It’s Representative Hank Johnson (D-GA) and he’s referencing the anti-First Amendment legislation that passed the House today. The legislation was opposed by both the Chamber of Commerce and the ACLU, and many ideological liberals joined with conservatives in attempting to stop the horrid bill. In the end, party-loyal Democrats pushed it through.

When we last checked in with Congressman Johnson, he was expressing concern that the island of Guam would tip over if too many people settled in the American territory. Now he’s revealing the true purpose behind the DISCLOSE Act: To prevent Republicans from winning elections in the future.

So desperate are Democrats to hold on to power in Washington that they’re willing to tear apart the First Amendment. If they could, they’d shred the right to free speech entirely. Anything to stop those evil Republicans from changing the course of Washington. In fact, special interest groups on the left are specifically exempted from the new regulations:

Corporations, unions, non-profits and 527 groups will, for the first time, be required to report donors who give more than $600 if they engage in “express” advocacy — urging voters to support one candidate or another by name.

Conveniently, as Republican staff on the House Administration Committee point out, average union dues in 2004 were $377 – below the $600 threshold. Since unions get the vast majority of their funds from member dues, “the new threshold for reporting is likely to have little effect on unions … but a huge effect on associations and advocacy groups,” a GOP summary of the bill says.

Government contractors with contracts of more than $7 million are not permitted to engage in express advocacy. Unions that receive their dues from the taxpayer-funded salaries of public sector employees face no such restriction. Neither do recipients of grants.

In short, the purpose is to stop those organizations and corporations most likely to support Republicans from exercising their right to free speech. Those left-wing groups like public sector unions? Why, of course they’re exempted. They support Democrats.

And so here’s a member of the U.S. House of Representatives opining that the First Amendment must be trashed so as to protect the political power of Democrats. Welcome to the Age of Obama.