Sen. Wendy Rogers pushes bill to give politicians more free speech than you

The Republicans who control the Arizona Legislature apparently aren’t much into the U.S. Constitution.

And they don’t do the First Amendment much. Or free speech much.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t be in the process of passing Senate Bill 1106, which, in simple terms, would give political candidates more free speech than regular people.

What free speech is (and is not)

Amendment No. 1 of the Constitution doesn’t exactly say that.

In fact, it doesn’t say that at all.

GOP lawmakers want to prohibit privately owned social media sites from “deplatforming” a candidate for what the site considers to be inappropriate, unverified or even false statements.

The only thing that could impact a candidate’s ability to publish is if a post violates the federal Communications Decency Act. Any other action against a candidate’s posting could result in a fine of $250,000 a day for the site.

Senators demand transparency: As they run from public view

Again, do these people Constitution much?

In America we all get to say what we want in public. That’s free speech.

But we don’t get to tell the owners of a website or publication or TV station or radio station or social media site that we must be permitted to say anything we want on the media platform they own.

No one is guaranteed a platform

The bill is sponsored (no surprise here) by Sen. Wendy Rogers, who said, “This legislation seeks to reinforce the First Amendment, especially for political speech, which, I … from personal experience, can tell you, is a higher bar than even regular speech.”

Actually, no, it’s not.

In fact, Rogers has done more to lower the bar for free speech than just about anyone in Arizona, cozying up to white nationalists, spreading QAnon lunacy, backing Alex Jones over the parents of murdered children in Sandy Hook, and even tweeting a photo of herself next to a dead rhino branded with the Star of David.

Rogers was censured by her colleagues after speaking at a gathering of white supremacists where she called for public hangings and used antisemitic tropes, like calling the president of Ukraine a “globalist puppet” of billionaire George Soros.

She’s also pushed the racist “great replacement” conspiracy popular with white supremacists, who say white Americans are being replaced by immigrants.

Rogers gets to spew that garbage because Americans have free speech. But that doesn’t mean the owner of a social media site should be forced to share it.

Why does Rogers want special treatment?

She can post her bile on her personal website. Or stage a press conference. Or host a town hall. Or send out a newsletter.

Free speech doesn’t mean you get to scribble hate messages on my driveway.

Or, as a lobbyist for social media platforms told the Arizona Senate, “The act compels online businesses to host content they otherwise removed, or restrict even highly objectionable content that is not appropriate for all viewers. And it gives special treatment to certain speakers like political candidates, even ones who spread unlawful, violent or hateful content.”

Weird that tough talkers like Rogers would whine about needing special treatment, isn’t it?

I mean, could you imagine that individuals who spend so much time spreading “hateful content” would be such snowflakes?

… Actually, yeah. I can, too.

Reach Montini at ed.montini@arizonarepublic.com.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Sen. Wendy Rogers wants to give politicians more free speech than you