Barbara Lee on the Southwick confirmation:
“Let me also say that as a Californian and as an African American, I am incredibly disappointed that a Senator from my home state, Senator Feinstein, would not only vote for confirmation but would be the one to effectively bring this nomination to the floor by voting with the Republicans to approve the nomination in committee. It is particularly disappointing given California’s diversity and our history of leadership on issues of civil rights, women’s rights, worker’s rights and the basic commitment to equality before the law, all areas where Judge Southwick’s record is, quite frankly, sadly lacking.”
Nice job, DiFi. The words “in the tank” come to mind.
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yo
Good for her!!!
DiFi’s a Republican. Always has been. Always will be.
Don’t ever think otherwise…
Give her hell, Barbara.
I voted for Senator Feinsten so many times when I lived in the City. “If I only knew then, what I know now.”
Hows that bipartisan thing workin’ for ya DIFI?
Oklahoma kiddo @ 5
“Who could have expected……..”
Oklahoma kiddo @ 5
Shit, I believed Colin Powell and I damn sure should have known better.
Barbara Lee is my Representative and I send her thank you’s constantly.
She’s been right from Day 1, and I hope never to move from her district.
Unfortunately, I can’t escape DiFi.
Actually, this post should also be about Slummy Joe. Didn’t he march in Mississippi in the 60’s? Didn’t esteemed columnist Eleanor Clift just post a glowing article about him voting with dems?
Would Barbara Lee like to be a senator? She’d do a much better job than DiFI.
I don’t know why she is disappointed. What else would you expect from DiFi? “In the tank” hardly describes it. She profited from building the tank.
Oklahoma kiddo @ 5
I voted for Senator Feinsten so many times when I lived in the City. “If I only knew then, what I know now.”
I regret that we tangled before
Have you, hopefully, had news that your daughter is ok?
Bustednuckles @ 6
It’s working for her fine. It’s us who are having a problem.
Tross @ 9
Barbara Lee is the perfect example of courage and to have her slap DiFI around is just too delicious.
Dang, EPU’d again!
Go, Barbara Lee! I only wish she were my rep…
Bustednuckles @ 6
It’s workin’ great for DiFi.
It sucks pond scum for the rest of us.
JPL @ 10
And David Horowitz was an editor at Ramparts and hung with Huey Newton.
again and again – as i said before – dems get played….too bad rep lee isn’t cali senator…someone said earlier – difi is a dino!
When’s her term up?
I’ve gotten two smarmy excuse letters recently from DiFi (one of my senators) about just these topics. She’s looked everything over, it’s all OK, etc.
Typical BS, but at least she knows I’m not buying it.
Funny how much voters will ignore as long as that little (R) or (D) is appended after their politicians name…
Raven, I did not know that about Horowitz. I tend to tune out whenever his name is in print or spoken. Thanks.
jayt @ 13
I regret that we tangled before
Have you, hopefully, had news that your daughter is ok?
My little Girl is fine. Thank you! You’re swell. ;0)
And let ME say that as a Californian and as a progressive female American who has supported DiFi since the 1980s, I 100% ditto Barbara Lee’s sentiments.
JPL @ 23
Oh yea, he was a big leftie back in the day, as these youngins say!
Crikey!! San Diego might lose power:
“Never before has California faced as many shutdowns on the big power lines that are strung across the state and link it with the rest of the U.S. Western grid, said California Independent System Operator spokeswoman Stephanie McCorkle.
“This is unheard of, to lose this many transmission lines,” said McCorkle. “But it is obviously a historic disaster we are dealing with.”
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/uti…..go_grid_dc
Difi has much seniority and that benefits CA more than her positions on these issues hurt it. The Senate and Congess work on senority, almost more than party. If CA loses her seniority, then it goes to the back of the list and little states states, where Senators last for decades, have a disproportional amount of power and the benefits that go along with that.
Nice job, DiFi. The words “in the tank” come to mind.
