Countdown: Senator Chris Dodd On The FISA Victory
By Logan Murphy Monday Dec 17, 2007 8:26pm
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Democratic presidential candidate, Senator Chris Dodd, appeared on Tuesday's Countdown to discuss his victory on the Senate floor yesterday, by forcing an amendment to the FISA legislation that would have given retroactive immunity to telecom companies that spied on Americans without warrants, to be tabled till next January - or February.
Senator Dodd showed the same passion and leadership talking with guest host Alison Stewart as he did last night on the Senate floor, vowing once again to filibuster the bill in January if immunity is still included and saying that to do so would be pretending like these crimes never happened. Dodd, unlike most of the Democratic leadership, shows no fear of President Bush, excoriating him for trampling all over our Constitution.
Dodd: "...The president said he'd veto the legislation if that immunity were not in the bill. Imagine this, passing a bill that would allow us to get better information about those who would do us harm and protect our rights. He'd squander all of that to protect a few phone companies. I'm not going to stand for it, I'll go back and filibuster it if I have to. [snip]
"I've been asked, what's the first thing I'd do as president in the year 2009, and January 20th. And I'm going to give you back your Constitution, because this administration has gone out of it's way to do just the opposite and the Constitution does not belong to a political party or a candidate and they've been trampling all over it."
Sadly, the New York Times followed much of the liberal media and buried the story of Dodd's historic fight on page A29.
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Dodd stood up for America and the Constitution yesterday and I intend to vote for him. Even if he isn't the democratic nominee, I will write his name in.
Watch out, Dianne Feinstein JUST introduced legislation to go behind Dodd's back and allow yet another secret court to determine whether or not the telecoms can be sued (here's a hint to how they'll rule: no).
Thank you, Feinstein, for your continued attempts at destroying this country. Oh how I despise you.
For Mr Dodd, it must be difficult to share a party with such cretinous, back-stabbing thugs.
Howabout Dodd for Majority Leader, as his Presidential Campaign (it saddens me to say this) isn't looking all that lively.
Feinstein's amendment will permit the secret court (I think "secret" in that it's closed to the public) to exonerate the telcoms (and anyone else) if they didn't do it, they had proper authorization to do it, or they were acting in "good faith" when they did that.
"Good faith" huh?
I'm unemployed since July, and Xmas is going to suck this year, but i had to contribute to Chris Dodd for showing what Democratic spine looks like. He now has my unwavering support.
Sen Dodd has always struck me as too much of an "outsider" to succeed at a national level. Many of the qualities which make him a good legislator, in a weak field, make it unlikely he could "call in enough favors" to get the Presidential nomination.
WTF......page A29?....well that's that librul media for ya...
Thing Fish @ 4:
Thing Fish....where can I find more info on this amendment by DiFi........what a backstabbing two faced bitch.Her and Joe Lieberman are two of a kind.
The liberal LA Times erased the story entirely. On page A23 we learn that consideration of the bill has been postponed by Reid because there was not enough time to deal with the many amendments. Then a quote from the White House warning of how dangerous it was to delay. That was the whole story. No mention of Dodd at all.
mudshark @ 8:
I'll need to go back through my browser history. Should have it it a bit...
The revolution will not be televised.
The list of Congressmen/women that I respect is getting short. Very short. Dodd is now on the top of my list.
paul bryan @ 9:
Amazing. And the FCC is simultaneously pushing to compound this problem with more media consolidation.
Okay, Sen. Dodd...you've got my vote
http://youtube.com/watch?v=3-pruX0Fwhk
So who are the assholes that make the decisions where to place a story (NY and La Times)? We need those people named and ridiculed on the blogs, not necessarily the reporters. We need pictures of these Bush supporters so we can all identify them.
Same with the names and pictures of the partisans in the TV and Radio media who make the decisions on what we see instead of what is news. Let everyone know who these collaborators are. They've been anonymous so far. Name them!
And what connection do these vermin have to Bush?
I sent Dodd some money today. He's got my vote.
What the hell is the Feinstein bill? I've heard she's got plenty of cash from No-Cal telecom companies.
By the way, at first I thought Stewart said, "Nice butt!" And then Dodd sounded a little creepy with the "it's nice and warm, you can ride all night long" or whatever he said. Stewart was equally strange with the "Don't tempt me..."
Fuck the New York Times. A herculean effort by a Senator standing up against his own party and the executive branch to defend the constitution, and it earns A29. Which missing white girl was more important?
