FUCK YOU REID! Harry Reid to flagrantly ignore Dodd's hold on FISA bill.

[backscatter712]

Harry Reid, you are a Vichy Quisling traitorous sack of worm-ridden shit! Why don't you join the fucking Republicans!

Harry Reid works to ensure telecom amnesty, warrantless surveillance

I wrote about many of yesterday's developments concerning telecom amnesty and warrantless surveillance in this morning's post, but I want separately to highlight one critical fact. Citing various media reports, Jane Hamsher last night noted that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid -- in violation of all Senate customs and rules -- apparently intends, in essence, simply to ignore the "hold" placed on the FISA bill by Chris Dodd and bring the bill to the floor for a vote (and certain passage).

I was somewhat skeptical of that interpretation. The one "principle" which all Senators share is the sacred holiness of their customs and institutional prerogatives. As Jane notes, Reid has never dishonored a "hold" before from his own caucus, and virtually never dishonors "holds" even when placed by the most far-right Republicans Senators. It seemed inconceivable that he would simply refuse to recognize a "hold" by one of the Senate's most senior members on a bill of this importance, and the media accounts seemed vague on that score.

As a result, I emailed Reid's office to ask if they actually intended to override and ignore Dodd's "hold" and this is the patronizing (though crystal clear) dismissal I received back as a "response" from Reid's spokesman, Jim Manley:

Reid will work with Dodd and other Senators to correct the deep flaws in the Protect America Act.

Clearly, Reid has nothing but contempt for Dodd's principled stand, which was generated by (and in response to) the actions of tens of thousands of Americans concerned about our constitutional liberties and the rule of law. Reid is dismissively brushing that all to the side -- as usual -- to ensure the safe and smooth passage of a Draconian bill jointly demanded by the Bush administration, the telecom industry, and their lobbyists.

Since a hold in the Senate is a polite shot across the bow saying "Keep this bill from the floor, or I could start a huge political and parliamentary pissing contest," I'm wondering if Dodd would be willing to initiate a filibuster or do some backroom arm-twisting to make Reid pay the price for his treason.

God this pisses me off! Our own Democratic leadership is throwing civil liberties and we the people under the bus, for what? A few campaign bucks?

I fucking give up. This country is broken beyond repair. Just for money, the telcos are getting a free pass, immunity for violating the Fourth Amendment and invading our privacy, illegally wiretapping our phones. Is it time for revolution yet?

[AndyA]

1. Reid really needs to step down, or be removed.

Same goes for Pelosi.

They are allowing the cover up of crimes to continue, which makes them guilty as well.

We need better leaders, the ones we have are a disgrace. And the poll numbers prove it.

[midnight]

3. How do you remove someone like Reid?

[Freddie Stubbs]

21. YOU don't

The Democrats in the Senate would have to remove him.

[JimboDem]

32. Senator Reid and Leader Pelosi

Stand aside, we now have leadership...Dodd and Stark! Thank You.

[Honeycombe8]

40. In my dreams. He's is harmful to the Dem. Party's '08 chances, IMO.

I don't agree that Pelosi is necessarily....yet. But Reid sure is. He's a little, puny guy with a high pitched voice who doesn't even have strong, decisive action going for him. He's also either wishy washy, or off the charts wacko.

The least he should do is stay off TV. If people start viewing HIM as the Dem. Party, they might vote for someone just 'cause they're NOT in Reid's party.

[tom_paine]

2. Grotesque, cowardly, and semi-treasonous, but wholly expected

Broken beyond repair is almost certainly correct.

[AzDar]

4. Ahh, Harry and Nancy. We thought they were the solution, but they're

actually part of the problem.:puke:
LEAD or step aside!

[Honeycombe8]

41. I gave them slack for a long time, not willing to be overly critical. After all...

the Dems are not in a strong majority. There really is little they can do as far as pushing bills through or overriding vetoes.

