The House reform proposal to extend the exemption of Internet communications from those pesky campaign finance laws got the cold shoulder from Democrats Wednesday, according to an 11/2 CNET story. More than three-quarters of congressional Dems opposed the Online Freedom of Speech Act which needed a 2/3 majority to pass in order to accelerate the process. Final tally: 225 to 182. However, the bill could be up for vote again under normal procedures requiring a majority only.

Left-leaning groups, The Campaign Legal Center, Common Cause, Democracy 21, Public Citizen and US PIRG sent a letter of gratitude to House Dems, particularly Representatives Christopher Shays (R-CT) and Marty Meehan (D-MA) for "leading the House battle for campaign finance laws that protect citizens against corruption in government."

As noted in the CNET report, the reform would have required that "the portion of federal election law that deals with publications aimed at the general public 'shall not include communications over the Internet.'"

The fact is that unlike in years past, Web publications and communications are not simply aimed in top-down fashion at the general public. Increasingly, they're created and disseminated by the public themselves. Until the brainiacs in congress can wrap their brains around that concept, they'll continue to produce misguided legislation that evinces a lack of understanding of technology and its effect on our evolving media landscape and society.

If the Internet is indeed to be regulated under campaign finance law, we can count on money finding its way through paths we can't foresee today. The explosion of 527s on the scene in '04 revealed that restriction and parameters only breed creative and innovative solutions. If '08 is as contentious as it looks like it'll be, people who want to speak their minds -- and support those who do -- will find a way, Web regulations or not.

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