DiFi is apparently introducing a compromise bill with "secret courts" to determine if telcos broke any laws. "Secret Courts" I kid you not. Correct me if I am wrong but isn't a democracy about some transparency? Feinstein is a criminal in my mind pure and simple.
What the netroots response to FISA and Dodd’s answer to hold then Filibuster the bill proves is that a small but influential group of bloggers (FDL, C&L, digby, …) when acting in concert, can rouse a lot of righteous anger and consequent emails and phone calls to affect dem legislators. What Greenwald’s article makes clear is that it was an exchange of emails among this select group that got the thing started and sustained the effort. To quote Greenwald,
“At virtually the time, there was an email exchange between a relatively small group of bloggers and a couple of representatives from grass-roots organizations in which the same idea arose: finding a Senator who would be willing to place a "hold" on the Rockefeller immunity bill. Earlier that morning, Big Tent Democrat had noted that Chris Dodd had issued a strongly worded statement against Jay Rockefeller's bill, and he urged Dodd to announce he would lead a filibuster against the bill. Based on all of that, it was quickly recognized, both in comments and in that email group, that the obvious choice to target for a "hold" was Dodd, who had made constitutional and oversight issues the centerpiece of his presidential campaign.
Within literally a matter of minutes, numerous blogs began urging their readers to contact the Dodd campaign to ask Dodd to place a "hold" on any bill containing immunity. MoveOn sent out an email to its membership list urging the same. Blog readers and others then deluged the Dodd campaign by the thousands, tying up their telephones and overflowing their email boxes.
It was exclusively in response to that blog-based outpouring of citizen passion that Dodd -- within a matter of a few hours -- emphatically vowed that he would do something he has almost never done during his 24-year Senate career: place a "hold" on this bill and, if necessary, lead a filibuster against it on the floor ..”
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2007/12/18/victory/index.html
Now I won’t argue the value of the effort (though I think it would be more useful to reexamine the whole FISA bill, as I think it is totally unconstitutional as well as useless)
But would like to ask, “did any of these influential bloggers let their readers know they were acting in concert to both push the issue and keep it in the forefront of their daily writing?” Isn’t one of the things that the msm pundocracy often criticized for is there lack of transparency and independence? Are prominent lefty bloggers just going to replace them with the same tactics? Shouldn’t they have all let their readers know that they had got together and decided this would be the cause celeb of the week? I have no objection to cabalism, that is the nature of the political beast but wouldn’t it have been more respectful to let their readers know how the plan was hatched? If ’they’ are going to pick a cause and flog it why don’t ‘they’ poll their readers about what they want to see front and center. If it can be done with FISA why not my hobby horse , Impeachment? Surely, Wexler’s petition deserves as much support as Dodd’s effort, but only a few blogs have mentioned it even though the response has been enormous.
http://www.wexlerwantshearings.com/
Dodd was way too generous to Reid. There's no law that says he has to observe every procedural nicety. He could've easily left that immunity bill in limbo and only put the other to a vote. Reid is god damned bought-and-paid-for corporate servant, and he needs to GO.
Still- congratulations to both Chris Dodd and the country for this initial victory. Let's hope he gets more support from other Senators next month, when that sell-out Reid makes his next attempt.
Thing Fish @ 10:
All I have is a mentioned here which is just someone saying that is what DF's admendment will be...
Thomas.gov shows 6 amendments. 2 by DF, and one each by Cardin, Leahy, Kennedy, and Schumer. All say the same thing:
Purpose will be available when the amendment is proposed for consideration. See Congressional Record for text.Not certain if I'll find them in the record too quickly. But I'm betting that the compromise will be to let the telcoms off the hook entirely while some how holding Bush accountable.
Dodd rocks! Diane Fraudstein sucks!
JasonS @ 14:
A little better IMHO:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=7f_HsjpSVaI
Sorry, pooched the links:
All I have is a mentioned here which is just someone saying that is what DF’s admendment will be (at update 1:35 p.m. PST)
And the Thomas.gov link (and its parent page for bill 2248).
Old Billy @ 22:
Conceded, tho I thought the "heroes running around while a mighty ship sinks beneath them" metaphor was apt :)
It's the economy Scccchtupids
WASHINGTON - The Senate voted Tuesday to provide $70 billion for U.S. military efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, handing a victory to President Bush and his GOP allies on Capitol Hill.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - At the Quail Lakes Baptist Church in Stockton, California, the parishioners at weekly prayer group meetings seek spiritual support for everything from health issues to marital problems to job losses.
