Lets keep callin!

Anyone reach a human at Clinton’s office?

Obama’s office says a statement is coming…

EPU’d after 22 comments but I think appropriate.

I have a feeling about today that its gonna be like British Fighter Command during the Blitz. Remember those odds?
Today we demand accountibility and justice for our Constitution. Let’s get em firepups!

Just logging on. Anyone know if Hillary, Obama and Biden are coming back to Washington?

Senators have sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution. I believe the particular words are “preserve, protect, and defend.”

Oathbreakers will be noted.

Hillary is clearly not coming back. She did all the morning shows from Iowa, and said nothing about returning to DC.

Good Morning Christy,
I’ve already completed calls this am to what I’m calling the short list, the one you’ve posted. Then called Leahy’s office and was transferred to an assistant at the Jud. Comm. who said he hasn’t made a public statement yet. I’ve got his website up and am checking it.
So, after the short list, and Leahy and Kerry, who’s the next to call?
I’m also watching the Senate.

Just called Bayh and Lugar to tell them that this FISA bill is completely unacceptable and an affront to our Constitution. I urged them to support the filibuster.

Yes, on about the fourth try, I got through. They told me she is concerned about amnesty and brought up that she voted against PAA. I told them it is much more important for her to be in Washington today than in Iowa.

More important to the country, but not to Hillary. Which is why she’ll be staying in Iowa.

The staffer at Obama’s office said she didn’t have his schedule. Right! I asked her to tell him that FISA is more important today than the election. Said if FISA without immunity doesn’t pass, the election may not matter.
That’s what I said.

The woman in Obama’s office claimed to have no idea if he planned to come back today. Just a little thing like keeping your oath of office. No biggie.

busy, busy, busy signals… on hold for Clinton staff…

Rockefeller is discussing the immunity provision currently on the Senate floor. I’ve known Jay for quite a while, and he’s been my Senator for longer than that — he’s a decent guy, and I can tell as he’s speaking that he truly thinks this is a measured, appropriate and correct thing to do. But I fundamentally disagree with him on this. (And I’m sure his office is really tired of hearing that from me, but as a constituent they have had to listen to it a lot. *g*)

And now Kit Bond is up. Blergh.

More important to keep your office, ITHO (in their humble opinions).

Christy,
I know it’s tough to find good progressives in WVa. But if Dems can take out Mitch McConnell (as is quite possible in ‘08), it surely must be possible to take out DINO’s like Jello Jay as well.

demi at 11 — Actually, the Senate staffer wouldn’t have his campaign schedule. They aren’t allowed to co-mingle on that, so she was likely telling you the truth. FWIW, there are supposed to be firewalls built in between legislative and campaign staffers that most of them take very seriously.

Just read this at DKos.

need 60 votes for cloture — anyone not voting counts as a vote against cloture, so not returning from the campaign trail is the same as voting against cloture

Working my way down the list.
Finegold-busy (good sign) will try again
Obama—they don’t know where he will be today. Feh.
Sanders supporting
Menendez- they don’t know what he will do today but says he supports the filibuster
Biden- they don’t even know where he is.
Brown- will help on the floor today.

more calls to make.

Obama is in DC…

KEEP CALLING!

Remember when you call, it’s asimple easy message:

No Retroactive Immunity

No Prospective Immunity

No Basket Warrants

And Senator, get your ass down to the floor with a question that will take up a BIG chunk of time.!!!!

Excellent! If he is there for the vote, he will have redeemed himself, somewhat, in my eyes.

Rockefeller urges cloture

That’s very promising if true. What is the source?

dakine — I actually like Jay. He’s done an enormous amount of good for economic development for WV and for education issues. He’s not perfect, but considering some ofthe other choices we’ve had through the years, he’s much better than the yahoos who have run against him, believe me. *g*

That said, it consistently puzzles me that his actions don’t always match what I know is some palpable disgust about how the Bush Administration has acted. He’s a “find a consensus” kind of guy — it’s his personality, and mine, frankly, so I know where he’s coming from on this. But the GOP folks on the Intel committee have exploited that by pushing the “bi-partisan committee” button in bad faith time and time again. And with that bad faith must come a change in tactics, and I’m just not certain that Jay has it in him to change who he is to match that need, sad to say.

Still, though, we are not a progressive state by and large, and pushing forward a more progressive candidate than Jay would be tough the way things stand with the state Democratic party at the moment.

Thanks Christ,
So, with the short list completed, who do you suggest I call?
I just spoke to Leahy’s office, again, and was told they don’t know when he’s making a statement about the filibuster. I was told they would try to find out and that I should call back in an hour.

Kit Bond says FISA endangers our troops

Sorry, meant Christy…but if Christ wants to help us, I’ll thank him too.

is anyone else besides me having trouble with the Internet CSPAN 2 feed?

