According to Ari Melber, this group of tradition fetishists “on the fence” about filibuster reform. If one of them represents you, call their office and tell them to get off the fence.
I don’t know what Boxer is doing in this group, but is anyone surprised to see DiFi? At the moment, she’s arguing that we don’t need to have any privacy amendments on the FISA re-authorization. Pat Leahy is about as bad. Both of them represent blue states, and both would have to be found in bed with kiddie porn, a case of roofies, six minor children and a couple of fifths of tequila in order to lose a seat, yet their fingerprints seem to be on every piece of shit that emanates from our most deliberative body.
dedc79
I’m surprised to see Levin on that list (maybe I shouldn’t be). His permanent subcommittee on investigations actually goes after banks/wall street and makes some serious recommendations for legislative reforms. Often those proposals have no chance of getting a filibuster-proof majority.
PsiFighter37
Boxer? Really? That’s a disappointment.
That said, we absolutely have to get it passed. Make Turtleface and the rest of those douxhebags speak forever while filibustering legislation that will help people.
I bet the amount of filibustering would go way down, simply because the GOP is too fucking lazy to engage in something like that.
James E Powell
California, one of the bluest states, has two Democratic senators who are worse than useless. It is a puzzle.
Lev
@James E Powell: Boxer is a great senator overall who has in the past supported filibuster reform–she might be on the fence because the reforms are too weak, because they are.
Feinstein, though, truly is useless on so many issues. I was sort of pissed that she didn’t just retire this year, and I really hope that Obama appoints her to run CIA.
dr. bloor
I agree with the need to change, and I’m certainly going to call Reed, although I’d reinforce the idea that a bit of courtesy would be useful and a bit of respect accorded to the Gang of Seven there. That’s not exactly a bunch of featherheaded lightweights in your gallery.
Machine-Gun Preacher (formerly Ben Franklin)
I have nothing good to say about Feinstein and the only good thing I can say about Boxer, is her Staff. I harangued them until they opened a case on my destitute sibling after he was denied MediCal. I don’t know if it was them, or just SOP to deny, at first, but I will give her credit for making it happen.
PeakVT
@James E Powell: Even thought she’s not a real standout leader, Boxer votes well on the left side of the Dem spectrum. Feinstein, OTOH, is in the center-right of the same range.
Laertes
Boxer’s staff doesn’t know what the hell she’s doing in this group either. They say she’s an outspoken proponent of filibuster reform, and has addressed the issue on the floor many times.
PeakVT
re: the list, I think it is in flux and at crunch time a few more senators may balk. Remember, what we’re asking them to do is to give up some of their individual power, which for reasons right or wrong they may be reluctant to do. So call even if your senator isn’t on the list (Leahy wasn’t the last time I saw a list of waverers).
James Hare
Both of California’s Senators are pretty crappy. You’d think a blue state could deliver some real liberals but instead they send us mush.
danimal
@Lev: DiFi would be a wonderful CIA Director, or baseball commissioner, or Stanford band director or really anything that removes her from the Club of 100. CA has a deep bench of pols who could capably fill her shoes, and actually reflect Dem priorities.
James E Powell
@danimal:
A deep bench? Really? I am at a loss to come up with a single name that could be the kind of nationally prominent senator that we get from other reliably blue states like NY, MA, WA. Given that it is roughly the size of a major European country, I would expect the place to be a major farm team for Democrats nationally.
Elm
Just called Levin’s office – the guy answering the phone seemed personally sympathetic to the issue, though that’s obviously not worth much if his boss goes the wrong way anyhow.
TruthOfAngels
I clicked on the ‘Ari Melber’ link in your post, and it went to a Facebook post of Melber’s that says ‘according to our reporting’. Dunno who ‘our’ pertains to, as Melber writes for both The Nation and Huffington Post, as well as others, possibly.
Interestingly, the last headcount post on HuffPost regarding filibuster reform counts only four Dem no votes; Donnelly, Baucus, Pryor, and Levin.
http://data.huffingtonpost.com/interactives/2012/12/18/filibuster-reform
I don’t exactly regard HuffPost as holy writ but I don’t see why I’d listen to Melber either, given that he can’t really back up his claim here or, if he can, he hasn’t actually done so.
Roger Moore
@James E Powell:
It’s less of a puzzle when you see how long they’ve been in office. They’ve been around since it was electorally beneficial to be more conservative. I’d love it if Obama would appoint those two to posts in his administration. I think they’re competent enough to do well there, and easing them out would very likely result in more liberal California Senators.
Darkrose
@James E Powell: She’s not nationally prominent now, but Doris Matsui would be an AWESOME senator.
One of the downsides of DiFi’s long tenure is that there’s no one waiting in the wings.
White Trash Liberal
Stop knocking Barbara Boxer. She’s awesome.