But now it's come down to the point that they are just doing some bizarre things. I reluctantly have to agree with others that they have been a huge disappointment. Particularly Reid.

The Dems desperately need representatives with cajones, since there are very few of those. I say...stand to the right or stand to the left, but STAND FOR SOMETHING, WITH CONVICTION.

[Elspeth]

5. Sounds to me like the job is too big for Harry Reid

He seems a very small man.

[TwilightGardener]

6. Reid either wants to keep the telecoms on the Democrats' side, donor-wise, or

he is afraid of Dems being blamed for being weak on terra by not capitulating to Chimpy's demands. I think there's an attitude among Dem leadership of "just give them what they want, and no one gets hurt".

[Vanje]

49. The Telecoms are already on Reids side

Reid is taking LOTS of money from telecoms.
He's looking after his donors and not his country, his Constitution, his party.
Shameful.
I learned on last nights Bernie Ward show on KGO AM, San Fran

[mmonk]

7. Bought and paid for.

Even here there are apologists for these people. Our party is divided as is the country. The road back to constitutional law is going to be long and difficult and those of us who are pledged to it may lose. But we must not stop fighting. Go to Dodd's website and lend your support in his petition.

[backscatter712]

8. Yep, it's Good Cop, Bad Cop.

Just like in the police station. The GOP plays the asshole, then the Democrats act all nice to make us think they're different, that they'll be nice to us, but when the day's over, we're all up the river.

I don't know about you, but I'm sick of being played. I'm sick of being thrown under the bus. I'm fucking sick of being powerless.

[mmonk]

16. Yep, I am too.

I get a little emotional sometimes but it's because of undue or unnecessary things.

[spanone]

9. we're really just a bunch of suckers. aint we???

we bitch about this stuff with passion day after day and end up with it up our asses.

[never_get_over_it]

42. I was just thinking the same thing last night

I was listening to Bernie Ward last night. He had lengthy discussions on both Reid and Pelosi - and I got to thinking just a little less than a year ago we were all SO hopeful that the new Congress would make things at least a little better - and I think we were SUCKERED

I have been saying the Dems are acting the way they have for one of three reasons: suffering from battered wife syndrome, being threatened in some way OR THEY ARE JUST PLAIN IN ON IT

turns out both Reid and Rockefeller receive HUGE contributions from the telecoms

Folks for SOME Dems - not all - Ralph Nader was absolutely correct when he said there is no difference - unfortunately for us I think SOME of them are in the leadership and are BOUGHT AND PAID FOR

I am so disgusted by Harry Reid and this hold issue I could puke....

and PLEASE for those of you who support Hillary's and think her nomination is inevitable - PLEASE take a second look before you support her in the primary - she is the QUEEN of bought and paid for - I don't have a link to this but Bernie reported last night that she is getting HUGE money from the weapons manufacturers - WHY would they be contributing to her in a big way if they didn't think she would be GOOD for THEIR BUSINESS.....

God help us....

[Warren Stupidity]

10. I will bore even myself with the now trite observation:

It's The Duopoly Stupid

or otherwise known as "Houston, we have a problem".

The the Corporate Kleptocracy and War Party controls the leadership of both de facto institutionalized political parties. The Democratic Party functions as the left wing of the War Party, the Republican Party functions as the right wing of the War Party. We were gamed in the last election. Yes there are differences between the two factions on some policy issues, for example S-CHIP, but those differences are vastly diminished in importance by the solidarity demonstrated by the War Party on the crucial issues of this moment in history.

As long as we pretend that this problem does not exist we will not be able to deal with it.

[Dhalgren]

13. I agree with you 100%, Warren. It is a sad state of affairs, but it is the truth.

This country is on the verge of either blowing up or getting clamped down - or both. Without a true opposition party (or parties) this country is going to be ripped apart. It is coming...

[Gold Metal Flake]

11. It should be clear now who Ried works for.

Deeds, not words. A Bushbot is revealed by his actions.