Kit Bond is a moron. (I needed to type that. I swear, he is one of those people that every time he speaks I wonder who in the hell put the inaccurate words in his mouth and then he was willing to swallow them whole and spit them out. Jeebus, how exactly is this man a US Senator? Honestly — can he not read the FISA law for himself? The Church Committee findings? Arrrrrgh…)

no problems here with the internet cpan2 feed.

Christy,
It’s obvious that Jay still thinks his FIL is on the other side of the aisle.

And Kit Bond is as odious and duplicitous as they come. Blergh.

Kit Bond: “a terrorist attack against the homeland might be in the works” — good lord, is John Bolton writing his schtick?

thanks triciawrites, guess it’s my connection speed. I’ll reboot.

Kit is a moron? But, he just spelled it out for us that if they had not rushed the other FISA bill through, that there wouldn’t be so many hard feelings now. /s, to be sure. and to let those who don’t have cspan2 access.

How about some evidence for the imminent attack that PAA was going to prevent last August? < <<<<crickets>>>>>

Passing this cloture cloture limits the debate time before taking up the bill. If Dodd is serious about obstructing passage, he’d do more than vote against cloture. He’d also insist on the 30 hours of debate before the bill could be taken up. Then he’d object to each and every aspect that didn’t comport with his sense of where this law should end up, forcing additional cloture motions and cloture votes.

He can take the floor and talk, or not, regardless of the outcome on cloture votes.

At any rate, if “filibuster” is equivalent to “delay,” the longest delay occurs by objecting (which results in somebody else filing a cloture motion), then insisting on following the rules for each cloture motion. Objection can be raised to taking up the bill, to voting on each and every amendment, and on voting on the bill. Each objection, if met by cloture, can result in a delay of a full day (pre-cloture) plus 30 hours (post cloture).

I just talked to Boxer and Feinstein’s D.C. offices. Both said they had no position on the bill or telecom immunity.

They did ask my position, which is that telecom immunity eviscerates the Fourth Amendment, the Senators should under no circumstances support it in any form, and they should support Chris Dodd if a filibuster becomes necessary.

Stay positive, everybody. We can win this one.

Kit rode into town on the backs of the religious fundies. Missouri is full of them for sure.

Just spoke to Kerry’s office.
Was told that he has not word that Kerry plans to support the filibuster.
I asked the staffer to please, please, please urge the senator to do so.

Dodd speaking

Dodd is up to the podium! Watch a patriot in action.

Kit Bond “Bill an extremely delicate seirous of compromises that could fall apart if changed. By fall apart, I mean it won’t become law.”

Pray Dog/Goddess/Gaia/(insert name of deity of choice here) that this does NOT become law.

Dodd up for his FIRST speech of the day.

Kit is reserving the rest of his time so he can take a break and go cook some super tubers.

Dodd’s up!

Re: my 20:

Got this info in 20 from last thread. But Obama is in fact not in DC. Staffer just confirmed that he supports FISA but will not be in DC for the vote. Sincere apologies.

Harkin- just passing our views along
Cardin- against immunity but not necessarily with Dodd. Staffer sounded annoyed by the call.
Clinton’s office didn’t know her schedule and then connected me to a bogus scheduling office recording.

Re: my 46:

I meant to say Obama supports Dodd but will not be in DC for the vote. (How can you support something and not be there for the vote?)

same thing it would seem for Hillary.

This morning, I called the Fargo offices of my Senators Byron Dorgan and Kent Conrad and asked the interns who answered each call to convey in the strongest terms my support for Senator Dodd and his plan to filibuster. My support, also, for the SJC version of the FISA bill, not the SIC version. And my plea for a strong stand against the further erosion destruction of our civil liberties.

Also asked ‘em not to waste my time or theirs with staff-written, autopenn-signatured reply letters since I’ve written such letters and operated that autopen back in the day.

I will be watching this issue play out and the actions of Dorgan and Conrad and the other 97 Senators re Dodd’s stand against the War on Democracy will tell. And I will remember.

I agree. AND, I’m hoping that Dodd gets more attention, sound bites on tonights news than the candidates who stay in Iowa.
That. Would. Be. Sweet!

is Biden on the floor?

This whole thing is disgraceful. I keep wondering how and why reid is acting in such a counterintuitive fashion. I can’t help but think there is more than a veiled threat by leiberman to finally bolt and become a republican. his endorsement of mccain this morning threw gas on this paranoid fire for me. So much for reid’s job as majority leader. The idea of retroactive immunity simply shreds the idea of LAW. I’ve had Dodds back for some time now, It is going to be very interesting who actively aligns themselves with him.

kick his ass dood………..

