Greenwald has the rundown on how Hoyer pushed the deal, Hamsher has numbers for you to call.
All of it is in vain, at this point, I am afraid.
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Come for the politics, stay for the snark.
One of our two political parties is a cult whose leader admires Vladimir Putin.
Republicans got rid of McCarthy. Democrats chose not to save him.
My right to basic bodily autonomy is not on the table. that’s the new deal.
Every one of the “Roberts Six” lied to get on the court.
Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.
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The “burn-it-down” people are good with that until they become part of the kindling.
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Cancel the cowardly Times and Post and set up an equivalent monthly donation to ProPublica.
Balloon Juice, where there is always someone who will say you’re doing it wrong.
We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.
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Giving in to doom is how we fail to fight for ourselves & one another.
Shut up, hissy kitty!
A tremendous foreign policy asset… to all of our adversaries.
Every decision we make has lots of baggage with it, known or unknown.
My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.
Brachiator
The Greenwald link sadly highlights the degree to which the Democratic Congressional leadership is absolutely incompetent when it comes to political strategery. This puts Obama in the impossible position of not only having to save the country from the Republicans, but also having to save the Democratic Party from themselves. And not even he is that Magical.
From what has been reported so far, anyone looking at this bill as either a Democratic Party victory or a tough-minded compromise needs to lay down the crack pipe.
I keep hoping that someone will report on some behind-the-scenes gamesmanship by the Democrats that reveal something more than we know now, but all I see is the same old knee-jerk surrender by Pelosi, Hoyer and company.
Dreggas
So can people stop blaming this on Obama now? Hoyer was going to do this and no one could get him to do otherwise.
redbeardjim
I’m strongly leaning towards the “covering their own asses” interpretation, myself. This also goes a long way to explain the timing on the House side — they killed this back in February (or March? whichever) when there were still a lot of primaries upcoming, and they were worried about challengers getting in the primary races to run at them from the left. Now that the primary season is basically over, they’re safe for this election cycle.
Dennis - SGMM
It’s beginning to look as though the Democratic leadership is suffering from sort of Stockholm Syndrome. They’re so conditioned to being whipped that they now whip themselves. Also, Reid and Pelosi were both read into the program so it would be in their interests to get a retroactive pass on their culpability.
At this point, I question why anyone would want to be the Democratic nominee.
Barbara
What would be ideal is for Steny Hoyer to face a primary challenge. The district he represents is about half African American, metro washington close in suburb, and more rural counties and exurbs (also more Republican) but in no sense is this a district that would have punished Hoyer for not going the extra mile to pass FISA. This was done to protect somebody, whether it was blue dogs or his Verizon donations (which are plentiful — Verizon is a big local employer).
Obama can’t be the savior. Right now, the sad truth is that Obama needs house members more than they need him and that’s one reason why his response was what it was.
NR
Too late for that this year; the primary is over, and Hoyer won easily.
But Glenn Greenwald has said that one of the major goals of the Act Blue ad campaign is to change perceptions of Hoyer in his district so he’ll be vulnerable in the future. Unfortunately, that’s going to have to be a long-term project.
cyntax
Ugh, there are really some Democrats that are still in a pre-Iraq War mindset, sadly my own Rep among them (thanks Nancy). And as much as I now feel she deserves a primary challenger, I think I’ll have to settle for throwing a $100 donation wrench in good ole Steny’s machine when the time comes.
Complete lack of vertebrae.
Crust
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Hoyer et al are pushing this bill after the primary season is largely over. Let’s hope that John Barrow will be the exception who proves the rule and that he loses his primary on July 15. He was supposed to be a shoe-in so if that gets turned into a defeat that would send a real message.
4tehlulz
EPIC FAIL
Pelosi Says More Debate on FISA Would Be ‘Healthy’
nightjar
Hoyer talks like a progressive but never really has been one. It’s who I figured was behind this. He’s a DLC guy benieth the surface wrapped in a coat of neocon light.
I ordinarily reject conspiracy theories without evidence, so Dennis’s Stockholme Syndrome explanantion is as good as any. But who knows.
I still believe this lawlessness along with much the other instances with the bushies will come out over time. But I fear Obama will not pursue it out of his Unity pledge. I hope to hell I’m wrong about that.
Napoleon
Amazingly I have not seen anyone mention this elsewhere, and I didn’t even recall it my self when this bill came back all the sudden the middle of last week, but I recall back in Feb. when the Senate pulled it from the calender that Reid was quoted as saying something along the lines of “we will bring it back up when the political calender cools down” and what do you know, a week or 2 after the Dem fight basically ends it is back. I would love to see Greenwald or TPM take a closer look at some qoutes from the time.
