Is Congress Trying to Criminalize Blogging?

Not really. If, like me, you've been getting spammed by long-time New Right leader Richard Viguerie about the Dire Threat that lobbying reform poses to absolutely anyone who criticize the government, not to worry. Steven Bainbridge, by way of Kevin Drumm, has details.

The upshot -- the section applied to people blogging on behalf of a paying client. If such a person burns more than $25K in a quarter, he/she must register. And by the way, the section has been removed.

I will say this, without having read any further than Bainbridge's piece. All things being equal, the political process is better served if people know that a blog post is paid-for propaganda. There is a delicate balance between protecting free speech and mandating transparency. Has this proposal properly struck that balance? That's more research than I'm going to do for a now-dead section.