CHEMERINSKY VS. TEA BAGGER TED CRUZ

Erwin Chemerisnky is the Dean and distinguished professor of Law, and Raymond Pryke Professor of First Amendment Law, at the University of California, Irvine School of Law and I believe is sometimes a guest on Huge Ego Hewitt's radio show. The Hill just published Chemerinsky's scathing attack on a set of lies told by Sen. Ted Cruz:

Reasonable people can disagree on whether it would be good to amend the Constitution to overcome the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, but Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-Texas) false claims about the proposed amendment have no place in an informed debate. In a series of speeches and writings, Cruz has lied about what the amendment would do.

The proposed constitutional amendment, in its key provision, simply would say: “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.” Another provision would make clear that the government can limit campaign spending by corporations.

It is impossible to reconcile this language with Cruz’s claims about it. In a statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Cruz declared: “This amendment here today, if adopted, would repeal the free speech protections of the First Amendment. . . . This amendment, if adopted, would give Congress absolute authority to regulate the political speech of every single American, with no limitations whatsoever.”

Similarly, in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, Cruz said, the amendment “gives Congress power to regulate—and ban—speech by everybody.” In remarks at the Family Research Council, Cruz declared: “What it [the proposed amendment] says is that politicians in Washington have unlimited constitutional authority to muzzle each and every one of you if you’re saying things that government finds inconvenient.”

Cruz’s repeat statements are more than just political hyperbole. They are false assertions intended to scare people into opposing the proposed constitutional amendment.

Cruz, in his statements about the proposed campaign finance amendment, is far below the most minimal standards of honesty.

Hjalmar Schacht was the Reich-Minister of Economics and President of the Reichsbank. He was acquitted on all 4 counts at the Nuremberg Trial. During the trial, he made this statement:

"I think you can score many more successes when you want to lead someone if you don't tell them the truth than if you tell them the truth."

SOURCE:America's Advocate: Robert H. Jackson, page 424.