Bernie Sanders And Rand Paul Find Moment Of Agreement On Free Speech Amendment

Forbes Breaking News

At Wednesday's Senate Health Committee hearing, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) put forward an amendment defending free speech, which found support from Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY).

Transcript

00:00I call up Sanders Amendment number six. This amendment makes it clear that the

00:05federal government shall protect the First Amendment rights of college

00:09students and that the federal government shall not compel a school, college, or

00:13university to violate the First Amendment rights of a student or professor. We

00:19have already seen attack after attack on freedom of speech and right to dissent.

00:24This amendment defends the Constitution of the United States and our

00:31First Amendment. I'd like to speak in favor. Senator Paul. The Supreme Court made it

00:38clear in Brandenburg versus Ohio that speech can be suppressed only if the

00:42speech is intended and likely to produce imminent lawless action. They've added an

00:48amendment to this bill saying, well, the First Amendment is going to protect your

00:51speech and this bill will do nothing to your speech, but then

00:54they list 11 things in defining what they're going to have to that say

00:58include things like accusing and saying they're all speech that's being

01:03regulated. Do you have a contradiction? They said they're going to obey the First

01:06Amendment, then they say, well, these 11 things are going to be adhered to which

01:09all are in contradiction to the Supreme Court and the First Amendment. In the

01:14Brandenburg case, the speech in question was made by a hood-wearing leader of the

01:18Ku Klux Klan named Clarence Brandenburg. Despite the horrid nature of the speech in

01:23question, America's commitment to free expression is best exemplified by the

01:27people who defended Brandenburg. Two lawyers for the ACLU, Melvin Wolfe, a

01:32Jewish man, and Eleanor Norms-Holton, a young black woman who's still in

01:36Congress. Norton later explained that she decided to defend Brandenburg's First

01:41Amendment right because free speech is worth defending even when you don't like

01:45what is being said. To me that's been the the greatness of the Brandenburg decision

01:50is that was by people who despised. A black woman who despised the language he

01:55was using and the racism and a Jewish lawyer who also despised the anti-Semitism.

02:00That is what's so great about our country is that we allow people to say things

02:05that we completely object to and we counter bad things and bad statements with

02:10better bad information, bad speech with more speech. The First Amendment controls

02:16would be worthwhile in this bill only if you eliminated the 11 definitions that

02:22are all speech violations that go against the First Amendment. I'll support the

02:27bill if we get rid of the 11 definitions. I would propose that we should

02:31actually vote on Senator Cain's resolution.

02:35federal government cannot compel anyone to do something as unconstitution. This is

02:39unnecessary. For timing purposes we're going to proceed to the vote. I shall be

02:43voting no. The clerk shall call the roll. Senator Paul. Aye. Senator Collins. No by

02:52proxy. Senator Murkowski. No by proxy. Senator Mullin. No by proxy. Senator Marshall. No. Senator Scott. No. Senator Hawley.

03:01I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Collins is an I by proxy. Collins is an I by proxy. Okay.

03:08And so who is the last one? Senator Tuberville. He's a no by proxy.

03:16Oh, sorry. Senator Hawley. No by proxy.

03:22Senator Tuberville. No by proxy. Senator Banks. No by proxy.

03:29Senator Houston. No by proxy. Senator Moody. No by proxy. Senator Sanders. Aye.

03:36Senator Murray. Aye by proxy. Senator Baldwin. Aye by proxy.

03:42Senator Murphy. Aye. Senator Cain. Aye. Senator Hassan. Aye. Senator Hickenlooper. Aye. Senator Markey. Aye.

03:51Senator Kim. Aye. Senator Blunt-Rochester. Aye by proxy.

03:54Senator Ulsterbrooks. Aye. Chairman Cassidy.

03:59Senator Cassidy is a no. I have 13 ayes, 10 nays.

04:03For the-

04:05Senator Cassidy. Ar erstmal.

04:19Or CA Bonjour.

04:21Senator Mayor Newell Orchester.造

04:22cukrun.

04:23Senator Alison.

04:23Senator bubble.

04:24Dr Boxer.

04:24pause.

04:26士 things in pale.

04:27No.

04:28Oh.

04:28offs.

04:29Jennifer Foley.

04:30Mr Narr...

04:30Chris essence.

04:31Will do a role.

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