We have previously discussed the anti-free speech views of Clinton’s former Labor Secretary, Robert Reich, who has tried to sell citizens on the perfectly Orwellian view that more freedom means tyranny when it comes to the freedom of expression. He also demanded that former president Donald Trump be banned from ballots as a “traitor” — all in the name of protecting democracy from itself. Last week, Reich wrote a column declaring Elon Musk “out of control” in his refusal to censor citizens and appeared to call for his arrest.
Reich has long been a prominent voice in the anti-free speech movement discussed in my recent book, The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage. Indeed, he has given a voice to the rage in calling for others to be silenced or arrested.
Elon Musk has long been the primary target of Reich and his allies after dismantling the censorship system at Twitter, now X. Reich called Musk’s purchase of Twitter with a pledge to reduce censorship to be “dangerous nonsense.”
Notably, Reich’s friend, Hillary Clinton, was one of the first to call for a crackdown on Musk after his purchase of Twitter. Hillary Clinton and other Democratic figures turned to Europe and called upon them to use their Digital Services Act to force censorship against Americans.
Reich has always shown a chilling fluidity in how free speech is protected and argued that public interest should be able to trump the right of any citizens in espousing views that he believes are dangerous.
In denouncing Musk, Reich encouraged a campaign to counter his efforts to resist censorship. He wrote that Musk “may be the richest man in the world. He may own one of the world’s most influential social media platforms. But that doesn’t mean we’re powerless to stop him.”
Like Hillary Clinton, Reich is calling on foreign governments and censors to silence American citizens including Musk: “Regulators around the world should threaten Musk with arrest if he doesn’t stop disseminating lies and hate on X.”
He even appears willing to undermine national security programs to stop unfettered free speech. He called for the U.S. government to cut off contracts with his companies despite their critical role in various national security efforts, including the possible rescue of the stranded two astronauts currently in space.
None of that matters to Reich who appears to view free speech as a greater threat to our nation: “Why is the US government allowing Musk’s satellites and rocket launchers to become crucial to the nation’s security when he’s shown utter disregard for the public interest? Why give Musk more economic power when he repeatedly abuses it and demonstrates contempt for the public good?”
Reich’s call to regulate speech in the public interest is the Siren’s Call of every authoritarian regime in history. He will presumably tell us what speech is no longer tolerable for public policy reasons. Our “Indispensable Right” will, according to Reich, be safely in the hands of the European censors who can protect us from errant and dangerous thoughts.
As he explained earlier, “the kinds of things that we do about this is, focus less on thinking about free speech, but thinking about how the times have changed.” In this way, speech regulations can keep us “moving towards how we recommend content and … how we direct people’s attention is leading to a healthy public conversation that is most participatory.”
The “healthy public conversation” with Robert Reich increasingly appears to be his talking and the rest of us listening.
Jonathan Turley is a Fox News Media contributor and the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University. He is the author of “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage” (Simon & Schuster, June 18, 2024).
I think Reich should be arrested and charged with attempted overthrowing of the Government of the U.S.A. He most certainly is not allowing free speech in his classroom. He gets his columns published which are strongly against the freedoms guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. Remember, the most important 3 words are WE THE PEOPLE, NOT We the Government.
He’s a literal Mental Midget.
Eff him.
The forth Reich
Yup, Some kind of Stupid.
This fellow is plump bureaucratic tick.You should see what we pay this fool.
I call for Reich’s arrest. Why? Because I despise his ideology, of course.
Reich’s double speak is somewhat right In one sense. Freespeech is a threat to democracy in that if we allow free speech to the destroyers of democracy, they will use free speech to destroy democracy. Free speech sould be fobidden to the ennemies of free speech, giving them a taste of their own medecine, so they can’t complain. Otherwise, Reich is right, demcracy is doomed (which it already is).
Nah, bro. Free speech was given to us by the founding fathers of America. You guys are ridiculous as hell.
Let’s give them a taste of their own medicine! Robert Reich, you have to stop your crazy, totalitarian insidejob agenda. If you don’t like our Bill of Rights, you should simply go to another country or something.
Robert Reich, if you don’t stop, I’ll make you stop.
Oh ya because Elon banning several journalists X accounts for criticizing him and banning x accounts for those revealing a neo nazi cartoonists identity because of views he doesn’t like and then crying about another country with their own rules and laws censoring his free speech isn’t doublethink. Fraud much?
Thank you, Prof. Turley, for highlighting this matter, and for what it is: Totalitarianism incarnate.
It has no place in this country. Except for showing where people are coming from. And thus, are never given the power to impose their totalitarianism ON the country.
This kind of thing has taken long enough to finally come out into the open. Long before Obama, the government has been controlling information, manipulating the message. Walter Cronkite was one of the manipulators, like Huntley and Brinkley. They are always showing the negative, never acknowledging the good. Censorship be damned. Long live Free Speech.
Ah, nothing quite like hearing Robert bloviating about the need for a Fourth Reich.
“Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.”
―Benjamin Franklin
Robert Reich Calls for the Arrest of Elon Musk for Resisting Censorship
Robert Reich and his ilk are pathetic!
As mentioned before, DimocRATS are totalitarians. They cannot handle ANY criticism. And they suck! Thank God Hitlery Clinton did not get elected.
I agree with you. And, speaking of “Hitlery Clinton”, Reich has a certain negative cachet to it – 1933-1945.
Just further confirmation of my thesis (observation, actually) that within every Leftist is a totalitarian screaming to get out.
“Reich’s call to regulate speech in the public interest is the Siren’s Call of every authoritarian regime in history.” And that is aa historical fact that must be heeded. Where there is no freedom of speach, there is no freedom.
… “focus less on thinking about free speech, but thinking about how the times have changed.” Had this tiny terrorist been in Germany circa 1440 he’d have used those very words to justify smashing Gutenberg’s printing press.
Reich is the classic leftist Jew who pines for the types of governments that put people like him in gulags and concentration camps. He hates the American Constitution, probably hates Israel like Bernie Sanders and would be happy living under a Lula of Brazil or a Castro of Cuba. Sadly people like him never get the just desserts.
Reich is a classic Soviet Fascist, just as Nancy Pelosi is. Just as Obama is. Just as Elizabeth Warren is. Just as Bribery Biden is. Whether or not Reich is an observant Jew or Pelosi is an observant Roman Catholic has absolutely nothing to do with their core totalitarian fascism.
Nobody ever heard anyone say “Pelosi is a classic leftist Catholic who pines for the types of governments that put people like her in gulags and concentration camps.”
Nobody ever heard anyone say “Obama is a classic leftist Christian who pines for the types of governments that put people like him in gulags and concentration camps”
Nobody ever heard anyone say “Elizabeth Warren is a classic leftist Christian who pines for the types of governments that put people like her in gulags and concentration camps.”
Religions claimed on behalf of totalitarians has absolutely nothing to do with religion – except to people who want religion to be part of it when it suits their personal biases.
Reich and his ilk are evil; whether they claim a religion and whether they’re also observant has absolutely nothing to do with it.
Well they do when they get what they want, and then their the first ones to scream “help”, and want someone else’s kid to fight the battle for them.