Senator Harry Reid has his own priorities in the opening days of a new liberal regime: REELECTION!

His top priority is to restrict the free speech liberties of conservatives – particularly those of Christian groups who have been such an effective thorn in his side for the past decade. Even the Democrats cannot outright repeal various provisions of the Constitution. So he and his people have been working overtime to find some way to minimize the damage Christian leaders like Dobson and Judie Brown can do to their rule.

They will use their new power to regulate such groups to death through Reid’s “Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act of 2007”. It would impose fines of up to $100,000 on groups like Family Research Council if they fail to tell the government before hand of any grassroots education efforts. (For example, letting rank-and-file Christians know about specific legislation). Forms and detailed accounts must be sent to the government – an administrative burden that will intimidate many smaller groups into keeping their collective mouths shut.

And for those willing and able to tackle the new bureaucracy – the advance notice provisions enable Democrats ample time to launch their own preemptive strikes to confuse and mislead constituents.

More important than the impact such legislation will have on specific groups – is the threat this kind of legislation poses to citizen liberties. This bill comes after the infamous McCain/Feingold Act, which has turned political action into a potential serious criminal liability for average citizens. McCain’s “reform” bill actually made it illegal for groups to conduct public education efforts about incumbent legislators’ voting records within 60 days of an election. How can a democracy effectively operate when average citizens are virtually forced to vote blindly for the incumbent?

Unfortunately, from this vantage point, Reid’s latest scam is likely to pass. We can only pray that the President has the fortitude to simply veto it. Mr. Bush cannot sit out the fight, and hope the courts will defend America’s liberties. He tried that strategy when McCain’s bill came across his desk – and the courts amply demonstrated their hostility to free and open political discourse.