But she doesn’t care – she has no reason to..
She isn’t gonna run again – take the money and run…
Occasionally, it must be admitted – that there ain’t a goddamm thing you can do..
Oklahoma;
Very glad to learn that you heard from your daughter. Best to you and yours.
I am woefully disappointed in DiFi all the way around on this one, but it is one in a string of disappointments. I’ll never vote for her again, that’s for sure. And for her to say that she hadn’t gotten negative feedback on the vote or her big mistake in voting to let it out of committee, well that is just plain horseshit.
She is a pure “GOP” Democrat who continues to disappoint the progressive movement by her back ass votes! I hope the folks in CA will take the occasion to drop her the next time she is up for relection!
OT – This is interesting:
China foes in House deploy Nazi analogy
It quotes a Republican Rep Christopher Smith as saying “History shows that U.S. companies have at times in the past provided the technology to crush human rights. For instance, IBM (executives) were good soldiers with the Gestapo.” I wonder where he stands on telecom immunity? (that’s snark – the R label says it all)
raven @ 26
Most of the neocons were big lefties back in the day. Somehow they took a wrong turn in the ’80s.
skip4PEACE @ 32
She is up in 2012 I believe and will then be 79 – unlikely to run again.
Oklahoma kiddo @ 24
Arguments are to be left in the dust. I’m happy for the news…
The last time I faxed Ms. Feinstein, I told her that We are watching Every Vote. And, don’t think that the support you have enjoyed in the past isn’t eroding quickly and significantly.
So there.
That’s why we have so many military bases and defense plants in CA these days. [/snark]
She hasn’t done much for CA in the last eight or ten years, and I don’t think that’s going to change. The bases are gone, many of the industries are gone, and any bills that would actually do any good are shot down by the GOoPers and the DINOs.
P J Evans @ 38
The bases and industries are gone because the Republics stole them when they took over. CA might regain things if it has power and that requires seniority.
raven @ 26
Horowitz was a Black Panther wannabe. He was a Trotskyite radical leftist with not all that much respect from a lot on the left, either. The Panthers, and especially Huey, despised him and thought he was a jerk. I know this because Huey once told me this himself, years later.
The only one who gave him much credibility was my friend Bert Schneider (producer of Easy Rider among other things) who used to help finance Ramparts when they didn’t even have enough money to pay the printer. For this Bert earned Horowitz’s later disdain and contempt, going so far as to go out of his way to trash Bert on several radio interviews calling him an example of all that was wrong with the crazy Hollywood left, for no apparent reason and apropos of nothing.
Nice guy.
Once again, Barbara Lee speaks for me. Always a pleasure to mark her name on the ballot.
I really don’t like where the “arson” claims are going….
http://www.nationalterroralert…..ere-doing/
Great. Now for years, everytime a thug-like decision comes out of the Fifth (in New Orleans), those crazy crackers in the South get blamed.
Thanks a lot Dems.
We need more netroots folk running. Every fucking race. Even if they fail, they inform.
LS @ 42
I’m in the dark here. Has it been determined that it was arson?
Dodd/Lee !
I’m liking how Dodd is incorporating legislative maneuvers into his campaign.
DiFi no longer cares – In the words of Steve Miller – “Take the Money and Run”
She’s through – she’s in the bag – forget it – get a decent primary challenger..
To may Cali friends – she is now very much your enemy. With no good suggestions at hand – all that I can say is to fight her – at every turn, and with whatever means you may have at your disposal…
LS @ 42
Bush’s poll numbers are in the toilet, must be time to blame Al Qaeda for something.
David W. Bartoo @ 30
Thank you… my friend. ;0)
Not likely. The plants have gone to other states; the bases have been sold.
jayt @ 46
She’s in until 2012. Who would be a good replacement, who’s electable state-wide?
jayt @ 46
time for DiFink to ride off into the sunset.
wonder if former “Governor Moonbeam” Jerry Brown (currently CA Atty. General) has senatorial aspirations. Then again, he let down a lot of people in Oakland with a very tepid stint as mayor.
solai @ 44
Easy now.
