Friday's FISA fiasco (Blog for Democracy)

Friday's FISA fiasco

Read it and weep. Via Victoria. The Bill moves to the Senate tomorrow (Monday).

Dems and DINOs:

NAY Hank Johnson Jr. GA04
NAY John Lewis GA05
YEA Sanford D Bishop Jr. GA02
YEA Jim Marshall GA08
YEA John Barrow GA12
YEA David Scott GA13

Republicans:

YEA Jack Kingston GA01
YEA Lynn A. Westmoreland GA03
YEA Tom Price GA06
YEA John Linder GA07
YEA Nathan Deal GA09
YEA Paul C Broun GA10
YEA Phil Gingrey GA11

Related links:
Why Do We Care About FISA?, by Hunter for DKos

Obama: I'll Fight To Strip Telecom Immunity From FISA
Otherwise, he supports the bill.

MoveOn turns on Obama and it's not even July.

Posted by Mel on June 22, 2008 1:24 PM | Permalink

Comments (22)

Jen B.

This is complete and utter bullshit. I suppose I should shoot off an email to Tom Price, but what good would it do?

Posted by Jen B. | June 22, 2008 2:11 PM

Posted on June 22, 2008 14:11

MelGX

If you're in the mood to shoot off emails to Republicans today, go for Saxby and Isakson.

Posted by MelGX | June 22, 2008 2:32 PM

Posted on June 22, 2008 14:32

MelGX

FYI, Isakson lives in Marietta.

Posted by MelGX | June 22, 2008 2:36 PM

Posted on June 22, 2008 14:36

Jen B.

This whole thing disgusts me.

I did end up sending an email to Price and Obama (asking him to filibuster in the Senate), but I feel like it's pointless to ask Chambliss / Isakson to do anything. Especially since Chambliss won't have any real opposition in the Fall. Yeah, I know, I'm a pessimist.

Posted by Jen B. | June 22, 2008 2:39 PM

Posted on June 22, 2008 14:39

MelGX

I'm not sure Chambliss losing is entirely contingent on a strong opponent.

Either way, he's got to be feeling some heat in this of all election years.

Posted by MelGX | June 22, 2008 2:59 PM

Posted on June 22, 2008 14:59

odinseye2k

How is that a "turns on Obama?" They're asking him to back him his opposition to immunity with a meaningful move in the Senate.

I mean, they've honored his request to cool off the 527, thus so far so good.

Hell, they didn't even ask him to step beyond his original statement and try to stop the bill itself.

As for Chambliss and Isakson, you may want to remind them that McCain ain't gonna win this election. I'd be a little nervous giving my opposition such powers.

Posted by odinseye2k | June 22, 2008 4:59 PM

Posted on June 22, 2008 16:59

JerryT

The question, Odin, is what are MoveOn people going to do if/when Obama doesn't filibuster this? I'm sure they already feel like they've come half way by giving up the 527 and not demanding a full death to the bill.

I think many MoveOn (and other) people have spent so much energy being anti-centrist, ant-DLC, and basically anti-anything-Hillaryish that they've kind of boxed themselves in. Obama will HAVE to drift a little to center to get the remaining independent voters that he needs. I think he's a good candidate and they seem to be running an excellent campaign, but I hope all those people that got all righteous during the primary don't start puking at the first hint of choppy water.

Posted by JerryT | June 22, 2008 6:19 PM

Posted on June 22, 2008 18:19

odinseye2k

But the crazy thing is this isn't even a bill for the independents.

If by independent, you mean informed voter that picks and chooses between Dem and Repub policy, all he sees is that the two parties don't deliver substantially different results after all.

If by independent, you mean mushbrain that considers him/her-self informed by the cable news ... well, we're all screwed on that one.

Although I did see an interesting diary on Kos from a person who hasn't had even FISA rights since the 70s. Did some drugs or something like that.

Posted by odinseye2k | June 22, 2008 6:42 PM

Posted on June 22, 2008 18:42

Jen B.

Ok Mel, emails duly sent to Chambliss and Isakson.

Posted by Jen B. | June 22, 2008 7:02 PM

Posted on June 22, 2008 19:02

JerryT

Oh I think that there is definitely a part of the Great Center that will vote for "more security" any chance they get. When in doubt, protect the children kind of thing. And MoveOn certainly seems to detect a shift in position here from primary season. Connect the dots.

