69 People I Will Not Have Dinner With

The FISA Amendments Act of 2008 has passed the Senate. For those who did not read my post yesterday, this bill grants the telecom companies immunity for helping the NSA spy on phone conversations so that we may never know the extent of the NSA’s warrentless wiretapping program, and grants the president even more warrentless wiretapping powers. What follows is a list of all the senators that voted in favor of the FISA bill. Hopefully, I never have to meet any of these people (again), because I do not want to shake their slimy hands. Read more

Obama’s FISA Reversal and Imminent Vote

Well, Obama has finally made a proper statement about his disgraceful flip-flop on the FISA Ammendments Act. Mr. Charisma now supports the bill (though with only about with as much enthusiasm as I support him) after saying for the last few months that he would filibuster it as long as it had immunity for the telecom industry (which it does). More over at The Swamp.

As it stands, the bill is the results of apathetically lackluster “compromising” and “negotiations” between Democrats and Republicans in Congress which gave the Republicans more than they could have ever hoped for if there had been a competent negotiator on the Democrats’ side. The bill grants retroactive immunity to the telecom industry for helping the NSA with their warrentless wiretapping, meaning that we may never know for sure the extent of the spying (unless you listen to this man). And, all of this is happening before the results of a report by the Inspector General on the warrentless wiretap program.

To learn more about the FISA bill, check out this video at Four Hour Work Week. It is well worth watching, and makes includes a great argument that even though you may not be doing anything wrong, you still do not want the government spying on just anybody without a warrent. Daniel Ellsberg says that warrentless wiretapping means that government officials and activists can be spied on by the ruling party in an effort to stop plans that may be against what the ruling party wishes (Watergate anyone?).

Obama’s defense of his flip-flop is laughable. For one thing, he says that he will fight to remove immunity from the bill, but then admits that even if immunity is not removed, he is still voting yes on the bill. What kind of commitment is that? He continues on by saying all the reasons that the bill is “imperfect” (see: dangerously unconstitutional), but then brushes it all aside in favor of the “well counter-terrorism is important” defense. Clearly just playing towards the center during an election instead of sticking to his convictions. Obama claims that once he is in office he will have the Attorney General review survelence programs like this one, but not only is he making the assumption that he will win in November, but anybody who believes him is forgetting that power corrupts, and once in office he will have no reason to have that review. McCain is going to vote for the bill, so all Obama is doing by voting for it as well is playing politics for the election, and it is not right. The American people deserve better from a possible commander-in-chief. At least McCain seems to believe in his vote (however wrong it may be).

And please, call your senators. The vote is tomorrow. The EFF has a great script to read to them.

It’s Her Party & She’ll Cry If She Wants To: Clinton For Majority Leader?

I’d like everyone to meet Linda. Linda is 35 years old, and from North Carolina. As the sole head of her family, she has had to work two jobs to help support herself and her three young children. What makes her special is that she is seen as the keys to the gates of the White House for either Barack Obama or John McCain. Why? As a 35 year old, blue collar, single, high school educated, white woman, she was the backbone of Hillary Clinton’s sixteen month campaign that many say deeply divided the Democratic Party. When you speak to her about Hillary Clinton’s defeat she still comes to tears. Ask her to suck it up, stop crying, get back on her horse, and support the party’s nominee, you might need help getting out the door. This is now Sen. Obama’s party to be in charge of, but not so fast Linda would say. “I’ve been an avid advocate, activist, and supporter of the Democratic party for my entire adult life. While he was over there going to private schools and making corporate friends, I was here on the street fighting for our people. At the same time, I took care of my kids and never complained. This is MY PARTY not his. This is our party. We all built it.”

