Paraphrased (and disguised) from a Capitol Hill source:
1. There will be no FISA votes before recess.
2. We will have the FISA vote on Tuesday July 8th, which will feature an up or down vote on Dodd/Feingold amendment to strip out retroactive immunity.
3. Senator Dodd will be controlling the 2 hour debate time leading up to the debate on the Dodd/Feingold amendment with Senator Leahy getting 10 mins.
4. Following the votes on amendment(s) there will be another cloture vote.
5. Prior to the cloture vote, there will be up to 60 minutes for debate equally divided and controlled between the Leaders or their designees, with Senator Leahy controlling 10 minutes. Senator Feingold will control an additional 30 minutes and Senator Dodd will control an additional 15 minutes.
Between now and July 8th we must work a miracle. We have won a temporary reprieve. Now is not the time for complaining but for organizing. Suggestions?
In addition to calling our respective Congress critters and demanding they vote against this bill…I think we ought to flood Obama’s campaign with emails, letters, phone calls, etc., demanding he filibuster this bill. It’s a terrible bill. It broadens Bush’s spy powers and makes all his illegal spying to date acceptable and legal, plus it gives telecoms immunity. We need to find out how extensive the domestic spy program has been. There needs to be an investigation. No more gutting of the Constitution until we know what Bush has been doing?
Here’s a start, http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/SenatorObama-PleaseVoteAgainstFISA
Read more about the idea:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-stark/will-obama-feel-the-sting_b_109410.html
I’d say that Feingold’s and Dodd’s bold and clear language is very effective this time.
We should go all out with our statements.
One piece of the puzzle.
Democrat of Middleton, WI.
Maybe we shouldn’t just concentrate on Dems, at least let’s put pressure on Susan Collins and other Republican Seantors up for reelection.
deploy some blackmail and shaming.
send each senator a copy of Chris Dodd’s speech along with this article: FISA Vote Tied to Telecom Donations
I’ll buy, bake 5 dozen dough nuts that they all missed it.
It ain’t going to be easy, but my best suggestion would be to flood Obama’s office with pressure. He’s likely to be the next President of these here United States, and his leadership on the FISA issue would make a lot of difference. Plus, it’s not a bad idea to get him used to the idea that we’re going to be all over his ass when we feel that he has taken a wrong position. We’re not the slavish Obama cult that Hillary’s people thought we were….
Is there anyone who could ‘make’ one of those buttons for a blog sidebar so that IT can mushroom all over the blogosphere? Unfortunately, I am not computer program-savvy..
other than that, flooding the democrats who voted for it AND perhaps also re-enforcing those who voted against so that they can mention the resistance that is felt around the country..
Ingrid
…why a single GOP Senator can put the breaks on anything, but a single Dem Senator cannot?
I need some help here. I’m no expert in Senate Arcania. It just seems to me that the GOP can obstruct anything they want to obstruct, majority or minority, and Chris and Russ seem oddly powerless.
Please. Explain to me why I have this naive perception.
Thank you in advance.
That’s a great point. Senators can put an anonymous hold on any bill preventing it from coming to the floor. I don’t remember which bill it was, but an anonymous republican Senator did this earlier this year, so why aren’t Democrats using this tool? Also, the Democrats in the House control what comes to the floor, so why in the world do all of these terrible bills keep coming up? The only answers I can come up with are that the Democrats are either complicit with the bush administration or they’re cowards.
norm coleman’s {RAT-OK) been pretty effective at blocking legislation. so good in fact that:
if l understand correctly, it’s at the senate leadership’s discretion whether of not to honor a hold…but the arcane senate rules are a bit of a mystery to me.
does always seem rather one-sided though, eh.
Just a chance to celebrate not one but TWO Fitzmasses. Only weeks apart!!!
HOORAH HOORAY!!!
How long has it been since “WE” won a congressional majority?
And y’all don’t get it yet?
Hmmmmmm….
That TV stuff mus’ be STRONG!!!
AG
How about anyone who’s serious shows up on Tuesday, July 8th, or better yet, beginning on Saturday, July 5th, on the federal capitol steps or their state capitol steps, or county government seat, town hall, etc. with no intention of dispersing in the face of the police until all of these seats of government are unable to function?
Write letters? Fine. But put your feet and your lungs behind it. I am compelled to go. No, I have a responsibility as a citizen to go.
The Vietnam era Winter Soldiers didn’t write letters. The Bonus Army didn’t write letters or sign petitions.
Neither did Dr. King write letters. They all brought their demands before their government and loudly and persistantly sought redress.
The only thing the government understands and fears is rebellion. Civil Disobedience is passive rebellion.
All these Senators will be attending Fourth of July parades and other events. The best thing is to confront them in person and ask if they will defend the fourth amendment.
That too.
I suspect that the main motivation for this delay is so they don’t have to be confronted by their constituents fresh off their cowardly and traitorous acts.
I agree that we need to speak with our bodies – not just our fingers.
But for those who can’t afford to go, and that includes me, I suggest people write Op Eds and send them to their local papers. Even if only one person reads it there, you can bet the person reading it is someone who needs to know this. Spread through email lists too.
I’m going to read FISA in full over the next few days – it’s so much better when you have the facts at your side.
I can’t afford to go, but neither can I afford to succumb to tyranny.
A targeted media blitz to constituents in blue dog Dem districts to motivate them to pressure their senators to support Feingold, Leahy, Dodd, et al. — Can Blue America Pac vs Retroactive Immunity support it?
http://www.actblue.com/page/fisa
(I’m not sure what the finance laws allow them to do or not to do.)
There’s one person who must put everything on the line to stop this bill.
It’s Senator Barack Obama.
I don’t think he will step up to the plate.
Why is Congress giving Bush every possible tool to lock down America as a police state?
My advice. Find an expert to tell you how wrong you are.
This is a meaningless bill and you, and a few others are turning into Taylor Marsh and BTD and it is getting really boring.
You think Obama can change this law in a week then you are an idiot.
This law changes nothing and Obama has a million more things to worry about and change.
“Find an expert?” try Feingold.