We May Have Just Gotten The FISA Debate Extended. Senators Dodd and Feingold are speaking out against the FISA bill as I type (there is some confusion as to whether this is the start of the filibuster...I don't know). If you have a tv, check out C-Span. I don't have a tv, but some folks are live blogging the event and Dodd has been fucking impressive. In any event, dday, a diarist at Kos, writes: Anyone watching C-SPAN? Senator Reid just informed his colleagues that, because of all the other bills in the queue (like the housing bill, and the Iraq supplemental), FISA may not get a vote until after the July 4 holiday recess.
This is honestly the best we can hope for with this bill. Sens. Dodd, Wyden and Feingold are ready to filibuster and gamely trying to get colleagues to do the same (Sen. Dodd's speech tonight was a bravura performance), but realistically there aren't the numbers to stop cloture. However, that could change if the delay continues. And getting this to the recess means being able to get in a lot of Senator's faces on their trips back home. In addition, there's going to be a very short window in August where a ton of must-pass bills have to get through Congress, and throwing FISA in with that mess means that anything can happen.
Keep calling your senators. Hell, call any senator. Ok, call your senators and Senator Obama's offices. The phones are apparently ringing off the hook. I called Clinton and Schumer's offices this morning. Naturally, Schumer's staffer told me that "he hasn't released a statement yet" in response to my question about his stance on the FISA bill, but the staffer also said he was getting lots of calls from people opposed to the bill. We have a small window of opportunity. Just pick up the phone and make a few calls. Politicians don't like to be watched, so let's let them know we are watching...very carefully.
Find your senators' contact information here: Senators of the 110th Congress. And call or e-mail Senators Dodd and Feingold and thank them for standing up for us.
Chris Dodd- he has some issues but when it comes to shit like this, the man rocks.
Posted by: FranIAm | June 25, 2008 at 07:18 AM
gmb - i tried contacting Schumer's and Clinton's offices by phone yesterday several times and got busy signals. I guess that's a good thing, but I would have liked to have spoken to someone and passed along my feelings towards this compromise.
Posted by: Spartacus | June 25, 2008 at 09:08 AM
Fran: He has been one of a few senators who seem to be worthy of praise, lately. Don't know what the issues are (except for the mortgage thing), but I do know that I don't regret sending him two donations while he was running for the democratic nomination for the presidential race.
Spartacus: That is excellent news. I got through fairly quickly yesterday, but I also called around 9:00 a.m. I guess the lines get clogged after the mid-west and West coast wake up. We need to keep the pressure up, especially if we get the delay. Glad that you called. Wish every American did it, because I think that things would be different. GMB
Posted by: gmb | June 25, 2008 at 09:40 AM