Sent to Sen. Dodd:
Thank you, Senator Dodd, for taking a principled stand and resisting the FISA bill.
I have lived this past year with a heavy heart, watching the Democratic party consistently betray the voters who gave them a simple, clear mandate: restore our great Republic.
I am most impressed that you were in Washington doing this and not in Iowa pouting about youthful drug use or whose religious faith is stronger than whose.
Thank you, sir. Thank you for standing up for what is right.
I'm with you. I am persuaded. You have my vote.
Sincerely,
Jason S
Independent Voter
Thing Fish @ 20:
If I send you my postal address, will you send me some of what you're smoking? Hold Bush accountable. Com'on.
Father Tyme @ 15:
This is not necessarily the guy you want, but he's a guy you can complain to:
Public Editor Byron Calame at public@nytimes.com
.
Forgive me, Byron.
From a "form letter" I got from Diane today on my encouraging her to fight the immunity:
Thank you for writing regarding the Bush Administration's request for legislation that would provide liability relief for telecommunications companies that are alleged to have provided assistance to the National Security Agency after September 11, 2001. I appreciate your thoughts on this topic, and welcome the opportunity to respond.
I voted for the FISA legislation that passed out of the Intelligence Committee by a bipartisan vote of 13-2. The Senate Judiciary Committee did not take action on the portions of the bill dealing with immunity. The bill is now scheduled to go to the Senate floor. I am keeping an open mind to whether some other legislative approach besides immunity would be best.
Rest assured that I will make every effort to ensure that new FISA legislation will protect the privacy rights of all Americans without restricting the intelligence community's ability to protect us from attack.
Again, thank you for writing. I hope that you will continue to write on matters of importance to you.
My thoughts to Diane: you are a traitor and are failing to uphold your oath to protect and defend the Constitution. Stop with the "...protect us from attack" nonsense - we need protection from OUR government!
24 minutes ago
The 48-46 roll call by which the Senate voted to reject a House-passed bill to fix the alternative minimum tax for one year and cover the costs by raising taxes on users of offshore tax havens. Under Senate rules, 60 votes were needed to pass the bill.
Goes to show you what their concerned about.
L.A. Confidential @ 30:
or . . . . . . . .
WASHINGTON - The congressional struggle over how to protect millions of middle-class people from getting soaked by the alternative minimum tax this year entered its final stage Tuesday as the Senate rejected a House demand that the $50 billion in tax relief be paid for.
Way to go Dodd.
I love Jon Stewart, but the one and only upside of the strike has been that Stewart has not been able to unfairly pick on Dodd.
I have a real problem with him singling Dodd out and portraying him as a loser.
Richterscale - what sort of business are you in? Get the word out there. Somebody find that person a job.
Dodd is the only senatorial candidate for president not to busy campaigning for the job to try and save the republic.
Tug @ 32:
Really? I hadn't noticed that. The only thing I remember him doing on Dodd was the fly on the head thing. I really wish he were back to pick on Rudy. Or LIEbermann/McCain. It's been a smorgasborg of material for comics. Too bad no one's around to use it...
If Chris proposed to me, I'd accept.
Thing Fish @ 4:
Feinstein is a Republican just like Lieberman. Eff off to her!
As for Senator Dodd, go get 'em, Chris!! Thanks for showing your courage and what you're made of... Nobody should be afraid of that wimp Governor Poopy-pants, a.k.a. George Bu$h, or his buddies the neocon asshats! Eff all of 'em!
Hype-Jersey @ 36:
I think you're confusing him with one of the Republicans. Dodd's beliefs limit him to one spouse.
Thank you Chris Dodd finally someone with guts.....
JasonS @ 26:
What you said!!! Thanks Jason S... well said!
The battle has yet begun...
I keep hoping that one of these incidents is the moment of change.
2006 elections .. lol
Kucinich's Motion to Impeach.
Wexler's Motion to Impeach.
This magnificnet stand by Dodd - which should have been business as usual.
Please ..
Chris Dodd a man of principle you won my vote!
I've never donated to a political campaign until now. Dodd is the first and has my vote in the primary.
Imagine if all the 500,000+ people who apparently wrote their senators to support Dodd on this, donated as little as $5.
It would be huge for the campaign and perhaps more importantly it would send a message to the other candidates about the type of leadership we are looking for.
This man is a true professional. Refreshing!
After accomplishing what you did this week, might you better serve the United States by being a kick-ass senator than being back in Iowa and pursuing a nomination that you might not get?
