UPDATE II: The entire diary below, at least the portions containing my opinions, is wrong. The conversations paraphrased are accurate, but my conclusion was 180 degrees off. After reading several Kossacks replies regarding the procedures of today's vote (cloture had to be voted for before the bill could be voted for - a political gamble taken and lost, but honestly so), I realize my expectations of Senator's Menendez and Lautenberg were misplaced. I think the Buddha said something about expectation being the source of all suffering, hrm, maybe shoulda remembered that.
So I was wrong. Completely, totally, 100%, wrong. Thanks to those of you who articulated why I was wrong in a helpful, straightforward way.
To those that chose to curse me out and told me not to let the door hit me on the way out of the party: I'm a liberal because I wholeheartedly believe that diversity of ideas is of indispensable value. I find insults and blow offs to be pretty unpersuasive ways to contribute to the exchange of ideas and the persuasion of those who disagree. Just something to bear in mind.
Again, thanks for those who set me straight. I leave my misbegotten rant below for posterity and good pie tossing.
* * * * * * * Original Diary
You know what, fuck the Democrats. Fuck them and their "We tried" bullshit. When Republican put the Constitution, put the very soul of America in the crosshairs, you don't "try," you take a goddamn bullet.
I just got off the phone with Senator Menendez and Senator Lautenberg's offices. Senator's Menendez had no answer to the question: "Why did Senator Menendez not initiate a filibuster after the Spector/Leahy Amendment was rejected?" No answer. The guy who had the answer left early today, it seems. I was put through to his voice-mail. <strike>On the day the constitution gets gang raped, you gotta get your happy hour started at 4:30 I guess.</strike>(See update for where he really was, and my apologies)
Senator Lautenberg's office had a very nice young man answer the phone. When I asked the same question, "Why did Senator Lautenberg not initiate a filibuster after the Spector/Leahy Amendment was rejected?" the nice young man told me "yeah, it sucks."
"I know it sucks," I commiserated, "but why no filibuster?"
"Well," the nice young man told me, "The leadership hadn't put anything together."
"But it's my understanding that any Senator has the prerogative to initiate a filibuster. Couldn't Lautenberg have done something?"
"Yeah, it sucks. There just wasn't any time to get anything together."
"Are you telling me, with this Amendment and this vote known for almost a week in advance, with even the New York Times rousing itself from it's slumber (yes, I actually used those words, cheeseball that I am), that Lautenberg couldn't take five minutes to throw something together? Are you telling me that while America was legislating the torture of people, while America was stripping away the foundation of the constitution, the Democrats couldn't get 1 guy and a phonebook?"
"Man, I hear you, we've gotten 100 calls on this, and we're pretty depressed."
And that's the Democratic Party. Not only did they fuck up their oath to defend the constitution, they only even have a half-assed excuse as for why (heaven forbid they actually use their WHOLE ass). If this is the strategy and commitment they show when the Constitution is on the line, when torture is on the line, what chance do we have when it comes to harder calls, like Iraq, like healthcare, like education, like immigration, like terrorism, like the economy?
Nope. Not gonna do it. I'm not gonna provide the leadership the people I'm electing to be LEADERS lack. I won't do it. So, fuck em. Fuck Menendez, he's not getting my vote. He hasn't earned it. And fuck the rest of Senate. "Trying" is for losers who don't give a damn. Doing the right thing is for people of principle. The Democratic party has not one today.
UPDATE: Senator Menendez's staffer just called me back, he was on the floor working, not out early as I implied above. My bad, and my apologies for my earlier remarks. His great for calling me back.
Unfortunately, his answer was no better than Senator Lautenberg's office. Actually, it may have been worse cause this guy sounded really upset at what had gone down. He tried to remind me who was killing habeas corpus, and who was authorizing torture. I remind him that Democrats had to say "No."
Basically, he said it was at leadership meeting this morning where the caucus determined not to filibuster.
I said, well, even if Senator Menendez had gotten up for six seconds with a phone book, and then a cloture vote was taken, he would have least ended up on CNN with the Democratic message. He said he knew.
I asked if this wasn't a time for the Senator to act on personal conviction, when would such a time happen? If not to stand up against torture and for the Constitution, when would the Senator act on principle, leadership meetings and politics be damned?
I got no answer.
What am I left with after all this? That both NJ Senators have really nice people working for them. And neither Senator really knows what is going on, because if they did, I'd have gotten a better answer than "it sucks" on the day the constitution was shredded.