[FiveGoodMen]

18. Yep. I think the leaders of both houses are GOP moles.

:tinfoilhat: ? Maybe ---- :sarcasm: ? Not at all.

[Individualist]

22. No doubt at all

He's a DLC member.

Let's just look at the cold, hard facts about the DLC and its record. The DLC has pushed, among other things, the war in Iraq and "free" trade policies, using bags of corporate money to buy enough Democratic votes to help Republicans make those policies a reality. They have chastised anyone who has opposed those policies as either unpatriotic or anti-business -- even as a majority of Americans now oppose the war in Iraq, oppose the DLC's business-written trade deals, and are sick of watching America's economy sold out to the highest corporate bidder. Additionally, in brazenly Orwellian fashion, the DLC has also called its extremist agenda "centrist," even though polls show the American public opposes most of their agenda, and supports much of the progressive agenda. http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0727-32.htm

The progressive movement has not just threatened this message monopoly -- it is undoing it. Through MoveOn, the rise of popular documentaries, blogs, think tanks, etc. It's not just that we talk about real values and innovative strategies. It's because we're talking, period, that the centrists feel threatened.

Hence the DLC's vicious attempts to discredit the movement. And that's what they want. They don't seek to win an argument over policy. They seek to destroy the credibility of their opponents and restore their message monopoly. http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=721

This is why the DLC is dangerous. For all their claims of supposedly wanting to help Democrats, they employ people like Marshall Wittman who specifically try to undermine the Democratic Party, even if it means he has to publicly defecate out the most rank and easily-debunkable lies. They reguarly give credence to the right wing's agenda and its worst, most unsupportable lies. They are the real force that tries to make sure this country is a one party state and that Democrats never really challenge the Republicans in a serious way. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-sirota/why-the-dlc-is-so-dangero_b_13640.html

"The Democratic Leadership Council's agenda is indistinguishable from the Republican Neoconservative agenda," http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Kucinich_DLC_agenda_undistinguishable_from_Neocon_0813.html

DLC Watch, the wicked shall not escape justice http://dlcwatch.blogspot.com

Without a doubt, the DLC is the most fundamentalist organization within the caucus, the most ideologically rigid, and the most destructive to the progressive cause.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/5/24/1712/23448

These DLC types are amazing, they really are. Their pathology is unique; they all secretly worship the guilt-by-association tactics of Lee Atwater and Karl Rove, but unlike those two, not one of them has enough balls to take being thought of as the bad guy by the general public.
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/11275627/the_low_post_democrats_walk_themselves_to_the_gallows

[bvar22]

30. Expect the same from this Darling of the DLC!

[Bitwit1234]

12. Wait a minute. A republican has a hold on a bill that

would reveal who contributes to congress campaigns (think that was the bill) and the senate can't bring it to the floor. But a democrat puts a hold on the bill and they will ignore the law and do it anyway.

So if they can break senate rules for this, why can't they break senate rules, bring all these bills to the floor that the republicans filbuster and get their up and down vote.

[truebrit71]

14. Good question....perhaps Sen Reid should be asked that very same question...

....

[Horse with no Name]

15. I made this point yesterday

and it absolutely blows me away.

[bunkerbuster1]

19. You, Firedoglake, TPM Muckraker...

yeah, it's amazing.

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/004502.php
http://www.firedoglake.com/2007/10/18/reid-tries-to-shut-down-dodds-hold/

I've cut Reid all kinds of slack. I'm just about out of slack.

[moondust]

17. Not just the telcos.

Their records are a chronicle of impeachable offenses and could perhaps lead to much worse than is already known. I'd assume that retroactive immunity/amnesty would effectively if not legally seal the records shut making further invesigation by Congress or the courts impossible or "a waste of the taxpayer's money" since the telcos would not be prosecutable.