Many believe that the White House is ours as long as we don’t defeat ourselves. One way to defeat ourselves is to enter November with a divided party. So how can Sen. Obama ensure that we don’t ‘defeat’ ourselves? A growing consensus among people like Linda is that Hillary Clinton should be the new Majority Leader of the United States Senate. I asked Linda if she meant Vice President, but she was clear that she should be Majority Leader. So I was a little confused and sought more. Linda wasn’t alone because her friend (of which she made as a campaign volunteer for Clinton) Jaz felt the same. Neither of them felt too happy about what they saw as not so subtle statements in the press of support to Obama’s campaign from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi or leaks to the press from her staff about her behind the curtain efforts on his behalf. Both believe that Howard Dean’s inability to solve the Florida and Michigan dispute before it got out of control should force him to lose control of the DNC. However, when it came to effectiveness, what wasn’t out of the question is to kick Harry Reid out of the Majority Leader’s office.

Democrats in the House of Representatives have acted quickly on many of the promises that the party made to voters in the 2006 midterm elections. Should we have stronger leaders in the Senate, we might have even met the one to end funding to the war in Iraq without a timeline to bring the troops home. 2008 hasn’t been better on a number of major issues:

1. Passing a major housing bill has been stalled because of the improper conduct of two leading democrats. Instead of seeing the importance of this legislation, sacking these two leaders, and moving forward with the bill that was a lock before this news, Majority Leader Reid did nothing.

2. Most people think that an update to FISA is mandatory. However the Senate can’t approve the new legislation because some senior Democratic members have sided with the President, and against the majority of their party to push for a disgusting retroactive immunity for telecom companies. Instead of providing the immunity and moving the bill by making the government the responsible party, Majority Leader Reid recessed the body without doing anything.

3. As Americans pay higher gas prices then at any other time in our national history, the Senate has refused to pass legislation to bring in market speculators, which has driven prices up faster than anyone considered possible. With the average American paying $4.00 a gallon, and in some parts of the nation like my hometown of Fresno $4.65, Congress instead takes a two week break from work less than two months before they adjourn in August for the REST OF THE YEAR!

This election has become a change election. We need to change not only the President, but how the Congress operates. One way to do this is to change the Majority Leader of the Senate. So why Clinton?

I believe that she would make an outstanding President and a great Vice President. However, I agree with those who say that Sen. Obama deserves the chance to make his own run for the White House, and when he is there, have his own administration and his own agenda. I won’t argue with anyone who says that is impossible if Hillary Clinton is his Vice President. This is a former First Lady of the United States, she is wife of the last sitting Democratic President, 48% of the party voted for her over her opponent, and at least 23% of those are at least now not going to support Obama. She has received at least 18 million votes, the most of any candidate for President in a primary EVER. Basically, she has a national audience, and a national following, is what I’m trying to say. This is along with the impressive bridges she has built with leaders of both parties. Throughout her run for the White House she has been praised for getting to the Senate putting her head down and getting to work. This is what America deserves in a Majority Leader. One who can use politics to win on the issues, but be able to compromise and deal when log jams blocks the legislative highway.

Harry Reid, your time is up. Hillary Clinton, I believe her time is now!

Tha-Kid JK

tha-kid@revkitchen.com

p.s.- I would even support his succession by Dianne Feinstein, Dick Durbin, and others.

A Letter To Sen. Barbara Boxer On Unity

I wrote Sen. Barbara Boxer on helping unite the party and to endorse the “dream ticket”.
It reads:

Hello Senator Boxer,
I am writing you today not as a Obama supporter and not as a Clinton supporter, but as a Democrat. As a Democrat, I believe our best bet to win the White House is to endorse what has become the “Dream Ticket.” An Obama-Clinton ticket would be a shoe in for the Democrats into the White House. They both represent two different constituents in our party. Bringing both campaigns and supporters together would be a fantastic sign of unity. Polls indicate that an Obama-Clinton ticket would be insurmountable. So I respectfully urge you to endorse this ticket. I understand that only Sen. Barack Obama can make this decision, but you can offer your endorsement of this concept as your colleague Sen. Dianne Feinstein has. As a Californian, I have been so proud of you and your leadership in our state and in our country. I only hope you can use that leadership to move toward this movement of unity.
Thank You,
Estevan J. Montemayor

How Could They? Mukasey Gets Confirmed

Mukasey has just been confirmed by the senate as the next attorney general. This is completely absurd. I mean come on. Congress is a joke. That joke isn’t funny anymore. How does Mukasey get confirmed without answering the waterboarding question? His inability to answer is his answer. Waterboarding is torture under United States law. No reasonable person can argue that it isn’t, so Mukasey hasn’t. He is telling America that he will be no different from Alberto (“I don’t recall”) Gonzolez. We deserve different. We deserve better. We should demand it.