Machine-Gun Preacher (formerly Ben Franklin)
@Roger Moore:
I’d love it if Obama would appoint those two to posts in his administration. I think they’re competent enough to do well there, and easing them out would very likely result in more liberal California Senators.
They could be the first Senators to register for the trip.
http://galacticgovernment.biz/index.php?option=com_user&view=register&Itemid=70
Roger Moore
@James E Powell:
How about Kamala Harris or Gavin Newsom? I think they could both be great Senators. There are plenty of members of our Congressional delegation who could move to the upper House, too. Think John Garamendi, Brad Sherman, or Henry Waxman.
PeakVT
@James E Powell: Waxman, Pelosi, Brown.
Ruckus
As a left coaster I’d have to agree on the Boxer puzzle. On Feinstein? She votes at best to the right of center and I’m pretty sure that will not ever change. I was hoping beyond hope that she retire last time around, hell I’d be a better senator than her. But then so would many who post here. OTOH I have no idea who should run for the office. We seem to gravitate to the devil we know or some box office wonder.
PeakVT
@Roger Moore: I hope Obama finds something for Carper to do. Relative to his state, he’s the worst Dem returning in 2013.
Ruckus
@Roger Moore:
@PeakVT:
Those names are good but how many of them would serve us better if they stay where they are? OTOH that is probably what it will take, someone moves a notch up and we find someone new to fill a smaller role. So I’d say Newsom, Brown, or Waxman.
Darkrose
@Ruckus: I seriously considered writing Buster Posey in for Senate this time around, but then the Giants would be screwed for the season.
Darkrose
FWIW, I emailed Feinstein’s office a couple of weeks ago about filibuster reform, basically saying that we elect senators to do a job, and right now, they can’t do that job because of the filibuster. Her reply was pretty non-committal, but she did say:
So she recognizes there’s a problem. Will she actually do anything about it? Probably not.
RareSanity
I don’t want Dems to ever become the GOP…but for once, I’d like to see a popular Democratic initiative come up, and every Democrat support it.
Just once, fight our natural bias toward “further examination”, and just say, “It’s a Democratic initiative, it is popular with Democrats, and it’s good for the country. I will support it, even if it’s not exactly what I want, for those reasons…and because I’m a Democrat.”
You watch how differently the Democratic Party would be perceived, if every once and awhile, they all stood together confidently and united, supporting legislation that was popular, and good for the country.
A guy can dream can’t he?
We Democrats really do seem to prefer the circular firing squad all day, every day.
Ruckus
@Darkrose:
You got an email reply from Feinstein? I gave up after not getting actual replies back for about 2 yrs. What I did get looked like a marketing campaign for some dishsoap. Not even a form answer, just here look at… something. I gave up.
I figure a politician owes us a response for everything other than a threat. And I expect that to be reported to law enforcement. It doesn’t even have to be what I’d like to hear but even a form answer means someone at least read the crap in the inbox. Silence or worse, sending out a PR nothing burger, that takes no effort and I take that to mean they don’t give a shit.
gelfling545
@PeakVT: Also you’re asking them to face the prospect of having to listen to various republicans maunder on forever if they do filibuster. You must admit, it’s daunting.
Narcissus
This looks like the typical rogues gallery of douchebags to me.
I mean if you’re ever in a group of people and you look around and see max baucus standing next to you then it’s time to reconsider your life.
Mnemosyne (iPhone)
@James E Powell:
One of the downsides of having a mostly-Democratic state is that you end up with a lot of dead wood at the top that doesn’t get cleared away in elections. And we have a whole lot of bidness friendly DLC types running things out here.
Add in the massive structural problems in the state caused mostly by Prop 13 that mean no one is willing to take on the tough job of reform, and there’s a reason we ended up with Jerry Brown reprising his role as governor — nobody else wanted to touch the job with a 20-foot pole.
Joe Max
Already sent faxes to both Boxer and Feinstein on this subject, I shall send them again (or at least to DiFi…)
Machine-Gun Preacher (formerly Ben Franklin)
@Mnemosyne (iPhone):
nobody else wanted to touch the job with a 20-foot pole
Clearly, hyperbole is not your strong suit..
Mnemosyne (iPhone)
@Machine-Gun Preacher (formerly Ben Franklin):
And humor is clearly not yours.
Joe Max
US Rep. Barbara Lee, Sec. of State Debra Bowen, Attorney General Kamala Harris, Assembly Speaker John Perez and State Sen. Mark Leno come to mind immediately. All reliably dark blue. Lee is the heavyweight, but Perez would be Cali’s first Hispanic or Leno the first openly gay Senator. But none of them will run until one of the incumbents retires.
Karen in So Cal
@James E Powell: No one has mentioned my favorite rep – Jackie Speier. She’s awesome. I like a lot of the other names put forth here too. Notice that they’re almost all from Northern California. I can’t think of many here down in Bircher-land (Orange County.)
Yutsano
@Darkrose: It would seriously improve the looks quotient of the Senate.