Donor Disclosure Bill is Dead

After five weeks of debate in the Alabama Senate, the donor disclosure bill is dead, and it is not likely to be revived for the remainder of this legislative session.

A post on the Alabama Democratic Party blog a couple of weeks ago derided GOP opposition to the bill, saying that it proved Republicans "care more about the special interests of the Christian Coalition than the interests of the people of Alabama."

Despite his overheated rhetoric, the ADP blogger is exactly right...well almost. I'd say it something like this: When it comes to freedom of speech, especially political speech, the liberty of individuals and organizations to express their "special interests" trumps a general "interest of the people" to curtail that liberty.

One of the dangers inherent to democracy is that legislatures are frequently tempted to suppress the expression of views that are unpopular or inconvenient. That's why our federal and state constitutions protect political speech against infringement by the government. And, that's why the Alabama GOP was absolutely right to stand up for the state's "special interests" by ensuring the defeat of this legislation.