Answer: NO! Because in our crazy times, you don't get any media attention for championing a cause like this unless you're running for president. Do you think anyone would ever have heard of anything Dennis Kucinich does/has done/is doing if he hadn't been running for president last time and this time? It'd be great if we all -- the public and the media -- started paying attention to how our government works (or is supposed to), but somehow, we've made the presidency the end-all-be-all of everything.
And speaking of the FISA bill, without belittling Dodd's accomplishment, I must ask this: How is it that we've gotten to the point that even the Democrats have, by and large, agreed that the warrant requirement ought to be dispensed with, and that the only real battle is about granting automatic immunity to companies that conspire or cooperate with the maladministration?
It's hard to imagine just how close we are to losing EVERY SACRED TENNANT of this prescious experiment in representative democracy. Champions like Senator Dodd come few and far between. I feel like I'm watching one of those pivotal moments that change the tide of history. Somebody with HEART and WISDOM and DETERMINATION is saying loud and clear: "Here is the line. I shall not retreat. This is where I make my stand."
I wish I were a Democrat voter in Iowa right now.
I absolutely loved his answer to her last question, well done Sen. Dodd well done.
Karen @ 46:
I especially liked Dodd's answer to the first point you quoted. He said something to the effect that this country needs a President who will defend the Constitution.
As to your second point, the media having ignored this as much as they possibly can does not want to talk about warrants and those types of nuisances. Instead it is much more convenient and fulfills their purposes to let the concerns about warrants just slide by and hope that nobody notices. Precedent has been set, and that has been one of the driving forces behind the Cheney administration.
Donate to Dodd. He was, is, and always will be the man
Cowboy Bob in Austin @ 47:
Unfortunately the Democratic voters in Iowa are being force fed a steady diet of HillObamed stew with a side dish of HucRom pie. Somebody like Dodd is completely ignored. Dodd is too much of a gentleman not to chastise the other Democrats for not returning to Washington. I don't think he learned anything from Kerry's campaign. Likewise he was too gracious with Reid.
Dodd could be a great president. He's working the floor, running for president, and his hair of steel still looks great.
We need more Dodds to cure this sick country.
" ...Sadly, the New York Times followed much of the liberal media and buried the story of Dodd’s historic fight on page A29....". Yes, this is true, however, WE have the power, not the NYT. The question is, how big a following is there for his campaign? Yesterday he picked-up three supporters in my family and $350.00. I feel like I have found the candidate I have been looking for, and he was there all of the time. I do not see anything except the campaigning I loathe coming from the front-runners. One of the reasons Chris has been largely invisible, is because the corporations do not own him, and he can be his own man (gender reference only due to circumstance). That is one of the first prerequisites I would look for in a candidate. If his campaign begins to show life, those losers will come knocking. They will get nowhere if a populous movement springs-up to support Chris.
I must confess to a great deal of discomfort, pounding the political drums for a candidate, with no experience, and in front of a very savvy, and well-informed group that exists here. Sometimes one just feels passionate about something.
Senator Dodd has been standing up and speaking out for a while. I've noticed that Ron Paul's success has got everyone jumping on the "constitution" bandwagon. No one was listening till the money bombs. If the blogs really wanted to they could try and stir up support for someone like Kucinich, Dodd, or even John Edwards. The Republicans are afraid of Edwards and Ron Paul. Dennis Kucinich lost a powerful grassroots movement when the 911 truthers went to Ron Paul. He has been a advocate of the Bill of Rights. The Democrats always stood for civil liberty and our rights except for the 2nd amendment. The Republicans want to take the rest. I want all of our rights. Our constitution states these as natural god given rights, therefore no man should be able to take them away.
I once heard Randi Rhodes say, (paraphrasing)"If you don't know who to support, find the person with the smallest amount of contributions, it just means they have not been bought."
Are any of the groups like MoveOn.org running ads in Iowa right now to educate teh voters on Dodd's efforts to restore the Constitution? Just curious if the grassroots is helping his candidacy since he helped our liberties.
Karen @ 46:
So true. Look at maybe the most "kick-ass" senator of them all - Russ Feingold, who has probably done more as a senator than Clinton and Obama combined. He hardly gets the recognition he deserves. He was with Dodd every step of the way on the flawed FISA bill, he was the ONLY senator to vote against the Patriot Act and today he AGAIN called for the withdrawl of troops from Iraq (text of speech from the Senate Floor)
Now if he were running for president, this might make it on the news.