It is hard to express my outrage over Congress for both confirming Mukasey and effectively killing Kucinich’s attempt to impeach Cheney in the same week. I just want to shout out “Arrrrrg!” like Charlie Brown.

This is disgusting. What congress has done by confirming Mukasey is effectively tell the President a few things that he is very happy to hear. Congress will not oversee his actions. Congress will not even attempt to control him. Congress approves of waterboarding. The democrats won’t live up to what they promised the American people during the last elections. Where is the democratic party’s passion for democracy and human rights?

Mukasey might have actually been a good candidate for attorney general, but when he decided to stay silent about waterboarding, he became completely unacceptable. With Gonzolez, we didn’t know beforehand that he was for torture. With Mukasey, we learned his stance on torture during the confirmation hearings, but he still got confirmed. How did this happen? Congress has effectively approved torture.

The only reason this could possibly be acceptable is if there is some sort of a compromise. But there isn’t a compromise. Instead congress has just decided to roll over for the President.

There has been talk of a bill that would close loophole in the law that allows waterboarding, but in fact, there isn’t a loophole. It is clearly illegal under the Geneva Conventions. And even then, any bill that would close up whatever supposed loophole Bush is using to claim that his actions are legal won’t be passed. Even if the bill somehow got through both houses of congress, it would be vetoed, and the democrats certainly don’t have the votes to overturn a veto.

Not confirming Mukasey was congress’ only chance to stop, or at least to voice its objection to, the practice of waterboarding. Now we’re stuck. Great job idiots.

Low Congress Ratings due to Republican Control

Two inter sting things happened relating to congress today. First an immigration bill granting children citizenship in the US after meeting certain criteria was struck down. Second a controversial judge, who overwhelming sides with corporations, was elected to the 5th Circuit Federal Court.

But last November Americans voted out the current leadership in congress. But some politicians haven’t realized Americans want change from twelve years of Republican mismanagement. But they’re still voting for (the Iraq war, uncontrolled spending) and blocking (children’s health care, immigration reform), the same policies that Americans are disgusted with. Unless the Republicans can let the Americans have a voice, more can look to loose their seats in 2008.

And it’s time for Democrats to be Democrats. I want to see Lyndon Baines Johnson type strategies. Not Democrats defecting, and siding with the Republicans. Many of the issues that have failed to be solved are just as important, if not more than the Civil Rights Movement.

Racism is making a resurgence in America (not that it was ever gone), for instance the State Department wants to shut down a Muslim school, because curriculum doesn’t “Meet their standards.” The head of the voting rights protection agency feels “The white vote is the most important to protect.” And there is a tremendous government/Republican started backlash against legal and “illegal” immigrants.

Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid need to become true leaders, willing at any cost to pass important legislation. But blame cannot be entirely placed on the leadership, Democrats need to stop being bullied by Republican tactics. And Americans need to stop being intimated by Republican fear mongering (ever noticed how a new Osama tape appears when Bush needs more money?). Lets live by the motto “Give me freedom or give me death.”

Proof The GOP Fails the Black Vote

If you go to gop.com, the official website of the Republican party you’ll find they have multiple categories for various issues. Immigration reform, woman, economy… They also have one for African-Americans, but when you visit that category they have only one blog post.

It goes on to talk about how African America education scores have increased on the Republican white house and congress. I guess that’s why lower SAT scores where blamed on more African Americans and Latinos taking the test. Anyways I’m not here to critique their lone post.

