Another Candidate Campaigning Against SOPA Supporter: Jack Arnold

from the keep-'em-coming dept

On Friday we posted about Karen Kwiatkowski running for Congress against Rep. Bob Goodlatte in Virginia using SOPA as a key campaign point. With Goodlatte being one of the key supporters of SOPA this makes a lot of sense. Soon after we posted that, we heard from Jack Arnold (and from his campaign, separately), noting that he's running against Rep. Marsha Blackburn in Tennessee and is also using SOPA as a key campaign issue. His "common sense" writeup about SOPA is absolutely worth reading. Here's a snippet:
As SOPA is drafted at present, no thinking person could possibly support it. It would give unheard-of censorship power to the Department of Justice and would have numerous foreseeable negative consequences. For example, it would cripple the internet as it exists today and would remove Google, Yahoo and Bing from their positions as market leaders in internet searches in favor of less-restricted foreign search engines. Plainly, this would move U.S. jobs overseas.

Worst of all, Congressman Marsha Blackburn claims (in public) to be staunchly anti-regulation, but she co-sponsored this bill. The same woman who is so “anti-regulation” that she leapt to the defense of Gibson Guitar’s right to use foreign endangered lumber instead of the home-grown kind – literally jumping in front of an ongoing federal investigation – now finds herself to be regulation-loving. The same politician who is in the fore of (correctly) lambasting Eric Holder’s mismanagement of The Fast and the Furious wants to turn over our right to use the internet to the management of the same man.

What gives? Well, the answer isn’t hard to find. We’re coming up on an election year. Some heavy-hitting lobbyists are behind SOPA: the MPAA and other media conglomerates, including ones that own record labels, pay their D.C. firms well. And these big corporations and interests are tired of seeing their bottom-line eroded by the theft of their products. These corporations, like Gibson and its Brentwood CEO, have deep pockets and are spreading around a lot of free cash and campaign ads to get the most draconian version possible of an anti-piracy law through Congress. Congressman Blackburn isn’t the only co-sponsor they bought. This bill has a total of 31 of them, from both parties.
I expect that, as other candidates pop up around the country and realize that the incumbent they're challenging is actively supporting a bill that would enable censorship of the internet, hurt the American economy and put online security at risk, we're going to see plenty of others campaigning on this issue as well.
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Filed Under: censorship, copyright, free speech, jack arnold, marsha blackburn, pipa, protect ip, sopa


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  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 3 Jan 2012 @ 10:20am

    How could this pass in an election year? Something tells me that no this will not pass in an election year they will wait till after November to ram this through. They will use a lame duck congress with lures of lucrative K street positions.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 3 Jan 2012 @ 10:24am

      Re:

      ...lures of lucrative K street positions.

      Those K street positions may be a seller's market: Unless things change drastically between now and November, we're looking at a massacre.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    John Doe, 3 Jan 2012 @ 10:32am

    Hope the election year is enough to put this off

    I am sure they wanted it passed late last year to avoid scrutiny and to avoid election year speaking points. But now that it is an election year, maybe that will be enough to derail this legislation until people can get the word out about how bad it is and how it will affect everyone.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 3 Jan 2012 @ 10:36am

    his comment about supporting net neutrality (if he's referring to the legislation) suggests that he doesn't really understand all internet related issues and might be using SOPA as a tool to win.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 3 Jan 2012 @ 10:41am

      Re:

      Did you actually read his position? "I don’t want anyone shutting down the internet: not corporations (that’s why I support net neutrality, unlike Congressman Blackburn) and not the U.S. government (that’s why I oppose SOPA as it’s written today). Right now, the internet carries the promise of bringing democracy back to our broken electoral system. Defending a return to democracy – in place of a cash-driven special-interest system like the one we have now – should be something that transcends the political left or right and unites us all."

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        bjupton (profile), 3 Jan 2012 @ 11:42am

        Re: Re:

        Hmmm, I might have found only my 3rd candidate in my lifetime I'd be willing to spend some money for.