You’re stuck with DiFi until 2012. If she were to resign, you have a Republican governor; so, you’ll go from faux Dem to real GOP. Not a good situation for anybody to have this turncoat representing Democratic values.
Demi,
I’ve e0mail and mailed DiFi and got nothing back … nuthin’ I despair at what we can do. As was pointed out, she most likely will not run again so there is no leverage. Her personal interests obviously run counter to the desires of her constituents but what can we do? And when I say “her interests” I mean specifically how she is setting up herself and her family for nice little sheltered lives while the rest of deal with the mess.
Having all that seniority previously mentioned probably comes in pretty handy when doling out projects that are going to be completed by business interests with direct or indirect ties to family Feinstein.
*Sigh* At least my rep is doing the right thing. Go get ‘em Barbara and thankfully I’ll have a chance to vote for her again soon.
dave @ 3
A hawk and a war profiteer.
solai @ 44
The one in OC is arson, others are downed wires, accident, or no cause given yet.
In this weather, you can just about guarantee one fire will be arson. Somethign about Santa Ana conditions brings out the firebugs (and not the six-legged versions).
Is there any way to recall a sitting senator? I’ve done a search but there doesn’t seem to be anything on this issue.
pk @ 57
We wish.
Election is the only way.
pk @ 57
Senators and Reps are considered “Federal Officers” and not subject to recall, even in states that have recall provisions. Once seated, the only way to get them out of office is to be expelled by the body itself. That is, the Senate it self would have to vote to expel her. Not happening.
Arson Investigation
kathleen @ 55
Difi is mean enough, nasty enough, aloof enough to be a real republican. Like talking to a brick wall.
Tweety is going to have Duncan Hunter and the Lt Gov on.
hackworth @ 61
I bet she’s tough to work for.
FEMA’s Paulson was just interviewed by Wolf Blitzer. Those that were uninsured/under-insured for fire, will have $28,000 available. When Wolf further questioned if that was all, Paulson, hemmed and hawed and said that there was long term housing contract costs to consider too… Hmmm… I’m sure $28K will go far in SoCal…
Twain @ 35
All the more reason to start to manuver a true progressive in place.
raven @ 62
Guess Duncan has the Republic talking points.
CTuttle @ 64
$28K for San Diego, Orange county, Malibu, et al? BBWWAAAHHHHHHHAAAAAAAA!
Badwater @ 66
Oh, I bet he goes after this dude in a big way!
I wonder if they’ll find a terrorist passport or two that survived the fires…
CTuttle @ 64
Might get you a part of a sidewalk.
dakine01 @ 67
Wait until FEMA offers them one of those trailers…
Lahoma reminds me: who said it was going to easy kiddo?
raven @ 68
They have to. Bush decimated the National Guard for his vanity war and now the Republics must make it the Democrats’ fault.
DiFi voted for the war. Her mail was running 600 to 1 against it. I was on the phone with her office while the vote was taken and the staffer was still telling me she was going to vote against it. She did that to keep away the protests before hand. Double duty double cross. I haven’t voted for her since.
I use the form on her website to send e-mails and they come back as undeliverable. I send to Boxer the same way at the same time and get a cogent response.
Lantos is my Congressman and he’s no better that Joe Lieberman.
LS @ 71
Heh, A trailer park springing up in Malibu… Priceless…! ;-)
smapdi @ 58
Investigate her family’s war profiteering, and her conflict of interest while sitting on the MILCON committee
MILCON
http://www.metroactive.com/met…..-0712.html
http://www.counterpunch.org/frank02282006.html
http://www.informationclearing…..e12106.htm
A much needed investigation might open up her seat.
Oklahoma kiddo @ 5
Whatever happened to Jello Biafra anyway?
