Bill Maher postured as a supporter of free speech and expression during last week’s episode of Real Time on HBO.
“Let’s go to free speech, because that’s something we both care about,” said Maher to Breitbart’s editor-in-Chief Alex Marlow on Friday, “And I think it’s under attack from so many quarters in this country.”
Threats to free speech, said Maher, come from President Donald Trump, corporations, and religion:
“[Free speech is] under attack on campuses. It’s under attack by Donald Trump, who threatens reporters all the time. And it’s under attack, as I’m sure you know, by corporations.
…
It’s also under attack with religion.”
Maher made no mention of state restrictions of the First Amendment in listing his perceived threats to the rights to free speech and expression. Also ignored were left-wing and Democratic proposals to repeal the First Amendment. He offered no commentary on leftism’s cultural and institutional spread as a stifling force upon free speech and expression.
Despite posturing as a supporter of free speech and expression, Maher supports state restrictions on the disposal of property toward political speech and expression.
Maher has repeatedly criticized the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, in which a 5-4 vote held that the federal government cannot restrict corporations or unions from spending money to support or criticize candidates for elected office.
On September 11 of 2014, Senate Democrats voted unanimously to rewrite the First Amendment, seeking to empower Congress to restrict political speech and expression under the guise of cleansing politics of corruption.
The Democrats’ proposed rewriting of the First Amendment reads as follows:
Section 1. To advance democratic self-government and political equality, and to protect the integrity of government and the electoral process, Congress and the States may regulate and set reasonable limits on the raising and spending of money by candidates and others to influence elections.
Section 2. Congress and the States shall have power to implement and enforce this article by appropriate legislation, and may distinguish between natural persons and corporations or other artificial entities created by law, including by prohibiting such entities from spending money to influence elections.
Section 3. Nothing in this article shall be construed to grant Congress or the States the power to abridge the freedom of the press.
Democrats frame their push to rewrite the First Amendment as a response to the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.
Despite free speech and expression being incompatible with leftism, Marlow claimed that some leftists support free speech:
“People on the left and the right who are free speech advocates need to come together right now and say, ‘The corporations are not going to define the First Amendment and free speech in this country.’”
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