people have an absolute right to criticize their public officials, the government should not be the arbiter of true or false speech and, in any event, the best answer for bad speech is more speech,” the ACLU Ohio’s amicus brief noted.
3. SBA List did not deprive you of your livelihood. The voters did.
4. Rep. Driehaus, if you describe your job in Congress as your "livelihood", then you absolutely needed to be kicked out of Congress. The people of your district did not elect you to give you a livelihood. They did so because they thought you would represent them.
Congressman, you called yourself pro-life, and then you betrayed the unborn and the voters of the 1st district. Take your loss like a man. You cast the votes that led to your defeat. And you paid the price.
Good riddance.
Could not agree more. Driehaus was not without his political talents but he voted the wrong way and paid the price. Game over Steve. The voters told you; now the courts soon will too.
ReplyDeleteSteve Driehaus is a typical democrat who believes in the double-standard: one for me and another for everyone else.
ReplyDeleteA highlight of my year was election day -- I was calling registered Ohioans in District 1 until nearly 6:50 pm to urge a vote for Chabot.
As noted in the article, good riddance.