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Feingold: My Hope Is with The House
Some sharp words from Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI):
“The Senate passage of this FISA bill, while not surprising, is extremely disappointing. The Senate missed a golden opportunity to pass a bill that would give our intelligence officials the tools they need to go after suspected terrorists while also safeguarding the privacy of law-abiding Americans. Instead the Senate, with the help of too many Democrats, is yet again giving the administration sweeping new powers – and letting it off the hook for its illegal wiretapping program. I hope that our House colleagues will hold a stronger line, and refuse to accept the deeply flawed Senate bill. The calls from Americans tired of having their rights and their Constitution trampled on by this administration are only growing louder. Congress should stand up for the American people, and the Constitution, by opposing such a badly flawed bill.”
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Josh
Zachary
Senate capitulates, and hopes House can do what the DNC Senators refuse. What happened to a bi-cameral legislature, Senator Feingold: The Congress with two separate chambers, not one chamber pointing to the other to do its work. We should not be surprised to hear the House say, "Oh, the Senate approved this; we'll look foolish if we don't as well."
Hard to keep track whether we have one or two rubber stamps in Congress. Change for the DNC means legislating with a third rubber stamp.
February 12, 2008 6:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Senator Feingold has been vigorous, courageous and articulate in his fight to protect American civil liberties from a FISA revision gone amok. I am sorry that only 29 people were able to muster the same kind of courage as Feingold, Dodd, Boxer, etc.
For those of you who would like to add pressure to the Senate-House conferees go to Firedoglake. Jane Hamsher and Glenn Greenwald have put together a petition for House members who will now step up to the plate.
This has been a very helpful set of up to date posts, to which I linked in my blog on the subject of FISA. Thanks.
February 12, 2008 6:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Why didn't one [1] Senator put a hold on this?
February 12, 2008 6:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Only Republicans, as we all know, have the power to put holds on bills.
February 12, 2008 6:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
A supermajority (68? 69? I forget, sorry) voted for cloture. That killed any hold or attempt to fillibuster.
At least, that's my understanding.
Yesterday, I called Feinstein's office and asked what I had to do to get her to vote for retroactive immunity for any lawbreaking I might have done. The person on the phone was quite put out with my attitude, I gather.
Perhaps that's the question everyone should be asking those 68 senators.
February 12, 2008 6:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
Where was Hillary today? That does it for me, Ill not vote for her.
February 12, 2008 6:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Same place Obama was when the Iran vote came up. Campaigning. Give it a break.
February 12, 2008 8:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
tester,
from your comment I am gleaning the following. feel free to correct me if i am wrong.
1. you are against telecom immunity
2. you have not been following the issue closely
3. you are accusing Fiengold of passing the buck without an effort to do his job to kill immunity.
Again, if I have misunderstood let me know.
To address each:
1. Welcome to the club, it's good to have you.
2. firedog lake and glenn greenwald have covered this issue extensively, including the efforts of Dodd & Feingold to stop the legislation. Dodd tried to put a hold on the legislation but holds are not binding; they are only honored as part of tradition. As a commenter has already alluded to this gentlemans agreement seems to only apply to Republican holds under Reid.
3. Feingold is one of the good guys and has done a lot to try to kill immunity.
February 12, 2008 7:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Why don't we do the following:
1. Determine all of the Democratic Senators who voted incorrectly.
2. Of them, narrow it down to those seeking re-election this year.
3. Of them, narrow it down to those who have not already won their nomination.
4. Of them, pick one.
5. Give the most fucking money ever seen in a specific Senatorial campaign to that person's opponent in the Democratic primary.
February 12, 2008 7:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
since Sen Clinton was in Washington DC and did not bother to vote - maybe Senator Feingold can now endorse Barack Obama who MADE the time to vote against retroactive immunity --
Wisconsin is next week Sen Feingold!
We need your support
Obama '08
February 12, 2008 7:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
since Sen Clinton was in Washington DC and did not bother to vote - maybe Senator Feingold can now endorse Barack Obama who MADE the time to vote against retroactive immunity --
Wisconsin is next week Sen Feingold!