Ish says
October 24th, 2007 at 1:53 pm
She’s in until 2012. Who would be a good replacement, who’s electable state-wide?
Crap – I didn’t know that – political newbie and all.
She doesn’t seem to respond to letters, calls, and e-mails – hell – I dunno – just make sure that she gets no contributions, is all I can think of….
No money – and continued calls and reinforcement that she is the anathema to all we hold dear… there may be some hope that she cares about her legacy….
And Ms Weinstein – if you or your staff happen to be reading – at the moment, we pretty much hate your ass – prove us wrong…
I held out some hope for DiFi actually doing her job after the SJC hearing on the fired USAs. Since then I’ve faxed & called her a total of 17 times on issues, including Southwick. Sometimes nothing was faxed in return, sometimes robo-faxes. Office staff I’ve talked to both in Cali & D.C. always hedge or plead ignorance- sometimes they seem to not even be aware of issues pending.
Instead of really letting loose w/the swearing I’ll just write this- Diane Feinstein is a complete disgrace to California & the people she claims to represent.
CTuttle @ 75
Dare I suggest that the folks in these areas of California may have more resources than those in the 9th Ward?
Oklahoma kiddo @ 5
That line sounds vaguely familiar.
NPR’s Michelle Norris reporting that Hillary is out 30 points in front of her closest contender Obama. And then she ask why? Why?
CTuttle @ 75
Already there: Malibu beach RV park: maliburv.com
CTuttle @ 75
Actually, there are already two trailer parks in Malibu.
Badwater @ 66
Did I just hear the Lt. Gov. just trash Duncan Hunter? Damn!!
Duncan Hunter, “Democrat politicians won’t take yes for an answer”.
raven @ 80
The Lt Gov just fired a shot over FEMA’s bow… ‘You’d better not screw this up…!’
Jane you are ripping up the dust today. Thanks for all that you do.
CTuttle @ 75
Actually there is a trailer park in Malibu…the one Jim Rockford lived in on The Rockford Files. You don’t even want to know what the land rent/lease is per month.
jayt @ 78
As I stated earlier today, lets start planning now to primary DiFi in 2012. Either she retires or she gets primaried. To get repsect and our voices heard, we’re gonna have to take down someone. Whether it is Reid, Pelosi or DiFi. It is obvious to me that the establishment treats us as an inconvenience since HoJo didn’t lose his seat in the end.
Duncan Hunter “When we went to Louisiana the ( refugee centers they had more shot than they could use. Plus, these white folks are not looting”? paraphrase.
Jane’s upstairs!!
JPL @ 47
That would never happen. If AQ attacked in the U.S. and it could somehow be covered up, it would be — Bush’s current only “up” is that AQ hasn’t attacked since 2001, there’s no way in hell they would give that up.
Joe Klein’s conscience @ 84
Ca Lt. Gov. John Garamendi is no push over, even if he is a Democrat.
The Lt Gov just fired a shot over FEMA’s bow… ‘You’d better not screw this up…!’
They’re not gonna screw this one up – this is R Heaven – there will be unprecedented relief, tax cuts, and a FEMA worker for every Republican inconvenienced…
From some point after Senator Schumer started, I watched the debate about the Southwick nomination on c-span.
Apart what the Senate did, the way it dealt with this nomination was, in my view, worthless. None of the Senators I heard talked about the specifics of the cases that have called attention to Judge Southwick; none talked about why Southwick voted the way he did and why other judges voted differently.
To listen to the debate one could be forgiven for coming away with the feeling that none of the votes – for or against – had anything whatsoever to do with law. It was just pure politics. Not very enlightening.
Business as usual. I realize that. But depressing nonetheless. One wishes that elected representatives would have dialogs and debates in some language other than the language of partisan politics.
There is an opportunity for someone, an opportunity to speak using intellect rather than political calculation. But it’s not likely any elected representation will take the risk.