Re: being against cloture, but not being there to vote — it takes 60 affirmative votes to invoke cloture. The NAY votes are counted, but have no value. A vote of 59-0 would result in absence of cloture, just as surely as one of 59-41.

need 60 votes for cloture — anyone not voting counts as a vote against cloture, so not returning from the campaign trail is the same as voting against cloture

sorry that is just not true. seem my earlier comment. — unless dodd already has all the help he needs on the senate floor (and it doesn’t look like he does). they need to be on the senate floor too - if the are to support the filibuster. this isn’t only about trying to get the votes to block the bill. it’s about trying to run out the clock before the christmas recess… and that means using all 30 hours allotted for debate.

do you have a link? i really want to smack that bs down.

p.s. i just got off the phone with the senate parliamentarian’s office and confirmed my understanding of the process.

Dodd is up now, loaded for bear! Did my pestering of critters for the a.m., but I gotta go send good wishes to Dodd. Back in a bit.

Wow! You go Senaor Dodd:

A nation of truly free men and women would never take “trust me” for an answer from the President, especially this one.

“…not even from a perfect president and certainly not this one.”
I’m loving it.

This whole thing is disgraceful. I keep wondering how and why reid is acting in such a counterintuitive fashion. I can’t help but think there is more than a veiled threat by leiberman to finally bolt and become a republican. his endorsement of mccain this morning threw gas on this paranoid fire for me. So much for reid’s job as majority leader. The idea of retroactive immunity simply shreds the idea of LAW. I’ve had Dodds back for some time now, It is going to be very interesting who actively aligns themselves with him.

The organizing resolution from the beginning of this session of congress did not allow for a change in leadership should Holy Joe switch parties. Joe does not hold that power over Harry. Harry is doing this out of choice. What is behind this choice we do not know—just as we do not know how and to what extent the telecoms have broken the law. And we may never know if Harry lets them get away with it.

Good question. So, I called his office and the staffer said he didn’t know. I asked to be put on hold and ask around the office. Did so and said he couldn’t tell me. I asked him to thank Biden for saying he would support the filibuster and that it would be helpful to be on the floor to do so. Said he’d make a note of that.
Gosh, I hope Dodd brought his throat lozenges with him today.

Dodd giving history of the two bills - complements Lahey as champion of rule of law,
Mentions Founding Fathers

Holy Cow
Dodd’s really going for broke.

When was the last time you heard a politicain speak so plainly?

selise, 5th comment:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/.....767/421306

“conempt” for the rule of law! Yes Mr. Dodd! Complete contempt!!

I hope Dodd’s clarion call will be on Youtoob. I’d be sorely tempted to drive around forever with this blaring from a loudspeaker, so everyone can “get it” at long last. What. A. Patriot.!!!

What’s he saying???

Dodd is brilliant

If Dodd is serious about obstructing passage, he’d do more than vote against cloture. He’d also insist on the 30 hours of debate before the bill could be taken up.

he can’t do that. the rules do not permit. please see my reply to you in scarecrow’s thread.

jeeze, i really want to be making phone calls. please, please folks - if you make a claim like that, at least stick around long enough to see if anyone challenges you on it. that way i don’t have to type my reply twice. thanks

How much of this do you think will be on tonight’s news?
I’d guess none of it.

Woohoo!

Church Committee–that was my suggestion. And we haven’t even gotten to the filibuster, yet.

Then of course, it was rather obvious.

Loo Hoo - going so fast i can’t keep up - like a KO special comment - and just as vehement - classic

Sen. Dodd is calling their bluff………….

Loo Hoo, he’s speaking so rapidly, it’d be almost impossible to live-blog.
I hope for videos later, & transcripts. He is absolutely incredible.

That CT has both Dodd and Lieberman presents quite the contrast.

I hope he has a lot of cough drops

Dodd having a bit of trouble with his throat

Eric Lichtblau on wnyc.org talking about NSA spying.

I still say CALL YOUR OWN senators — that bothers them more than hearing from people who will NEVER vote for them. And, I like what one writer said in previous post — gave money to Dodd for that reason alone. Obama needs pressure as well — if he’s not in the Senate he’d better ’splain why not.

We need to pound on all Dem Senators, especially Reid. Why is he doing this? When the House, THE HOUSE!!!, actually did something right (for a change) and the Senate is screwing it up? Astonishing. The exact opposite of what we’ve seen recently.

I noticed that too. He doesn’t have to speak so loudly from the podium. He may need to save his voice.

giving the whole history of Bush, FISA, Church committee, Bush says trust me - Dodd saying thats not enough

Loo Hoo…you’re at school? Here’s the link: http://www.c-span.org/watch/cs.....8;Code=CS2

((((selise))))

THANK YOU for all the cleanup in the aisles.

I guess no one feels they have time to read upthread. They should.

Suggest anyone confused do a Control F, then type in selise, & work your way through the thread to get the straight story on how stuff works in the Senate rules.

“isn’t that enough” after all the laws we have enough - Bush ignored it and conducted his own illegaligy - if that is not shocking enough -….and still that was not good enough. Is this about our security or his power

“Is this about our security, or his power?”