If this is some pathetic attempt to get me to contribute to his campaign, it's working.
I wondered who I was going to vote for ever since Kucinich floated Paul's name for VP... Now I now! Of course when Hillary gets annointed by our political betters for the general I'm jumping ship and voting green. To hell with this gutless party!
Dodd looks very presidential.
Senator Dodd - thank you for being a hero for us. We love you for it.
Lose the coat - replace it with one in a rich dark chocolate tone - will do wonders for your figure and skin tones. Mainly your skin tone - this one is hurting you. Seriously.
America desperately needs heroes.
*
mudshark @ 8:
Dianne Feinstein shows the democrats and voters what she thinks of them.
*
Richterscale @ 5:
I feel for you. We had a Christmas 2 years ago where we couldn't even buy our kids a single gift - nothing. My brother bought us a roast so we could have a christmas dinner. Not much better since.
I hope you have a wonderful holiday surrounded by loved ones and friends. It helps.
*
Why are Clinton and Obama front runners? What have they done for the cause of freedom? How have they demonstrated that they are members of the opposition party? Have either of them been willing to take a stand against all odds? Have Clinton or Obama done anything that hasn't first been polled and debated within their campaign? Are they leaders? Thank you Dodd. Unfortunately, no matter who is the nominee, I can't vote for a democrat. It's great, but it is still too little too late. The democrats refuse to acknowledge their base, so I am done rooting for this party. I have had my hopes dashed one too many times.
This is the kind of leadership, American people expect from ALL our elected officials.
The issues here should be as clear to all of them as it is to Senator Dodd, exactly what these people are up too.
It is not clear exactly what Senator Reid is thinking, buy not supporting Senator Dodd, because he has to know that with the exception of the Telephone Companies, who new exactly what they were doing, when they did it and continue to this day. No one else is in agreement of allowing these criminals off the hook.
They are in violation and so is George W Bush, whom also knew what he was and continue to do is Wrong.
The Justice System is not just for average citizens in this country. These Corporations, that have swindled their way into our Federal System of Government and have high jacked, lied, cheated, stole, murdered and destroyed millions of peoples, lives, in so many unjust ways, with the help of a group of seedy, cheap, money hungry criminals, including the so called President, must be held accountable for their actions. We can never correct the deficiencies, of this administration if we don't take responsibility for these willful miss deeds to this country.
They need to stop giving these criminals our money, however it appears, that is not going to happen for whatever reasons, any of them give is not justifiable at this stage of the game, but at the very least:
As Senator Dodd did, they should all be taking advantage of the loop holes and blockage of bad bills these clowns are shoving at us. There is No excuse for this crap. Republicans have No problem with these tactics and neither should Democrats.
They should all be taking their time with these bills, or extending the time periods so they clearly have enough time to dissect the bull shit, tricks, schemes, distractions and deals.
These Hot Button issues, need to stand alone to avoid this crap. Discontinue allowing Republicans to call the shots. Democrats are the Majority, however small, but are still the deciders of if, when and how these bills will or will not come into play.
They need to stop the bull shit, Not just this time, but ALL the time.
I had to laugh like hell when Harry was made Senate majority leader.
What possible reason? A milktoast. Like Lieberman as VP 2000.
Why not Dodd?
Pelosi seemed better as Speaker.
I see it should have been Kucinich.
Here is a wild and crazy idea, why doesnt dodd go ahead and start investigations, hearings, whatever sort of procedures he can to punish these companies NOW. This is so f-d. It would be like not arresting someone for robbery, because you think maybe in couple of months robbery may not be a crime anymore. There is not even a question that these corporations broke the law. Im not the hugest clinton fan, but it sickens the crap out of me that he got a blowjob, and the only thing anyone could talk about was what that had to do with the kind of president he was, and now, people fall all over themselves to justify and forget about and try to act like the crap this jackass in the whitehouse has been a part of is no biggie, and you are just unpatriotic to thinks otherwise.
Indict
Impeach
And lets get rid of the god-damned federal reserve for crying out loud. This is what makes it so hard for me. Every member of government who cannot stand up, be honest and acknowledge the fact that the fed is killing us, fuckem. They are almost all lying almost all of the time.
George Washington.
Thomas Jefferson.
Benjamin Franklin.
Patrick Henry.
Christopher Dodd.
American Patriots.
C'mon folks -- how quickly will it be before the Repubs extract a tearful apology from him on the Senate floor a la Pete Stark?
