The hypocrisy of it is blaring. You laud the open and encouraging policy of the Obama campaign because the campaign website asks for your suggestions, allows groups to form on any issue and/or regions, etc. They don't censor the main blog and freely ask for opinions. Yet you use that very same tool by which to attack the Senator on one single issue, FISA. However, this group has not been a so-called "discussion" group, nor has it been about actually looking at the voting record of Democrats in the Senate and then contacting those particular Senators to ask them to change their vote and/or support the upcoming proposed amendments.
When I first heard about this group, I thought it would be a way to discuss what options there are to do proactive projects to help gain support in the Senate for the upcoming amendments. Was I in for a surprise.
The creater of the group is so eager to proclaim how large the group is, with emails proclaiming how many new members there are practically every day that he/she fails to even organize a legitimate purpose for the group.
The first day I joined I was bombarded with emails via the listserve with non stop emails to Senator Obama, which of course don't get to him, but is sent out to the members. Waste of time. What was even more disturbing was the tone of the emails. They became increasingly more and more strident and vicious.
Granted there were some reasonable people who sent emails where they gave their position on the issue and calmly explained why Senator Obama should change his position.
I didn't receive one email that went into detail about the proposed amendments which will be proposed and asked for Senator Obama to support them.
What was more distressing were the personal attacks in the email.
One email which was in all caps said Senator Obama was doing a Rev. Wright.
I don't argue with those that hold the position opposing Senator Obama's statement on FISA. As Senator Obama states, he knows that there will be those supporters who will disagree with some of his positions, and that they have a right to give those opinions.
Even with today's New York Times Story, heralding the dissent on Senator Obama's website as proof that Obama was losing support, Senator Obama defends your right to dissent.
Link to New York Times article
Headline: Obama Voters Protest His Switch on Telecom Immunity
Did anyone thnk that there not those on Senator Obama's website that registered just so they could get news and to join groups so they could get a news story they could use to do a negative article on Obama?
I also point you to the fact, this ability to dissent on the Obama website is not something you were able to do on Clinton's or McCain's websites. Keep that in mind.
Now, I too disagree with Senator Obama on this issue. But this is ONE issue out of hundreds he has to tackle. In fact, this is an issue in his role as a Senator.
I have watched prior to Obama securing the nomination how this site and many others tore into Senator Clinton. I watched as you kept a delegate count. I watched you defend Senator Obama regarding attacks on his experience, stating that his judgement is what you admire and what is more needed in a President than war experience. That he was right on the war, showing his judgement was sound.
There are people in this country that don't even know what FISA is and frankly could care less. Their urgent concerns are the economy, home foreclosures, lost jobs, the rise in gas prices, and the list could go on.
I have read some of you post and in some of those emails that you won't donate to Obama's campaign or you will not vote at all, yet you rail against McCain and his policies and how dangerous he would be for our country.
Today a story came out that McCain in yet another shake-up in his campaign has elevated Carl Rove's buddy to overall oversight of his campaign and that Carl Rove is advising. On another blog they stated John McCain would not be raising funds for down-ticket candidates.
Barack Obama IS supporting down-ticket candidates and helping to raise funds for their campaigns.
Many people seem to think the only person to attack regarding FISA is Barack Obama, yet there are quite a few Senate Democrats who need to be swayed to support the upcoming amendments. Barack Obama is not the entire Senate. You seem to believe that since he is the nominee that that in itself will force other Democrat Senators to vote his way. That is like believing in the tooth fairy.
Senator Obama's attorney and spokesman made it clear in the New York Times article that Senator Obama's concern regarding FISA is that without enough support from his DEMOCRATIC COLLEAGUES in the Senate, rather than let the FISA bill expire (and there are some much needed portions of that bill) he would HAVE to support it.
My point is this: You use the very tools that the Obama campaign provides on his website to form an attack on Senator Obama himself, taking advantage of his democratic, uncensored community tools and turn it against him, then giving interviews to the New York Times to proclaim how proud you are, never once stating that you are allowng emails that are vicious. When an attempt was made by several who had signed up to form an off-site discussion group with research had been done on the ammendments and to discuss which Senators to contact in a joint effort, no one who organized that group wanted to hear about it. You would rather just use it as a tool to inflat the importance of your group, regardless if it becomes a tool to attack Obama in the press.
I know many who have contacted me via email who are disgusted with it and want to have their own discussion group off-site in order to have a reasoned approach to the issue. So while you may proclaim your membership, showing how proud you are, be truthful. Many many of those that first joined are fed up with what you are doing and are no longer involved. I suspect also that many McCain supporters are now members of this group who are deliberately firing things up and are the ones talking to the press.
Agree or disagree with Senator Obama on FISA, that is your right and mine but to openly provide it as a tool for the press when you "say" you support Senator Obama is the wrong way to go about political dissent.
I am well aware, given the nature of DailyKos diarists, that I will be attacked for stating my opinion. What I have found on this site is that if you don't agree with the long timers on this site, you get attacked with comments. So be it. You would only be showing what I say is legitimate. Dare not criticize, and dare not question anyone on their FISA statements against Obama or you will be slammed. Go for it, but as you do be aware there are tons of Internet supporters who are very upset that you have become a tool for those that would try to bring Senator Obama down and are becoming a talking point for the Republicans and those media hounds like Faux News and the NYT.