[Andy Canuck]

20. Well the good thing is you have the constitution (just got to get one more

friendly justice) and after these lawmakers are gone, laws can be rescinded and rewritten. It is only temporary protection when a law is illegal, illegal laws have a tendency of eventually being overturned.

[Enrique]

23. will Dodd cave to Harry Reid?

if he does he's scum sucking DLC-collaborating coward!

[backscatter712]

25. If Dodd does a solo filibuster, he could take the Presidential nomination!

He needs something big to bolster his campaign. Something to put his name up in lights and put him in the headlines, and to earn him cool points with the base.

I recommend that if Dodd wants to become president, and wants the support of we, the Democratic base, that he filibuster the FISA law with telco immunity.

He doesn't need anyone else with him, though he could probably get a few progressive Democrats with him.

All he needs to do is break out the Foley catheter and phone book, get the floor, start talking, and not stop talking until the rest of our party cries uncle, or at the minimum, he breaks Strom Thurmond's record for longest filibuster. Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't cloture votes have to wait until the speaking Senator gives up the floor? If he never gives up the floor, he can hold off a vote for as long as he has endurance. He'll have to speak 24/7, uninterrupted, for days straight, but it would give a powerful message.

I'll bet you that when the talk and fuss is over, Dodd could gain 30 points in the polls by doing this. He has more to gain by earning the support of the voters and points at the polls, than he stands to lose by pissing off his fellow Senators and provoking retaliation.

GO FOR IT!

[Enrique]

26. he must challenge Reid for majority leader

otherwise he's a coward!

[KittyWampus]

38. trying to put a damper on growing support for Dodd, are we? You are transparent.

[backscatter712]

29. DODD'S THREATENING TO FILIBUSTER!!!

I just got this in my inbox, after signing Dodd's online petition yesterday:

Are you willing to go to the mat to restore the Constitution?

Just last night, we heard there are plans to disregard Senator Dodd's intention to place a hold on a FISA bill that includes amnesty for telecommunications companies.

That would be a pretty extraordinary move, but Chris Dodd has pledged to stop this horrible bill any way he can.

So if the hold is not honored, he is prepared to go to the Senate floor and filibuster.

Rolling back the Bush Administration assault on the rule of law has been a major focus of Chris Dodd's work in the Senate -- and it's also a centerpiece in his campaign for President.

OK, I'll put my vote where my mouth is. If Dodd filibusters this FISA bill and shows enough guts to stand up to the corporate machine, he'll get my vote. I'll switch from Kucinich to Dodd if he does this. I'd even push for a Dodd Kucinich ticket.

DO IT DODD!!! GO DODD!!!

[rosesaylavee]

37. Good for Dodd - he has a spine!

Just sent him a donation.

[lonestarnot]

44. Rugh ro..... decisions, decisions, decisions. My arms hurt.

[Usrename]

24. Our leaders are shit. This is not the fault of anyone else.

Heads on pikes!!!

[NewYorkerfromMass]

27. My FU note to Reid

is here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3623733

[MiniMe]

28. Got an email from Chris Dodd re: Reid

Sounds like he is ready to filibuster.

Are you willing to go to the mat to restore the Constitution?

Just last night, we heard there are plans to disregard Senator Dodd's intention to place a hold on a FISA bill that includes amnesty for telecommunications companies.

That would be a pretty extraordinary move, but Chris Dodd has pledged to stop this horrible bill any way he can.

So if the hold is not honored, he is prepared to go to the Senate floor and filibuster.

Rolling back the Bush Administration assault on the rule of law has been a major focus of Chris Dodd's work in the Senate -- and it's also a centerpiece in his campaign for President.

Your contribution will help us take our message of restoring the Constitution through the cornfields of Iowa, the streets of New Hampshire, and into the White House.

http://www.chrisdodd.com/constitution

Democrats were elected to change the course of this country - to restore our security and our values - and for too long Congress has not.

It's time to take a stand.