        That sounds promising.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          Anonymous Coward, 3 Jan 2012 @ 1:14pm

          Re: Re: Re:

          Hmmm, I might have found only my 3rd candidate in my lifetime I'd be willing to spend some money for.

          That sounds promising.


          How'd the last todo work out for you?

          link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          Anonymous Coward, 3 Jan 2012 @ 1:16pm

          Re: Re: Re:

          Hmmm, I might have found only my 3rd candidate in my lifetime I'd be willing to spend some money for.

          That sounds promising.


          How'd the last todo work out for you?

          link to this | view in chronology ]

          • icon
            bjupton (profile), 3 Jan 2012 @ 1:30pm

            Re: Re: Re: Re:

            We'll find out.

            I only made the donations last week.

            And it was only $50 per candidate. One of whom I think that I'd be more than happen to donate real time to, but we're on different coasts.

            link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Robert (profile), 3 Jan 2012 @ 11:06am

    Remember: They are politicians!!!

    That means they will say anything to garner votes. "He-said she-said" is all they know and it is only to garner votes. Once elected, it won't matter who's in office, they'll take their bribes (aka lobby money) and do what they are told.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    anonymous, 3 Jan 2012 @ 11:15am

    being anti SOPA whilst campaigning is all well and good. it's the change of mind they adopt once/if elected and the excuses used for that change of mind!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 3 Jan 2012 @ 11:21am

    President Ron Paul will fix it.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Loki, 3 Jan 2012 @ 11:26am

    And these big corporations and interests are tired of seeing their bottom-line eroded by the theft of their products.

    Completely ignoring the whole "what is/isn't theft" argument, it has been repeatedly shown, in great detail, many other factors besides "piracy" that have a MUCH greater impact on the bottom lines of these corporations.

    I still say the biggest factor is their failure to understand their biggest competition is "piracy" It's THEMSELVES.

    I, personally, own over 1,000+ albums & 18,000+ songs (over 1,000 hours of music), 500+ movies and 100+ seasons of TV shows - all legally purchased. Add in the other member of this household and those numbers easily double if not triple. Clearly I/we don't really NEED to buy their products. What we need is a compelling reason to WANT to buy their products. Too bad they are mostly too busy chasing down people who will never give them money anyways, to take the time to find ways to collect it from people who will give it to them.

    To me, inconveniencing people who WILL give you money, in order to inconvenience people who WON'T give you money regardless, and then bitching that your business is suffering on top of it is neither a good business decision or the product of a rational mind.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      DH's Love Child (profile), 3 Jan 2012 @ 11:37am

      Re:

      ^^^^
      That! a trillion times THAT!

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      ltlw0lf (profile), 3 Jan 2012 @ 3:48pm

      Re:

      I, personally, own over 1,000+ albums & 18,000+ songs (over 1,000 hours of music), 500+ movies and 100+ seasons of TV shows - all legally purchased. Add in the other member of this household and those numbers easily double if not triple.

      I own quite a bit myself which I've purchased (though now-a-days, its hard to know whether the CDs I purchased were legal or not -- I don't know who Amazon/CD Universe/etc. buy them from -- how the industry can expect me to know the entire path of everything I purchased when they can't even keep track of whom they gave promotional information to is beyond me.) I even have repurchased movies/music (how many different copies of Star Wars do I have, and I am thinking of buying the BD version.) I am obviously a bloody pirate.

      Just wish the industry would listen to their customers instead of always calling them pirates and doing everything in their power distance themselves from their customers.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Tony Todd, 3 Jan 2012 @ 11:48am

    We need Democrat Senator names that support SOPA. Both parties are in on this, as they are owned by Hollywood. They will do almost anything Hollywood tells them. However, when they know they will be voted out, they will usually cave in to public pressure.

    Its time to start outing all of Congress members that support SOPA. We cant let any of these scum bags hide in the cracks like the insects they are. We need to start naming Democrat senators that will vote yes to SOPA.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      DH's Love Child (profile), 3 Jan 2012 @ 12:03pm

      Re:

      "However, when they know they will be voted out, they will usually cave in to public pressure."