Crust
4tehlulz: Thanks for the link. That’s unbelievable. Pelosi, Speaker of the House, rushed this bill through less than 24 hours after it was made public, just as the GOP rammed so many bills down our throats when they ran the house. Now she of all people is telling us that more debate would be “healthy”.
D-Chance.
Greenwald is quickly doing the ski jump over the FISA shark.
He’s becoming the FISA equivalent of Dobbs’ illegal immigration… one issue pony-riders who’ve become total bores.
We GET it, Glenndon, you’re PISSED. As Obama would say, “Get over it”.
Napoleon
Something else I haven’t seen any one comment on. Notice that the Act Blue ad campaign features prominent blacks who have been targeted by the government with wiretaps and the two districts they run in are represented by whites who voted for wiretapping and according to the above Hoyer’s is a 50% African-American and I have read that the Georgia district that has a primary on 7/15 as a Dem electorate that is 70% AA and an AA is running against the white guy who voted to tap phones.
Matt
Any WV’ians call Byrd or Rockefeller (ha!) yet?
Fwiffo
That’s the point exactly. The wiretapping of MLK and others is an historically relevant example of the kind of abuses of power that can happen, and it’s particularly so for Hoyer and Barrow’s constituents. It’s playing hardball, which feels a bit weird coming from Democrats.
Elvis Elvisberg
jayackroyd made the point over at Swampland that it makes more sense for progressives to donate to lower level races than to the Obama campaign. That’s a point worth considering.
If Obama’s polls or donations start lagging it might change, but I’m inclined to agree with him.
Thanks for posting this, John, you’ve been taking a beating from lots of your commenters on this issue.
Bob In Pacifica
Here is my link for my take on FISA.
If the Dems are surrendering to Bush, who’ll be gone in six months, who’re the Republicans surrendering to? Obama? Why, in this equation of political power, does this illegal spying power accrue to Bush but not to the next guy?
"Fair and Balanced" Dave
Here’s the House Roll Call for the bill. I take a small amount of satisfaction that the Congressman from my district voted against this monstrosity.
Ten years ago, I lived in Steny Hoyer’s district. He’s always been an asshole.
scarshapedstar
In other news, the Democratic Congress is now more popular with Republicans than Democrats.
Good thing we kept our powder dry!!!!!11
Napoleon
Correct, but more of it needs to be done.
Thats what I am doing. Frankly when you get right down to it, so long as Obama ignores the Village whining about him not having a “mandate” 50% + 1 is as good as 67% of the vote (Bush proved that), the more important thing becomes having as large a majority as possible in both houses.
Dixon
I know!!! It’s like he actually gives a shit about the Constitution or something!! What a whackjob!!
Barbara
In a primary race, I am pretty sure African Americans would be the majority of Democratic voters (Maryland has closed primaries). Only part of Hoyer’s district has the same demographics as the district in which Donna Edwards unseated Albert Wynn. The rural pieces of the district (St. Mary’s and Charles) are probably mostly white and Republican leaning. Up in the air are Ann Arundel and Howard Counties, which are mostly white, but white collar, suburban voters more in line with metro DC than with the rural parts of the state. So a primary challenge is not as likely to be successful, but there is certainly no harm in trying.
Sojourner
Corner Stone
Point of order! Obama would say, “Get over it, sweetie.”
scarshapedstar
Hmm. So the government’s been reading my emails and everyone else’s on this site, and listening in on all of our phone calls as well, in blatant contravention of the law, and given that this started well before 9/11 even Bill Kristol would have a hard time arguing that all this shit happened in good faith.
Clearly, we’d better throw away our chance to put the fuckers in jail over it, because if we didn’t… um… well… see…
…wait, why the fuck are we letting them off the hook on this one? I’ve heard plenty of arguments for why I should shut up and take my lumps and accept this invasion of my privacy, but I’ve yet to hear anyone even come close to explaining what fuck Steny “Ho” Hoyer is doing besides actin’ right for his telco pimps and their GOP-friendly CEOs.
Well, okay, I’ve heard the explanation that all of those pieces of shit in Congress knew this was going on but looked the other way, and so now they’re trying to cover their own ass along with Bush’s since they’re all hanging in the wind on this one. I guess I like to think that someone involved has a soul.