It's starting to look like the tide is turning in our favor on this afternoon's cloture vote for the amnesty-laden FISA bill. Keep the pressure up, folks, we might win this one!
According to the Clinton and Obama campaigns, both senators will be present to vote against cloture. Sen. Rockefeller has already said he'll vote against cloture on his own bill. This diary declares that a staffer for Dick Durbin says he'll support Dodd's filibuster, which ought to mean he'll vote against cloture. Bill Nelson (FL) supports Dodd's amendment and may be coming around to voting against cloture. We've also learned that Salazar's staff is hoping he'll vote against cloture.
It's time to assemble as much information as possible about what you've learned from your calls to Senatorial offices about where each of the Democrats stand in regard to cloture. Please use the comments here for that purpose.
And keep up the calls and emails. Below is a list of the main Democrats we need to persuade. Many of these phone numbers are either being shut down (like Mikulski's), or jammed with calls. So if you can't get through in DC, and you've tried several times already, take a different route to making your voice heard - try calling one of the Senator's offices back home. And if you do, report here what numbers you've gotten through on and how willing the home-state staffers are to take down information.
And remember too that you need to be polite but firm. Don't let staffers brush your concerns off. If they are dismissive, add a note in the comments here. The Senate offices are the people's offices as well. You have a right to make your opinion known, and I doubt many senators will want to see their own offices being singled out for treating constituents badly.
- Bayh (202) 224-5623
- Carper (202) 224-2441
- Inouye (202) 224-3934
- Johnson (202) 224-5842
- Landrieu (202)224-5824
- McCaskill (202) 224-6154
- Mikulski (202) 224-4654
- Nelson (FL) (202) 224-5274
- Nelson (NE) (202) 224-6551
- Pryor (202) 224-2353
- Salazar (202) 224-5852
In addition, here is a general clearinghouse for calling or e-mailing your own Senators. You can also use the tools created by CREDO and EFF if you prefer.
UPDATE 1: It looks as if Arlen Specter is going to vote against cloture. If John McCain is absent while campaigning in Florida, it may not be possible for the Republicans to gain the 60 votes they need. That remains unclear, however, so keep the phones ringing. Now is the time to press the advantage home. If the Republican side begins to slip visibly, it will be a lot easier to move the quavering "moderates" into the right column. And the more who line up against cloture, the stronger that opposition to telecom amnesty will appear to be. Appearances matter when you're trying to round up votes.
UPDATE 2: Sen. Mikulski reportedly will vote against cloture as well. The momentum on our side is building.