Sorry I’ve been scarce. I had to focus on the other site for a while.
Glenn Greenwald is the go-to guy on matters of telecom immunity and wiretapping. I’ve got no explanation for the House Dems’ behavior other than they must all be corrupt up to their eyeballs.
Hi MahaBarb.
“I’ve got no explanation for the House Dems’ behavior other than they must all be corrupt up to their eyeballs.”
That sounds correct, if not right, to me. As I wrote somewhere else earlier, the democratic leadership often seems to be on a campaign to remake the democratic party into the secular wing of the GOP.
And it looks like both sides want a security state.
I’m honestly bewildered on this one. Theres’s just no REASON for them to do this … all it does is allow the white house to crow about a victory bigger than even they expected, and allow the republicans in congress to CORRECTLY portray the dems as cravenly collapsing, while holding all the cards … reinforcing the worst stereotypes held by repubian types … WHY??
-me
It’s time to tar and feather some of these people and run them out of town.
Ian asks, “WHY?”
I believe there are three reasons, none of which will ever be stated in public by any member of Congress:
1. Large corporations own the Republican Party, but lease the Democratic Party when they need to do so. If the rental payments are high enough, many, if not most, Democrats are happy to make their legislative services available to the highest bidder;
2. Many, if not most, Democrats know or suspect that their private conversations have been recorded and inventoried, and are available for use by Bush and the telecoms should the “need” arise; and
3. Many, if not most, Democrats (like all Republicans), truly believe that those who own or control large piles of cash, or have access to other forms of power, are not, and should not be, subject to the same laws, regulations, and moral rules that apply to the “little people.”
Maybe while the bushbots were vacuuming up phone conversations on “ordinary” Americans they just happened to hear some embarrassing things about Hoyer, Pelosi, and the rest of their ilk. What a bunch of fucking slackers. I like how Greenwald points out that bu$hco couldn’t even get this crap passed while he controlled both houses? Good thing we liberals took back the congress? Unfuckingbelieveable, it seems we are truly screwed now, can’t vote right, can’t vote left?
These democratic leaders are a bunch of incompetent fools. They are going to end up pissing off so many liberals that they could lose control of the congress again (I’ll not be voting for Joe Donnelly if he votes for this bill). Wouldn’t that be ironic, they hand control back to the conservatives because they capitulated to the conservatives?
Watching the debate c-span now. The fact that the house is forcing a vote with only 1 hour of debate and less than 24hrs after the bill was made publuc to the media tells me that this is a fucking sham. This is the same bullshit that Tom Delay use to pull when he was in charge, this is congress’s version of the friday afternoon news dump. Its looks like most of the democratic leadership, the bluedogs, and the middle of the roaders are onboard with passing this garbage.
Well I knew it, my “BlueDog” congressman voted yes. This is the message I sent through his house.gov website:
Mr. Donnelly,
I am very disappointed in your vote today to pass the FISA bill. I voted for you over Mr. Chocola because I wanted a better check and better oversight on what I consider a less than honest Bush administration. I have been disappointed in many of your previous votes. I realize that you are somewhat of a centrist and I can live with that. However this vote in my opinion is complete capitulation to the Bush administration and the fear tactics that they use to degrade our constitution. This vote that you cast today leads me to believe that you would cave into the same fear tactics that led your predecessor Mr. Chocola vote for the Iraq war.
Therefore I will not be supporting you in anyway during the upcoming fall election.
Over on Huffingtonpost.com, they have a statement from Obama supporting this evil legislation:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/20/obama-backs-bill-giving-i_n_108370.html
A half-assed explanation from Obama leaves me very unsatisfied. I’d be interested to hear what others have to say.
By the way, can anyone tell me how do I find out how my representative voted?
ozonehole, go here. That’s the roll call vote.
“Wouldn’t that be ironic, they hand control back to the conservatives because they capitulated to the conservatives?”
This is the whole point!
This bill going forward at Hoyer’s demand is PROOF that the Democratic Leadership is controlled by the GOP. Occam’s Razor, and all that.
I repeat: The Democratic Leadership are controlled by the neo-con Republicans.
For a breakdown of which Democrats are under the direct control of Republicans just look at the roll call vote on that bill.