      Um... no they won't, because they don't think they will be voted out, ever. They pretty much figure that once they have the big companies' support, they are on easy street. Besides, if they get voted out, there is always a good paying position available from one of their "sponsers"

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    gorehound (profile), 3 Jan 2012 @ 12:03pm

    We do not need SOPA/PIPA and I refuse to support any viewpoint that states that we want to censor the Internet.
    Censoring the Internet is wrong.
    I am now "censoring" my wallet from ever giving the MPAA & RIAA a dime.
    If I want to see it bad enough I can wait and be patient and then buy a used physical copy.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Franklin G Ryzzo (profile), 3 Jan 2012 @ 12:05pm

    As SOPA is drafted at present, no thinking person could possibly support it.


    Only January 3rd, and we might already have the understatement of the year. But, in SOPA's defense, currently there are no thinking people that support it. We have lobbyists that do the bidding of their masters... There's the Senators and Congressmen bought by these lobbyists and told what to think... And finally there's the MAFIAA who own the lobbyists and crafted the legislation. The backlash that has happened so far is proof that they clearly have not thought about the long term effects of ever trying to expand their draconian reach and keep from ever having to adapt. Nope, not a single thinking person in the lot!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Beta (profile), 3 Jan 2012 @ 12:50pm

    I agree with you folks -- and I'm running for office

    This is not a reasoned critique of SOPA, and it doesn't predate the net outrage over SOPA. The language of this writeup is weak (quite apart from the sickening abuse of the words "theft" and "literally"), and makes conciliatory nods to the industries who launched SOPA in the first place. It plays on the the most vote-tropic themes (e.g. sending jobs overseas) and doesn't even touch on the deeper principles at stake (e.g. freedom of speech and the right to due process).

    Mr. Arnold is joining the procession at the tail end. He wants votes now, but isn't ruling out accepting money later for supporting an "improved" version of SOPA. He might be worth voting for, but he'll definitely need watching later; a position he can assume when the issue is hot is one he can abandon when it cools off.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    mickeywhite, 3 Jan 2012 @ 3:39pm

    Why does Marsha Want Congress to Regulate the Internet? Why not just say NO FEDERAL branch (the FCC and congress and the federal courts included) has any authority to decide or rule on any aspect concerning the Internet?

    BUT Marsha Blackburn did Vote FOR: Patriot Act Reauthorization, Electronic Surveillance, Funding the REAL ID Act (National ID), Foreign Intelligence Surveillance, Thought Crimes “Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act, Warrantless Searches, Employee Verification Program, Body Imaging Screening, Patriot Act extension; and only NOW she is worried about free speech, privacy, and government take over of the internet?

    Marsha Blackburn is my Congressman.
    See her “blatantly unconstitutional” votes at :
    http://mickeywhite.blogspot.com/2009/09/tn-congressman-marsha-blackburn-votes.html
    Mickey

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 3 Jan 2012 @ 6:35pm

    Here's another candidate against SOPA

    Pete Ashdown (founder of the ISP XMission) is running against Orrin Hatch.

    He's tweeted twice against SOPA:
    http://twitter.com/#!/pashdown/status/136831495464681472
    http://twitter.com/#!/pashdown/stat us/136486469744336896

    And he's got good things to say on his issues page regarding copyright:
    http://peteashdown.org/issues/copyright.html

    Unfortunately, he has a (D) next to his name, which is a major hurdle in this reddest of red states.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 3 Jan 2012 @ 8:37pm

      Re: Here's another candidate against SOPA

      >Unfortunately, he has a (D) next to his name, which is a
      >major hurdle in this reddest of red states.

      I always thought that Utah was full of reds--dirty commies. The sad part is that there ain't much difference between the Chinese communists who support their 1% ruling class and the republicans who kowtow to their 1%.

      link to this | view in chronology ]


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