A tepid take on the bipartisan drive to ban tech self-preferencing

A valid worry about Google morphs into a bad principle

In an outbreak of bipartisanship that didn’t get much attention, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted last week 16-6 to advance the American Innovation and Online Choice Act, a bill written by Amy Klobuchar and Chuck Grassley.

Committee Democrats unanimously supported the bill, along with Grassley, Lindsey Graham, Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, and John Kennedy. That’s a lot of bipartisan support and would seem to indicate a real chance of securing 60 votes and passing. But it’s not clear whether everyone who voted for the bill actually supports it. The two senators from California, among others, have indicated serious reservations about the details, but have made the calculation that there will be further negotiations before it passes and want to be part of the team.

The White House, as I understand it, is being pulled in multiple directions on this legislation. Some senior Biden aides think the bill is a good idea, while others disagree. Some think it would be helpful for him to speak up in …