Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a twice-failed presidential candidate, echoed cynical calls from Democratic politicians for regulation and censorship of social media platforms.
On a Saturday interview with CNN host Michael Smerconish, Clinton railed against the First Amendment, praising New York and California for their harsh crackdown on free speech and calling for similar “national action.” She specifically beseeched, “We need to have guardrails. We need to have regulation.”
Clinton expressed apparent fear that if broader regulation of speech on Big Tech platforms is not implemented on a national level, “[i]f they don’t moderate and monitor content, we lose total control.”
Clinton rebuked Section 230, calling it “overly simple” and went on to demand harsher “judgment“ for content posted on social media platforms. “We should be, in my view, repealing something called Section 230, which gave platforms on the internet immunity.”
Dan Schneider, vice president of Free Speech America at MRC, responded to Clinton’s comments with dismay. “Hillary Clinton certainly understands that the current law is flawed, but her prescription is designed to silence over half of Americans, those of us who disagree with her radical views. Section 230 must be amended, but in a way that prevents the censorship of constitutionally-protected speech.”
Schneider continued, “Clinton’s ultimate problem is her hatred of democratic forms of government. She hates that the hairdresser in Topeka and the pizza delivery guy in Des Moines get as much say as she does about who the next president of the United States will be.”
Clinton’s comments echo recent anti-free speech remarks made by leading Democratic and leftist figures like Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), former Secretary of State and Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and leftist billionaire Bill Gates calling for censorship.
ICYMI: John Kerry Rails 1st Amendment ‘Roadblock’ to Hammering Free Speech ‘Out of Existence’
Clinton’s latest complaints drew outrage from several pro-free speech individuals on X. Former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Twitter Files journalist Michael Shellenberger, and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) expressed their discontent with the recent dialogue surrounding free speech.
"Hillary said it: when you allow free speech, ‘we lose total control.’ People like Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris do not believe in the First Amendment because they see it as an obstacle to achieving their real goal: ‘total control,’” Gabbard wrote.
Kennedy Jr. responded to Clinton’s comments with an X. “Hillary Clinton is correct. They would lose total control.” Shellenberger echoed Kennedy, posting on his timeline, “They appear to be laying the groundwork for totalitarianism. Our democratic republic is in danger.”
Hillary said it: when you allow free speech, “we lose total control.” People like Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris do not believe in the First Amendment because they see it as an obstacle to achieving their real goal: “total control.” https://t.co/euQJgAVxV4
— Tulsi Gabbard 🌺 (@TulsiGabbard) October 5, 2024
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