Dodd is magnificent.

I’ve called Sanders and Leahy so far. No public comment yet.

The constitution (which Obama, Biden and Clinton swore an oath to uphold) trumps one person’s ambition.

If these three cannot be bothered to support Dodd, they disqualify themselves from being our President.

If this issue is as important as the blogosphere says it is (I believe it so), and we aren’t BS’ing ourselves here, what other conclusion can we draw?

I expect our Senators to make concerned noises, issue a statement, and avoid the Senate floor like the plague.

If you can vote for a person that does that, you too, have mastered triangulation.

Elliot.
Yep. Owe me a coke. What I said @ #61.
Someone get him some Throat Coat Tea.
It’s not so much his volume, but his vehemency. I think.

historic…………

second ‘enough’ should be ‘passed’
on Cheney - secretive - when pattern of secrecy divorced from practicality it is about power

Besides one’s own Senators, I suggest pestering ALL in leadership positions, and DEFINITELY ALL PREZNIT CANDIDATES.

Obama’s line busy.

Senator Obama, Senator Clinton, Senator Biden, Senator McCain: I’m sure you have staffers that peruse blogs such as FDL.

Know this: Senator Dodd is giving you a roadmap of what LEADERSHIP is all about.

How many senators have agreed to help with the filibuster?

KICK ASS DODD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

– they need to be on the senate floor too - if the are to support the filibuster. –

You believe that if you want, but there is no “talk or vote” rule. All it takes to hold up moving ahead is the presence of an objection, a hold, or whatever you want to call it. That puts the burden on 60+ senators to overcome the objection.

And, even if the objection is overcome, Rule XXII provides for 30 hours of time after passing cloture, before moving to whatever the object of cloture is — in this case, to proceed to the bill. The Senate has UNANIMOUS consent (that means Dodd consented) to skip the 30 hour delay provided for in Rule XXII, after invoking cloture, and moving on to the underlying vote. The underlying vote here is on a motion to proceed to S.2248.

So far from what I’m getting, Kennedy, Brown, and Feingold.

mentioning past state secret rulings have protected important people from embarrassment - thus not state security but power

Dodd: “worse than selling our souls, we’re giving it away for free”

Oh man - Dodd’s voice is already fading - on what day will he taking the floor to speak (filibuster) for as long as he can?

I hope he has a couple of days to sit quietly somewhere - maybe get some medical assistance for his throat. His speech is brilliant - but how long can he go?

otoh, maybe holding the floor, while essentially being reduced to whispering, would make some damn fine teevee.

Way to go Dodd!

I cannot believe that any constitution loving American.. much less a part of our government could support these tactics.

We cannot lose our democracy to fear and secrecy..

Obama’s line busy.

He will not be in DC for the vote. Staffer confirmed that to me.

(See my 48.)

Christy–

I don’t see how you can now “like” Jay, now knowning the extent to which he’s gone to gut your 4th Amendment rights, nurture a very systemic alliance between large corporations and this government where the government pays large corporations monetarily and rewards them with protective legislation beyond the Telco Immunity they are giving them, and forecloses federal cases that are protecting what is left of the Constitution and the 4th amendment.
I challenge you to identify a time in history when the Congress foreclosed such vital litigation in the Courts by fiat as it is trying to do this morning.

Because none of us has the answers to the 16 questions I am listing below Christy, I’d certainly like to see the answers, but you won’t be able to because Jay Rockerfeller has worked hard to accept the evil mantra of Cheney, Addington, Fielding, and Ed Gillespie where you know nothing about what type of technology is being used to wiretap yours and family’s every communication on line, and on a phone and to record your banking records.

As an very accomplished attorney, writer and promoter of a site that fights to protect the Constitution, I would expect what’s taking place that is being in large part facilitated by Jello Jay to this morning to upset you beyond the pale.

It dawned on me as Chris Dodd became speaking, that I feel like the colonists (without the direct threat of harm from the British army) who were being stomped on by the heavy boot of King George III. It’s a different King George Christy, but the boot is just as heavy and Jello Jay is pushing that boot onto our necks. He cannot be forgiven or admired for anything else he’s done because of this in my opinion.

only one secret - the extent of our presedent’s extensive law breaking. i am here to see that those secrets do not go quietly into that good night. the truth is not their private propertuy

And I’m so glad I’m not supporting any of the sitting Senators in the primaries who are running for prez.

Brown too? MY progressive Senator Brown???

*smooths lapels proudly, and checks lipstick in mirror*

That’s what I told Senator Obamas aide when I called.

The aide said that Obama “might” be in DC today.

thanks! left a comment. i can see that the campaigns may be pushing this false idae to let their candidates off the hook. could really use some help smacking it down where ever it raises it’s ugly head.