Your support over the past twenty-four hours has been inspiring -- but with both Republicans AND even a few Democrats pushing back -- Senator Dodd needs it now more than ever.

http://www.chrisdodd.com/constitution

There is a direct relationship between our diminished standing in the world and the current Administration's assault on the Constitution.

Standing up for the values enshrined in that document doesn't make us more vulnerable ... they make us more secure.

The Senator likes to say that if he is sworn in at noon on January 20, 2009, he'll begin restoring the Constitution by 1 P.M.

You can help get him there right now.

http://www.chrisdodd.com/constitution

This fight has just begun. We'll be in touch in the coming days with meaningful avenues for participation to make sure we stop this bill.

Tim Tagaris
Chris Dodd for President

[Maraya1969]

31. Harry Reid's phone number And some other information

In comments, Jim White provides the telephone number for Reid's office to enable those who are inclined to call and share with them your views of Reid's behavior: [phone].



UPDATE: The massive amounts of telecom cash that have suddenly flowed to Jay Rockefeller this year is discussed in the post below, but as Brendan Skwire notes, AT&T is also in the top 20 contributors to Harry Reid.

Then again, AT&T is the second largest contributor overall to officials in Congress, having poured into the Beltway a total of $38 million in campaign contributions for the election cycles for which these records are available. Verizon is in 33rd place with over $15 million; BellSouth in 39th place with with over $14 million; Time Warner in 28th place with $17 million; and MCI in 83rd place with $8 million. The Communications Workers of America, which lobbies for all sorts of pro-telecom legislation, is in 13th place with close to $25 million.

[trashcanistanista]

33. Ignoring Dodd's hold should prompt his removal.

How can we get rid of him? Petitions?

[jillan]

34. Shouldn't a majority leader display some leadership skills?

The man has none. zilch. nada.

He is a wet blanket. A pansy. A pushover. A woos.

Who put him into his position anyway?

[Disturbed]

35. Hasn't Biden supported Dodd in this action?

If not, he should. So should Sen. Clinton & Sen. Obama & all other Dem Senators.

Reid needs to step down, now!

[jillan]

36. Yes Biden came out today and said he would stand with Dodd on this.

I *think* Obama has said he would as well.

[dkofos]

39. Looks like Dodd will have to filibuster this for real now.

Can we get REAL leaders yet??

[losthills]

43. Reed and Pelosi....

The Republicans' Secret Weapons.

[lonestarnot]

45. san don donia...

they suck ass both of them.

[Triana]

46. There is NO excuse for this. Harry and Nancy need to just go home...

...they're not doing a damn thing in Washington - except making things WORSE for their cake-eating constituents and for everyone else too (re: Nancy's comments about protesters outside her home ie: the "let them eat cake" attitude) for a few lobbyist dollars.

Talk about ya f*cked up priorities. NO integrity at all.

[Iwillnevergiveup]

47. If anybody could pull off a filibuster

it's Chris Dodd. A very loquacious, long-winded fellow.

If Reid is on the tube or the you-tube, I gotta turn it off - his tinny little high-pitched voice is so annoying. And he's inconsistent - you never know what's coming next with him.

And Pelosi - well, gotta tune her out, too. You can always count on her wide-eyed look accompanied by the phrase "....in a bi-partisan way."

Both so very, very disappointing.

[L. Coyote]

48. Fortunately, in the Senate there is more decorum than on this post, Cheney excepted

of course for FU'ing Leahy.

I'm not sure how becoming like Cheney, and FU'ing the Dem leadership, accomplishes anything more than a personal rant. I find it very offensive, at best.

I would urge real DEMs to set an example of political civility while expressing opinions, and not lower themselves to Cheney's level.

[FreeStateDemocrat]

50. John Kerry for Majority Leader, someone who is intelligent, articulate, ethical and a leader.

Reid needs to step aside for health reasons,that last stroke killed to many neurons that he couldn't afford to lose. Just another political hack who needs to let someone more qualified represent our party.

[lonestarnot]

51. There it is again. Heh.