It isn’t just politicians who can’t break out of the habit of calculating the impact of what they say and of attacking anyone who says anything, however thoughtful and intelligent, that creates an opening for a sarcastic, caustic, derisive attack. It’s an epidemic. It’s human nature. But, we could try do better, couldn’t we?
http://english.chosun.com/w21d…..50001.html
California Wildfires Scorch 165,000 Hectares
Firefighters attempt to prevent flames from the Harris Fire from advancing, in Jamul, in California’s San Diego County, 24 Oct 2007
Firefighters from across the western United States continue efforts to contain massive wildfires in southern California. Forecasters say the strong winds, commonly known as the Santa Ana winds, should let up Wednesday, giving firefighters a better chance at putting out the fires.
Federal authorities were harshly criticized for their response to Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the U.S. Gulf Coast in 2005. On Tuesday, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said that lessons from Katrina are being applied to the California fires.
Let’s hope the people in California are able to go home or rebuild faster than the people along the gulf coast and in New Orleans.
——————————————-
New Orleans diaspora
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Orleans_diaspora
DiFi was reelected last year overwhelmingly. She is allegedly the most popular Democrat in California.
Yet her habits and proclivities were well known. She has not really changed her spots since she was on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. She’s always been a corporatist authoritarian. It might have been nice to mount a primary challenge to her last year. Cindy Sheehan actually wanted to, but Barbara Boxer talked her out of it. So. DiFi had no primary challenger to speak of, and she sailed to victory against a very weak Republican (whose name nobody even remembers) in the general election.
Now she’s a problem? She’s been a problem for many years. And she’s going to continue to be a problem until at least 2013.
Lucky us.
Much of this was preventable. Studies were done after the last big fires and recommedations were not followed or funded. There is little profit in prevention and fortunes to be made in relief, repair and recovery. Taxpayers do not like to pay for prevention. Public officials do little to advocate prevention.
Bustednuckles @ 70
2 years rent.
Right on Barbara Lee!!!
Hehehehe, that’s MY Representative, taking down the all mighty Difi.
Barbara Lee speaks for me!
…Rowdy!
Of late, DiFi appears to be in a state of confusion most of the time.
Sen. Feinstein-Lieberman is a card carrying member of the GOP. She should stop the pretense and cross the floor. The hypocrisy in her positions would lessen dramatically, as would her e-mail traffic, and the Democrats could more frankly sort out how to live with this GOP senator for another five years, while focusing on replacing the Californian Congressional seats that are due for replacement long before then. It would also allow the Senate’s Democratic leadership to yank her off committees that expect forthright leadership instead of Liebermanesque stonewalling and hypocrisy.
Alecia @ 101
I wouldn’t mind DiFi being confused if only she’d stagger onto our side of the street now and then.
This says it all…
Go to Sen. Feinstein’s website right now. I just tried as I wanted to give my senator a little feedback on her fuckuppitry.
http://feinstein.senate.gov/public/
Try it, this says it all…
Cancer Cures says:
October 24th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
Funny how much voters will ignore as long as that little (R) or (D) is appended after their politicians name…
******Thank you.Feinstein has been doing this for a long time.And shame on the many of you who were sucked in by the “D” at the end of her name.She is perhaps one of the most corrupt Senators after Ted Stevens & Harry Reid.Take your vote seriously don’t vote for corporate dems,it’s your future that is at stake.
LS @ 42
ok, we hve a new word now, “pyro-terrorist attack” in the linked article here. You gotta love the way officials love to craft language to fit the paranoia. If you read the article, what is actually implied is that someone tossed a butt out a car window. And has anyone seen this?
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics…..amp;page=1
they’re gettin ready. i’m off to boston this weekend to march with the new england group. it’s just the beginning, folks. but they’re gonna move fast on iran. Neither cheney nor bush gives a flamin bean about the republican party anymore. they just wanna go down in flames and take us all with them. And Ms Feinstein is fine with that. old farts.