Thank you, Sen. Dodd, for actually working on helping America save America while a bunch of A's don't have time lying to people to even vote on senate affairs. I've said this before several times, that if you're not in the senate working, you don't get my vote..Ys Hil and Bar, you two are too busy slinging mud to get down to the tacks that are brass. Do any of these candidates know why they were elected in the first place? No show to work, just like we do in this ever dwindling middle class and below, no pay. Good luck to the rich A's out there glad-handing, and Hello! working to give us our civil rights!!! Harry Reid, get some sleep and grow and brain. Your state is so polluted you'll need a gas mask and passport real soon.
raceynora @ 29:
BULLSHIT!
She's reading from the Luntz playbook. "Liability relief?" That's some mental contortionism.
I can't remember where I read it, but I'm pretty sure I've seen it reported that the NSA was using the telecoms to spy on us before Dumbya's giant, colossal fuckup/crowning achievement. We do know that they're using the warrantless wiretaps to chase drug traffickers south of the border.
What this immunity issue is masking is that the entire Stopgap FISA bill is an assault on the Constitution. It needs to die of expiration. The pre-existing FISA did all that was needed. The premise that FISA needed to be "updated" or "modernized" is complete rubbish. The FISA stopgap is just one more incremental incursion upon our rights as citizens. I can't help but think that the immunity was inserted into the FISA Bill so that we would all become distracted from noticing that the entire rest of the bill is a travesty. Dodd needs to talk about all the issues in the pending FISA revision that are Constitutionally objectionable.
In any event, Kudos to Dodd for doing as much as he has done. Kickass.
I think we need more senators like him on the floor... Who understand that this is a country of laws, not men. Who at least stands on the ground of the constitution. I believe he deserves to be re-elected as senator
Father Tyme @ 15:
Agreed. yes, these people are doing the despicable, but please, don't use the word "vermin". It was a favored term of the nazis. We are not nazis here, I hope. We do not need to dehumanize anybody in order to support the right thing.
President Paul could use a man like Sen. Dodd as VP.
Howz that sound to all you, We the People, out there in cyberville?
What "unimportant people" do, like Chris Dodd or 500,000 Americans (the number reported to have emailed or called legislators about telcom immunity) is just not of interest, not newsworthy, to the MSM.
So I say, let them ignore reality all they want, and let's continue to work to accomplish what needs to be done right under their noses. Let's give up the belief that anybody needs the MSM for publicity. It would be great if they did cover the real news because it would educate America more quickly, but I've concluded they aren't needed, since the internet reaches so many people now, and the MSM is owned by forces that don't reflect citizens' concerns or activities. Twenty years ago that wasn't true.
Just a note about one segment of "news". I don't know where they get their poll numbers for issues. Has anybody ever seen how the numbers are chosen? I'm 68 years old and have NEVER had an unlisted number, and not once, ever, have I received a phone call from a polling agency. You'd think by the law of averages that I'd have gotten at least one during all that time.
Sadly, the New York Times followed much of the liberal media and buried the story...
I get the joke. Haven't watched American network news or the morning shows or subscribed to a U.S. newspaper in years and years.
Even the Hartford Courant has ignored the story.
If you have a Democratic Senator, or two, keep calling them; every other day is fine.
I called Sen Durbin (IL) yesterday. His flak catcher told me that Durbin opposes amnesty for telecos but is not sure about supporting Sen Dodd. Of course, if you do not support Sen Dodd you are voting for teleco amnesty. I did not point that out at the time since his waffle allowed me to call back Thursday and ask the same questions at which time I will point that out.
With unlimited long distance on most cell phones it certainly makes applying pressure easy and cheap. Also, most (all?) Senators have an in state office with less experienced flak catchers.
[Quit spamming the threads with the same off topic message. Thank you-Sitemonitor]
So, why is it so hard for the Democrats in Congress to join forces and actually defend our Constitution? Chris Dodd and Russ Feingold can't do it alone.
jim2445
In my state, both Senators are Republicans, but they can be called or contacted as well to register your objection to granting the telecoms immunity. I'd use the same arguments I posed to Harry Reid:
1. Telcom immunity guarantees that Americans' Constitutional right to not be surveilled without warrants is violated. It would "forgive" a Constitutional violation, and so is prima facie illegal. A warrant fulfills all the Constitutional requirements.
