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Obama vs. Clinton, Action vs. Words on FISA |
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As the Senate convened for a new session after the new year, writers in the blogosphere put out a call to the presidential candidates to stand up and join the fight against FISA, warrantless wiretapping, retroactive immunity, and expanded executive power:
Look, Senators. It’s not like nobody cares — polling shows that voters overwhelmingly oppose immunity for telecom companies (PDF), and Credo’s action to contact your respective campaigns took down the Obama email servers.
Your actions last time this came up were really unimpressive. Senator Obama gave a supporting statement but did one of his patented vote skips, and Senator Clinton just ignored the entire episode. Considering that you, Senator Clinton, are the number one Senate recipient of telecom donations, the fact that you have been a day late and a dollar short on this issue does not augur well for your claims at Yearly Kos that you will not be influenced by your campaign contributors (YouTube).
When Chris Dodd goes forward with his filibuster (and he will), you’ll probably have 30-60 hours to get back to DC. That gives you plenty of time. Events get cancelled all the time — there is no excuse not to be in Washington DC for this event, and to do so is to avoid leadership.
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Look, you two came back for the farm bill. Our readers are already stocking up on popcorn, and once Dodd takes to the floor we’ll be watching things on CSPAN round the clock until it finishes. I think people will notice if you try to do a Pasadena on this one again, and all of the rhetoric you have both been spouting about “change” and standing up to the Bush Administration will be reduced to instant horseshit.
Please get back to DC and do your jobs.
And it seemed like they both listened. Both Senators Clinton and Obama responded with strongly worded press releases, and indeed they did show up to cast some crucial votes.
However, the FISA debate is still going on, and one candidate has stuck around to continue voting while the other has hit the campaign trail again.
Yesterday, Senator Cardin’s amendment came up for a vote. The amendment would have caused the FISA bill to sunset in four years, rather than six. This could be crucially important. A four year limit would give the next President a shot to rewrite this legislation. In all likelihood, that means a Democratic President, along with a Democratic Congress, could do away with basket warrants, retroactive immunity, and spying on Americans. If the bill sunsets in six years, the next administration wouldn’t even get the chance to weigh in.
So, yesterday at 3:15 pm, Barack Obama voted with the rest of the Senate Democrats for this amendment. At 3:15 pm, Clinton was nowhere to be found. She was likely preparing for her 4 pm press conference where she informed the nation she was self-financing her campaign.
To be fair, the amendment failed 49-46, and it needed 57 votes to pass. But with both candidates campaigning in the DC area for Maryland, DC, and Virginia’s upcoming primary, it is puzzling that Clinton didn’t bother to stand up for a bill that would give her future administration a crack at rewriting FISA.
Either way, we called out Obama and Clinton, asking them to support our fight against FISA. Obama, so far, has backed this fight to the fullest; Clinton hasn’t. So, I commend Obama for standing up for an issue I and so many other Americans support. There is nothing stronger in our nation than our Constitution, and there is nothing worse than a government making enemies of its own people. Obama is on the right side of this issue and he’s backing it up with actions, not words.
Clinton’s support is lukewarm. It’s hard to fault her too much for missing a vote that wasn’t even close, but her symbolism speaks volumes. As Hillary lost the support of the netroots, she’s begun to turn on us. Her missing this vote and accepting a Fox News debate are only the beginning of this betrayal.
Senators, you were elected to serve the American people, and you are running for an office that demands the steep sacrifices. My hat is off to Obama for doing his job, and he has reassured me that he will do his job if elected President as well.
Technically, Clinton not voting was still a vote that the FISA didn’t get so not voting is the same as voting against it.
That’s not true in this case. This vote was for an amendment to FISA that would cause it to expire in 4 years rather than 6. It needed 57 votes to pass. Had Clinton voted, she may have voted “Yes” like the rest of the Dems and put the bill that much closer to passing.
This wasn’t one of those cloture votes where not being there is like voting “No.”
Thank You Senator Obama!
I do care very much about this issue too and sincerely appreciate the fact that you came through for the American People… actions do speak louder than words!
OMG it’s so hard to imagine… a politician who actually LISTENS and CARES about the wishes of the people… It’s been such a long dark night trying to keep our heads above the the filthy water drowning in the cesspool of the bush mess… am I dreaming or do I sense the winds of change really and truly in the air???
I don’t care if I live in the greatest or strongest or richest country in the world… but wouldn’t it just be so great to have a president with genuine leadership skills and I could once again feel a sense of pride in being American…
A true patriot would have proposed an amendment to END FISA NOW! Obama is just more of the same crap.
I appreciate your fervor but do you really think there are no differences between Obama and Clinton, or Obama and McCain? Given that likely one of those three people will be our next president, are you really prepared to say that they’re all the same? Are you prepared to say Obama won’t be leagues and leagues and leagues better than Bush?