There exists a loophole in the Federal Communications Commission rules that requires stations to run campaign ads in the weeks ahead of a primary election—regardless of content.. In the 45 days ahead of a primary and 60 days ahead of a general election, candidates for federal office can run whatever they want on local stations, as long as they pay for the airtime. Randall Terry, noted fuckwit and conservative dickbag, has declared a candidacy for the sole purpose of exploiting this rule. He’s going to run ads featuring aborted fetuses during the Super Bowl.

 

There are a number of issues raised by this. I’ll attempt to cover them all, but I’m sure I’ll miss some. Such is the nature of something as marvelously multifaceted as this.

 

Let’s get the visceral emotional response to someone running ads featuring aborted fetuses on prime time television. Yes, it’s going to upset people. Yes, it is a particularly low blow in the war against women. Women who see this who have had abortions and have emotions about that fact  are likely to suffer some psychological damage as a result, and frankly, that’s what people like Terry are aiming for. They don’t think these grisly images actually deter people from having abortions. Instead, they think that they can attack and shame women who have already made that choice. They’re doubtlessly right in some cases. Good for them. So there’s the most obvious issue.

 

More interesting to me is what this brings up about campaign finance reform. I’ve long maintained that one of the biggest steps to reforming our entire political process is providing free airtime, in equal quantities, to all candidates. Money runs all engines in our political landscape, and a huge portion of the money any candidate raises goes to advertising airtime. Only by removing that element from the equation can we start to see an electoral and political process dominated by ideas. Until then, we’re going to keep hearing wild Mad Lib versions of what the talking heads think will appeal to the money.

 

Related is the fact that any candidate can air anything they want if they can afford it. On the face of it this statement is absurd enough, but when you think about it for even a moment, it becomes so deeply wrongheaded it actually boggles the mind. That this loophole exists is a naked acknowledgement of the fact that the rules only exist for those without money, and that our process is no more than a joke. All you have to do to broadcast anything, anything you want, during this period of time,  is have money and be technically a candidate for office.

 

I’m not going to lie. I do find it appalling that there’ll be fetuses broadcast during prime time. I do find it upsetting that this loophole makes uncomfortable statements about our political process. But mostly? I’m really depressed that I’m not wealthy enough to take advantage of it and show Randall Terry what the possibilities really are.

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