2. Depending on what the telcoms use as a defense, their liability may not be as great as they fear if there were administration threats, overt or implied, about contractual losses. In that case, the liability may instead rest squarely on the Bush administration, which issued the order. The telcoms could argue that the government conducted blackmail to ensure compliance with Bush's order. I've never seen a court case where blackmailed individuals were convicted of breaking the law.
As Alison implied, I believe it would actually be better for the country if he abandoned his presidential run and concentrated on his Senate job. Maybe if he were in Washington more, Reid couldn't ram the bill through while Dodd wasn't around. I wouldn't put it past him.
paul bryan @ 9:
That's exactly all I have seen in my hometown paper as well as CNN.com. Not one mention of the courageous acts by Chris Dodd. Just more press for that doddering old fool Reid. God damn effing media makes me so mad I could spit.
Thank goodness for the internets until they take that away from us.
Bob,
Thanks for the link.
Paul,
My apologies to vermin. Didn't mean to insult them.
And yes, where is MoveOn when we need them? It's time to take the offensive.
It's easy to forget how we lost all of our freedoms if there's no press to tell the sheep.
Justin Case @ 75:
Just say no..........
I don't understand why people are so pro Ron Paul,All you have to do is a web search of his voting record and history..or google it....dig deeper folks...this guy is trouble.Don't buy his electioneering rhetoric.The GOP is at it again duping people with bullshit...And Paul is just that.Saying anything people want to hear...just to get elected......the amazing thing is people haven't learned.and are falling for it again,and again,and again.........
A question. Does anyone know where there's a list of the telcoms who are being sued. I found this information, but it's focused on states who've filed lawsuits against some of the telcoms:
And there's this, adding BellSouth:
And this adds MCI and Sprint to the list:
So far, that's AT&T, Verizon, BellSouth, MCI & Sprint. There must be more, but I can't find a simple comprehensive list.
=====
And look at what I found in my search:
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/10/dem-pushing-spy.html#previouspost
Democratic Lawmaker Pushing Immunity Is Newly Flush With Telco Cash
By Ryan Singel
Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-West Virginia) is reportedly steering the secretive Senate Intelligence Committee to give retroactive immunity to telecoms that helped the government secretly spy on Americans.
He has also recently benefited from some interesting political contributions.
Top Verizon executives, including CEO Ivan Seidenberg and President Dennis Strigl, wrote personal checks to Rockefeller totaling $23,500 in March, 2007. Prior to that apparently coordinated flurry of 29 donations, only one of those executives had ever donated to Rockefeller (at least while working for Verizon).
In fact, prior to 2007, contributions to Rockefeller from company executives at AT&T and Verizon were mostly non-existent.
But that changed around the same time that the companies began lobbying Congress to grant them retroactive immunity from lawsuits seeking billions for their alleged participation in secret, warrantless surveillance programs that targeted Americans.
The Spring '07 checks represent 86 percent of money donated to Rockefeller by Verizon employees since at least 2001.
AT&T executives discovered a fondness for Rockefeller just a month after Verizon execs did and over a three-month span, collectively made donations totaling $19,350.
AT&T Vice President Fred McCallum began the giving spree in May with a $500 donation. 22 other AT&T high fliers soon followed with their own checks.
Prior to that burst of generosity, the only AT&T employee donation to Rockefeller was a $300 contribution in 2001. That supporter did not identify herself as a company executive.
Both companies are being sued for allegedly turning over billions of calling records to the government, while AT&T is also accused of letting the National Security Agency wiretap phone calls and its internet backbone. A federal judge in California allowed the suits regarding the eavesdropping to continue despite the government's attempt to have the suits thrown out on the grounds they will endanger national security. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reviewed that decision in August. The judges seemed reluctant to toss the cases, but have yet to issue a ruling.
On Thursday evening, the Rockefeller-led Senate Intelligence Committee is marking up a bill to re-amend the nation's spy laws. While the text of the bill has not yet been released, the bill reportedly includes a way for the telecoms to escape the litigation against them.
Rockefeller's commitment to getting the telecoms out of court surprises some who remember that Rockefeller was originally disturbed enough about the secret spying programs that he hand-wrote a letter to Dick Cheney in 2003, expressing his concerns about the program's legality.
One last post on this matter. It should be remembered that Jay Rockefeller is head of the Senate Intelligence Committee whose bill is the one giving the telcoms immunity from prosecution, the one Harry Reid sent to the floor but Senator Dodd managed to get tabled until January.
