Today, August 8, is the day Richard Nixon resigned the Presidency of the United States in 1974 to avoid impeachment and conviction for high crimes and misdemeanors. Today is the day that Holy Joe Lieberman was driven from the Democratic Party.
Today is also the day the Strangebedfellows Moneybomb is set to go off. Back in June-July when the FISA fight was roiling, pissed-off civil libertarians raised over $300,000 to run ads targeting Democrats such as Steny Hoyer who colluded with Congressional Republicans, the White House, and the telecoms to pass the corrupt and dangerous 2008 "FISA Amendments Act." The Strangebedfellows aim to continue and broaden that campaign, and they need our help.
The Strangebedfellows are a left-right coalition of civil-liberties-minded activists and bloggers, including Jane Hamsher of Firedoglake, Glenn Greenwald at Salon, and Rick Williams and Trevor Lyman of BreakTheMatrix. Those are the founding members as far as I know. The full list of supporters from the blogosphere is here.
Rick Williams and Trevor Lyman organized the Ron Paul moneybombs at the end of 2007 and the beginning of 2008, one of which raised over $6 million in one day. The goal of the moneybomb, which goes to AccountabilityNowPAC, is as follows:
The AccountabilityNowPAC was originally formed by our leftist Strangebedfellow members as a fundraising vehicle to block a Congressional leadership "compromise" on the corrupt FISA reauthorization bill now pending in the Senate. Over $300,000 has already been raised by the PAC, but we can do so much better than that! The goal of AccountabilityNowPAC is to become a permanent entity on the Washington DC political landscape which will let our politicians know that civil liberties MATTER. Our message to politicians in Washington is loud and clear: uphold constitutional rights and we will support you; abridge freedom in America and we will not be on your side. Democrat or Republican—it makes no difference to us. Our standard will be the same for all, so let’s end the surveillance insanity and take our country back.
Greenwald has an extensive post up detailing the rationale and goals for the campaign here. In the post he describes the current situation in Washington thus:
Thirty-four years ago today, Richard Nixon was forced from office as a result of mounting public anger, which in turn fueled the bipartisan intent of Congress to impeach him, due to his involvement in the relatively minor Watergate crimes. Accountability of that sort for our highest political leaders is today inconceivable.
Rather than investigate and punish violations of the Constitution and other laws, our political class conceals those crimes for as long as it can, endorses them when they are disclosed, and then acts to protect the lawbreakers. Public opinion is steadfastly ignored, rendered virtually irrelevant. Congress has deliberately made itself completely impotent, while the sprawling Executive enjoys virtual omnipotence and freedom from any real accountability. Laws are written not just for, but literally by, the largest corporations and their lobbyists -- even including, as we recently witnessed, laws that have no purpose other than to immunize them from consequences when they are caught deliberately breaking our laws.
And on why getting a good start to this campaign is so important:
A successful start is absolutely vital for ensuring that this new organization's arrival is loud, aggressive, and taken very seriously. Funding is the only currency the political establishment recognizes as an indicator of strength. The more successful this kick-off campaign is, the more news it will generate, the louder the message will be heard, the more damage can be done between now and November, and beyond, to its deserving targets (and, therefore, the more constructive the progress that can be achieved). The magnitude of today's Money Bomb will determine what the reach and impact of our campaign will be between now and the election.
If you are one of the more than 3,300 people who have already pledged to donate to the Money Bomb, today is the day to donate, here. If you haven't yet pledged, all details of the campaign are here. Regardless of whether you've previously pledged or not, you are able, and encouraged, to donate today. Chronicling the fundamental corruption and serial outrages of our political class is one step. Creating and executing strategies for battling them, altering public debates, and changing behavior is the next.
Please kick in whatever you can. Help raise $500,000 -- or more. Sleep better tonight. Madison, Jefferson and Washington thank you.