Today the Senate will be holding a vote on weather Washington DC (62% black) will have proper representation in the House of Representatives. The vote today is only a procedural one, if they get 60 or more votes to avoid a filibuster, then they’ll move on to the real “vote” later this session. But house minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) says “The right to vote is fundamental, and I will fight any attempt to dilute or impede that right, my opposition to this bill rests instead on a single all-important fact: It is clearly and unambiguously unconstitutional.” Most other Senate Republicans hold this view.

Not to vilify all Republicans on this issue, because Tom Davis (R-Va) cosponsored this legislation. But if this vote fails due to Republican opposition it will be the first voting rights filibuster since segregation was ended.

Update

The vote had 57 yes votes, and 42 no votes, with a Democrat from West Virginia, missing the vote, because he believes it is unconstitutional. Either ways they would have still been 2 votes short.

The Gay Difference

Senator David Vitter, the guy who had sex with woman prostitutes was welcomed back with applause from other Republicans. Many even came to his defense. But when Larry Craig solicits another man for sex, the party pressure him to relinquish his committees, and some even call for his resignation.

I wonder if the idea of homosexuality being un-Christian is really their cause in hating it. I mean homosexuality from a Christian perspective is just as wrong as sex outside of marriage. And in terms of family protection, I know many more families broken apart by affairs followed by divorce, then by homosexuality.

Both senators committed crimes, both should have to resign. I’m in no way supporting Craig, because we should not have convicted criminals in office. But I would like to see both the morality police and the “get the street thug in jail” police hold their own accountable to equal standards.

Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act 2.0

The Senate passed the vote to expand the fine print of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act last night. The vote tallied in at 60 - 28. 16 Democrats and Joe Lieberman (Independent) joined 43 Republicans in supporting the bill.

The changes to the bill include things such as not needing a warrant to monitor phone calls domestic, or international calls that are leaving the US. Emails may also be monitored. This will be conducted by the NSA.
Read more

3 Congress Members Away from Impeachment, Senate Plans Censure

In a remarkable turn of events in the past weeks, the White ‘House’ is falling down on the President. Congress is making improvements to end the war, and with an approval rating at 25% and a disapproval rating at 71%, impeachment doesn’t seem too far away.

Congressman John Conyers announced that he is 3 congress members away from moving forward on impeachment.

Senator Russ Feingold announced that he plans to publicly disapprove of George W. Bush’s presidency by calling for a censure. A censure will publicly shame the president as the worst in history. For the illegal wiretapping, the War in Iraq, and the whole throwing the rule of law out the window.
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Republicans Block Iraq Withdrawal Amendment

A 52-47 vote could not end the debate and begin the vote of the Levin/Reed Amendment to withdrawal troops from Iraq. All of this coming from the Senate minority!

“Four Republicans, Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Chuck Hagel (Neb.), Gordon Smith (Ore.) and Olympia Snowe (Maine) voted with the Democrats to support the withdrawal. But supporters of the measure fell short of the 60 votes required to overcome a GOP filibuster.” [TheHill.com]

There are no good options for Iraq besides getting the heck out of there. Imagine if our country was being occupied, it’s not a good feeling. It’s time for the Iraqis to take their country into their own hands, we have done all that we can to help them out. People say that if we leave Iraq will turn into chaos. But isn’t Iraq already out of control because we are there?

Iraq Vote: GOP Plans Filibuster, Dems Won’t Back Down

(AFP/Saul Loeb)

It will be a sleepless night tonight while the ongoing debate over whether or not to withdraw troops from Iraq rages. The Senate Republicans are trying to block a simple majority vote on Iraq withdrawal requiring a 60-vote majority in the 100-member Senate. The up or down vote being debated would require troops to withdrawal within 120 days of passing. It will be the first time in a long time since a filibuster is actually going to occur.
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Senate to be in Session all Night

Just a brief update to say that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has announced that he will keep the Senate in session all night Tuesday and into Wednesday to bring attention to the Iraq vote. Workers will set up cots outside the Chamber for Senators to sleep on in between votes. Although even this extreme step will not garner enough votes to pass the bill, it certainly is interesting and attention-getting! Hopefully it will get enough attention to eventually make some progress and allow the Senate to pass a good bill.