The Senate Judiciary Committee wrote the bill that does NOT give the telcom's immunity from prosecution, and this is the bill that Harry Reid would not bring to the floor. This committee is composed of the best Democrats and the worst Republicans on this issue, but Reid chose the Intelligence Committee bill instead. FWIW, Russ Feingold-D and Orrin Hatch-R are on both committees.
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Congrats to Chris Dodd, I do wish that Obama would do a little less campaigning, and a little more leading , but i guess thats why he's in the spot that he's in. I've made contributions to both campaigns Obama first, then Dodd after I saw that he was really a man of action. forgive my aside on this though, was i the only one that thought it was hilariously awkward when the anchor comments on his bus and he responds by saying "we'll give you a good ride". jon stewart is missing out on some great material.
Senator Dodd, you have truly distinguished yourself. Thank you for standing up for us. Please keep up the good work.
mudshark @ 86:
I don't what you're talking about, Pauls voting record is very constitutional. Maybe you don't know what the federal government is supposed to be. Or even worse, what a state is supposed to be. A state is a country and each state competes for it's people. But everyone wants the feds to take of everything now. That's just silly stuff.
Tim @ 91:
Dude, Paul voted no on impeachment. He claimed that this administration's actions did not warrant it. That was enough to lose me, and should be enough to lose anyone else who has been paying attention.
Again...
Ron Paul voted against impeachment! WTF?
I thought Jay Rockefeller was on our side, but it turns out he is just another fookin' sell-out bitch. Dick Cheney's bitch.
I... know this is wrong (especially for such a serious topic), but... did anyone else giggle when Dodd invited Alison into his "warm, cozy bus" and offering her a "really good ride"? Something about that phrasing...
They both seemed vaguely uncomfortable in that interview. I couldn't quite put my finger on why. Alison could be good if she'd loosen up her "newsreader bored-monotone voice".
Dodd seems like a good guy -- the worst thing about him is that he, Biden and Kucinich only seem to split off from the Edwards vote rather than split from Obama or Hillary. Edwards is not in the Senate, or I'm sure he would have been there, signed up and ready. Hillary and Obama? Do you really have to ask?
Corporate. Democrats. Period.
Kucinich/Dodd ticket for PResidential team
Justin Case @ 75:
I'm supporting President Ringo
Dodd among Men? GD Olberman, why don't you drop to your knees in awe and kiss his ring? Please tell me the liberal media doesn't exist.
I love his last shot. "How about a president that would uphold the constitution?" That question needs to be asked repeatedly!
Anybody notice something truly remarkable about this interview? Ms Steward asked a candidate several questions and Dodd actually ANSWERED them. Sooner or later just about every other candidate either ignores the question or gives it a very minimal answer, using the on-air opportunity to inject and repeat his/her favorite talking points.
When Congress returns after there (BADLY NEEDED VACATION) can we replace REID (the no guts or backbone) with DODD. At least it will make the NEOCONS REPUBLICANS to stop and think what DODD will do. With REID it is a sure bet he will cave at there every WHIM. DODD will be a diferent story. OR even replace REID with RUSS FEINGOLD that would REALY scare the NEOCONS.
Chris Dodd did this country a GREAT service by opposing this idiocy, and I think everyone should thank him personally. Seriously, take the time to thank a man who defended your Constitutional Rights -- the rights our soldiers have fought, bled, and DIED for -- for the past 200+ years.
Thank Chris Dodd.
"Dodd among men" indeed....
Good interview. And I'm sooooo proud of Dodd for showing leadership and at least staying the passing of this bill. Where were Obama, Biden and Clinton while Dodd was defending the same Constitution they all took an oath to uphold?
The last part of the interview was awkward but I say things that can be taken the wrong way all the time. When taken out of context, his offer is pretty funny. LOL
I adore Allison.
mudshark @ 86:
Yeah RP is saying anything to get elected. Since at least 2001 when he voted against the "Patriot" act. Even Chris Dodd must have voted for it because if I remember correctly Russ Feingold was the only one in the Senate to vote against it.
blackjack @ 100:
That would be a 10000% improvement.
Agent Provocateur @ 92:
Dude, Paul voted no on impeachment. He claimed that this administration's actions did not warrant it. That was enough to lose me, and should be enough to lose anyone else who has been paying attention.
Again...
Ron Paul voted against impeachment! WTF?
Probably because impeachment is guaranteed not to happen due to all the spineless democrats who wouldn't vote for it; he would have accomplished nothing and ended up with a 0% chance of getting the nomination for president.
Dodd actually accomplished something AND helped himself politically by filibustering.
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