President Obama has nominated Tom Wheeler to be the new FCC chairman. But Ted Cruz doesn't even want the Senate to vote on that nomination, so he has blocked any vote. Is it because he thinks Wheeler is unqualified for the job? No -- just the opposite. He thinks Wheeler might actually act in the best interests of U.S. citizens.
Cruz says he wants assurances that if approved, Wheeler won't act to require more disclosure of who is providing the money for political ads. Cruz's spokesman said:
“Yes, the Senator is holding the nominee until he gets answers to his questions regarding Mr. Wheeler’s views on whether the FCC has the authority or intent to implement the requirements of the failed Congressional DISCLOSE Act.”
That's right. Cruz doesn't want the American people to know where the money is coming from to pay for political ads. He wants those donations to remain secret. Cruz says he is acting to protect free speech. But this is not a move to protect free speech. It is a move to protect secrecy in politics -- the very antithesis of what is needed in an open democracy. He wants the rich (usually right-wing nut-jobs) to be able to buy the government they want, and do it without the knowledge of the American people.
Why would Cruz do such an abominable thing? Because he is planning to run for president in 2016, and he knows where most of his funding will come from to do that. It won't come from small donations from a lot of citizens, but from a few massive donations from rich right-winger like the Koch brothers -- and he doesn't want the voters to know that.
Cruz's action is anti-democratic, and it needs to be quickly stopped.
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