We need your support
Obama '08
February 12, 2008 7:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
Can you explain why Senator Feingold hasn't endorsed Senator Obama yet? There is probably a good reason. Can you tell us what it is?
February 12, 2008 8:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
NO, Obama voted against cloture, he did NOT vote against retroactive immunity!!! If you are going to be in a snit about it, at least get the facts.
February 12, 2008 8:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Please don't confuse the followers of Thulsa Doom with facts. They live in a constantly agitated state. Everything is grist for their mill.
February 12, 2008 8:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hmmm...you are literate?
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=2&vote=00014
February 12, 2008 9:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
At least Obama voted to strip immunity, but did not vote on the final bill. HRC skipped both. Had Obama voted Nay on the final bill with immunity, I'd have already sent my contribution. As it is, I'm still waiting for a strong statement from Sen. Obama on restoring civil liberties and curtailing runaway presidential power. Until I hear that, all my $ will go to the ACLU.
I am no longer in the business of picking poison.
February 12, 2008 9:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
The Senate was forced to vote as they did in order for their phones to qualify for the Das Lied der Deutschen ringtone.
February 12, 2008 9:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
So do you think that, up until today, the Bush Administration was cursing the break-up of Ma Bell?
February 12, 2008 10:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
After listening to Senator Dodds speech on the floor I was struck by the simple and clear way he defines the issues surrounding FISA. It appeared as though the direction of this congress is one in which even exposing all of this administrations culpability in circumventing the rule of law might somehow leak onto all three branches. Or maybe as Atrio's, Glenn Greenwald and other's point out maybe this just comes down to the fact that many of the Dem's, especially those in the Senate, do not share many of our core values. This is especially disappointing but I guess come re-election time we can only hope and try to work to make sure our values are treated with integrity, transparency and sincerity.
If no one else has mentioned it Glenn Greenwald column on Salon.com regarding this issue has a petition you can sign. so take a look if you want to!
February 13, 2008 1:15 AM | Reply | Permalink
First, maybe, Obama needs to banish Claire McCaskill from his right shoulder. What is her FACE doing in his every last photo lately?? She has been bad news more than once since November, 2006. She's starting to look actually creepy to me.
OBAMA '08
February 13, 2008 1:50 AM | Reply | Permalink
We need more progressive challengers for every yellow bellied coward that dishonors the nation and its legacy with this spineless, unforgivable giveaway of our freedoms.
That goes for Reid and Pelosi, those two should be booted from their jobs immediately.
I'm so pissed right now, I could punch a hole in the wall.....
February 13, 2008 3:50 AM | Reply | Permalink
Actually, we may be fighting with a specialized version of a classic Rovian Noise Machine for the attention of the legislators.
There were, and have been in past votes on this issue, some reports of certain Senator's offices getting 60% of their calls in favor of immunity. Now.... either the wingnuts are vastly more popular than the polls would have us believe... or the wingnuts are vastly more organized than they've ever given any indication of being before... or a specialized lobbying campaign is being targeted at legislators... probably at legislators regarded as weak, vulnerable, or otherwise malleable.
These reports were from Daily Kos commenters and were, perforce, carefully worded to avoid the dkos headliners' reflexive banning of anyone posting anything they think resembles a conspiracy theory, but this much filtered through: someone's got a fairly organized and probably funded effort going on to lie wholesale to legislators about a wave of imaginary support for Bush's excesses.
That they were deceived won't save the legislators from the wrath of the voters come primary day, assuming the voters are allowed any wrath... but a Noise Machine operation wouldn't care about that. The damage will have already been done.
How to check this out? How to verify it? How to counter it NOW... when the Bush Dogs in the House are already being given their marching orders and Pelosi is planning a graceful cave-in with Boehner's help?
February 13, 2008 8:09 AM | Reply | Permalink
Including the crossover Democrats, what Americans have seen is their Parliment Of Whores paying back the telecom industry for its financial contributions to their political campaigns.
There is no better discription or reason for their vote. Americans have been sold out by their own Congress.
You don't have to be a blind conservative not to see it, just an ignorant one to deny it.
February 13, 2008 9:10 AM | Reply | Permalink
Harry Reid has been a total failure. Live with it Harry!
February 13, 2008 10:19 AM | Reply | Permalink