But there isn't one "independent" mindset of course. You probably can't do ONE THING that will get most of them. You've got to chip them off of the Independent slab a few at a time in a way that makes them fall your way.

Or something like that.

Posted by JerryT | June 22, 2008 7:06 PM

Posted on June 22, 2008 19:06

odinseye2k

Because terrorists are really going to bomb ... Macon? Gainesville? Augusta?

Yes, great strategic targets those.

Although if I was someone that actually knew the American psyche much better than OBL, I would definitely look at some place like Scranton, PA. You think those Middle Americans are scared now - wait until one of their towns is actually targeted.

Hell, I used to think that even Seattle and Portland were too insignificant to target for attack. No, the big boys are LA and NY - anybody else thinking they are on the national scene on that level is delusional.

Some of those thoughts of the "Great Center" (which I sometimes question their existence if someone asks things simply like "You hate the IRS? What if they could listen to your phone calls everyday?") do seriously make me want to go Republican. At least then I'll keep more of my paycheck.

Posted by odinseye2k | June 23, 2008 10:11 AM

Posted on June 23, 2008 10:11

Zaid

"YEA Sanford D Bishop Jr. GA02
YEA Jim Marshall GA08
YEA John Barrow GA12
YEA David Scott GA13"

Thanks for voting against not only the majority of Democrats, but majority of Republicans, Democrats, and independents who are opposed to this.

Gee, aren't you guys so smart tacking to the far-right?

" anti-centrist, ant-DLC, and basically anti-anything-Hillaryish that they've kind of boxed themselves"

The DLC is far to the right of the American people.

Try looking at opinion polls sometimes. The DLC/GOP/conservative Dems are the out of touch ones, not us centrists who give a damn.

Posted by Zaid | June 26, 2008 3:31 AM

Posted on June 26, 2008 03:31

Sid Cottingham

YEA was the proper vote.

Posted by Sid Cottingham | June 29, 2008 8:47 PM

Posted on June 29, 2008 20:47

innerredneckexposed

I would just like to say every now and then it gets lonely in these parts for a guy like me, and then Sid pops in.

Posted by innerredneckexposed | June 29, 2008 10:26 PM

Posted on June 29, 2008 22:26

RuralDem

Zaid,

If you're the same guy posting on Andre's blog, I'd really like to know what makes you a centrist.

You didn't explicitly do it, but it seems like you're wanting to group Marshall, Bishop, and others in with the DLC.

The Blue Dogs and DLC are entirely different.

Posted by RuralDem | July 1, 2008 11:56 AM

Posted on July 1, 2008 11:56

odinseye2k

Blue Dogs and DLC would be total opposites within the realm of Democrats, I would think.

Economic left / social right versus economic right / social left.

FISA is another show of how Congress wants to give away its powers by any means possible, it seems. I don't have a problem with updating the technologies covered by the statute, but giving the executive branch the right to write its own warrants is a little screwy in my mind. Even the use of secret evidence is a little dicey in a democracy.

Posted by odinseye2k | July 1, 2008 2:09 PM

Posted on July 1, 2008 14:09

RuralDem

Odinseye2k,

I think your statement on the Blue Dogs and DLC is 100% correct.

Posted by RuralDem | July 1, 2008 2:36 PM

Posted on July 1, 2008 14:36

Zaid

"Zaid,

If you're the same guy posting on Andre's blog, I'd really like to know what makes you a centrist.

You didn't explicitly do it, but it seems like you're wanting to group Marshall, Bishop, and others in with the DLC.

The Blue Dogs and DLC are entirely different."

They both regularly hand over the country to large multinational corporations, whereas the blue dogs generally are more socialy conservative than the DLC.

Posted by Zaid | July 2, 2008 1:50 AM

Posted on July 2, 2008 01:50

RuralDem

I'd like to throw out the possibility that you're getting the Blue Dog Coalition confused with the New Democrat Coalition.

John Barrow and David Scott are members of both, however, Marshall and Bishop are Blue Dogs only.

Also, the NDC is the Congressional affiliate of the DLC.

It's quite rare that Odinseye2k and I agree on something, but in this case he's right. The Blue Dogs are populist oriented, the DLC/NDC, not so much.

Posted by RuralDem | July 2, 2008 4:32 AM

Posted on July 2, 2008 04:32

odinseye2k

Well, RD, as they say: You're entitled to your own opinions, but not your own facts. So I guess we do both see some things clearly.

Posted by odinseye2k | July 2, 2008 10:01 AM