You are right about the Feinstein link. It does say it all. Her webpage is still down. Let’s see how long it will be before it comes back up.
There’s got to be some euphemism for diseased genitalia that appropriately describes DiDiDiDiFi, but I can’t think of any that aren’t insulting…to diseased genitalia.
During the run-up to the Iraq war vote her staff was simply hanging up on people who called.
She’s a great representative for the people she represents. Too bad those aren’t most Californians.
I keep voting against her, but in a state that’s elected Reagan and Schwarzenegger governor, and sent Nixon and Reagan to the Presidency, there’s only so much a person can do. :-(
-
BTW, if the Faux crowd wanna claim the fires were Al-Kayeeda-types, go for it.
“So you knew about this for years, took trillions of taxpayer dollars, trashed every service the government provides, shredded *the freaking Constitution*, all to “protect” us, and you *still* couldn’t stop it? What a bunch of incompetent f*cks. You’re outta here.”
Madam Blum
Get off your bum
Quit selling your vote
For the biggest sum
LS @ 42
Well they’ve caught one of the arson suspects. A guy with the decidedly suspicious name of “Al-Rund”…John Alfred Rund ;-)
http://www.kcra.com/news/14414…..p;psp=news
Apparently a local guy from Hesperia, some reports call him a “biker”, but wouldn’t go too far with that…he was driving off on a Honda.
We can thank Dan White for Senator Feinstein.
Or do we blame Hostess Twinkies?
Tomazulob @ 53
The appointment by a Governor is only temporary, until a Special Election is held.I doubt that a Republican would win THAT election.
When vacancies happen in the representation of any State in the Senate, the executive authority of such State shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided that the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct.
Appointment of Interim Senators. Prevailing practice is for state governors to fill Senate vacancies by appointment, with the appointee serving until a special election has been held, at which time the appointment expires immediately. In the event a seat becomes vacant between the time of a general election and the expiration of the term, however, the appointee usually serves the balance of the term, until the next regularly scheduled general election.
pk @ 57
CTuttle @ 64
It’ll pay for your self-storage unit for about a year. It probably won’t even cover the cost of the clean-up of the property so it can be sold.
But heck…I wonder how many of these people were on mortgages? Does that mean the banks are also going to take a hit? THAT would add to the current housing crisis.
A fine mess!
Ish @ 50
Let’s talk name recognition first.
Barbara Lee
Jerry Brown
Willie Brown
Gray Davis
Mary Bono (R)
Ed Begley Jr.
SoS Debra Bowen
Steve Jobs
Steve Wozniak
numerous actors
Is Ariana Huffington a Californian these days?
Who are the other well-known reps?
Who are other dedicated activists or local politicians?
raven @ 90
Who’s gonna go into a fire zone to loot? The National Guard that remains in Cali was sent into Rancho Santa Fe….the wealthy folks in Duncan Hunter’s district. And what the heck is he talking about? “More shot than we can “use”? Use for what?
If Barbara Lee wants to run a Senate primary against Feinstein, I’d be happy to support her. Might even be willing to re-register as a Democrat.
Dianne Feinstein: eagerly feeding twinkies to the right-wing machine.
Trying to email the senator? Her web site loads with the message: “There was an error processing your error message.”
The error is representing yourself as a Democrat, Senator Sellout.
Sen. Findspine:
Next primary, we’ll remember your lack of one.
California Voter
hey, bluewombat. Don’t be so hasty. There are advantages to being a Rethuglican. I walk precincts in rural nevada and more than once, after announcing “I represent local democratic hdqs”, was told, “well, I’m a Republican,” as the door began shutting.
“Wait! I’m a Republican too,” and I’d dig out my ID and sample voter ballot identifying myself as such. “I just don’t like where the Party has taken our country, so I’m working for the Democrats this time around.” It’s quite effective in keeping that door open, and possibly changing minds, or at least getting knee-jerk Rethugs to rethink their voting habits.