I saw recently that The Nation has brought a new voice to its lineup of columnists, that of Zephyr Teachout. Her most recent column asserts convincingly that "America Needs a New Free Speech Movement". In the process of that article she presents some relevant omissions in the '60's understanding of the issues as well as some misguided policies of the American Civil Liberties Union, which I formerly supported without reservations.
For instance, she points out that the ACLU "has repeatedly filed briefs on behalf of Big Tech, defending Silicon Valley’s freedom to act as unaccountable monopolists, claiming that the state has no right to regulate the design of big tech, even if that regulation would make it more content-neutral."
Even more shocking to me: The ACLU "was also a strong supporter of the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United, filing a brief stating that corporations should have the right to spend unlimited money in elections." That is certainly out of step with an informed understanding of the roll of money in politics, and a guarantee that the ACLU will get no more support from me in the absence of a clear course correction.
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