FISA Fight: Supporting the good guys

The "Defense of Democracies" group, those great patriots who are trying to shred the Constitution by running deceptive, fear-mongering ads against Democrats, have just placed another ad buy. They've also been using robocalls and push polling to try to define this debate.

Their target continues to be the group of freshman who who they consider to be particularly vulnerable , or who refused to be bullied by the administration on FISA and retroactive amnesty for the telcos. They see these members as the weak link in the coalition standing against the administration and the Republicans.  

These industry funded groups have a really big stick compared to us. And they are using it to pound these vulnerable Freshman. It's a wedge the right is driving into the Democratic caucus, and it has the effect of making leadership start looking for "compromise" because they are worried about losing a good chunk of their majority-preserving margin.

We can counterbalance that pressure by supporting those targeted Dems who continue to stand up to Bush.

• Jason Altmire (PA-04)
• Mike Arcuri (NY-24)
• Nancy Boyda (KS-02)
• Joe Courtney (CT-02)
• Joe Donnelly (IN-02)
• Gabrielle Giffords (AZ-08)
• Kirsten Gillibrand (NY-20)
• Paul Hodes (NH-02)
• Steve Kagen (WI-08)
• Ron Klein (FL-22)
• Tim Mahoney (FL-16)
• Jerry McNerney (CA-11)
• Harry Mitchell (AZ-05)
• Christopher Murphy (CT-05)
• Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01)
• Tim Walz (MN-01)

How to help? Contact them and let them know you support their standing up to Bush. If you can afford it, send them some financial love. Russ Feingold, through his Progressive Patriots fund, set up a contributions page to help them. This FISA Fight ActBlue page allows you to pick a member to support.

Help them the help us stand up to Bush and reject telco amnesty.

•  McNerney, bless his heart.

  Makes me feel good all over again that I worked so hard to help him get elected.

  by Land of Enchantment on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 04:56:28 PM PDT

  •  Amen to that

    I woke up this AM to The Radio Spot from the neothugs, targeted at McNerney.  So I'm sending him a contribution through ActBlue.  Just called the Washington office, and told them: (1) stand firm, (2) I heard the ad, (3) I'm sending a contribution, (4) I am not a constituent (district next door) BUT: I am and have been a donor, and I have been a campaign worker; phonebanked and canvassed every weekend from Sep-06 to end Oct-O6 and then I traveled to Stockton for the final 3 days of the campaign; (5) I'm not alone and we are watching his vote.  

    He's been wavering a little on some of the Iraq stuff.  We have to keep his feet to the fire, and then reward him if he does the right thing.

    by gharlane on Thu Mar 06, 2008 at 01:50:57 PM PDT

•  Thanks, mcjoan

  for your dogged persistence.  Tomorrow I will call my rep, Chris Murphy, who I believe is a good guy and has been on the right side.  I'll also call Joe Courtney -- just have to get a zip code -- hate to lie about being a constituent -- but better than being spied on.

  by gchaucer2 on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 04:57:18 PM PDT

  •  Better get an address too

    My Reps office asked for it all, fortunately I could give my real information.

    by lgcap on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 05:03:58 PM PDT

    •  Thanks.

      I'll check with one of my contacts in the area.

      by gchaucer2 on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 05:07:27 PM PDT

      •  I'm in Landslide Joe's district

        contact me back channel

        by JohnMac on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 07:25:50 PM PDT

•  We haven't lost yet...keep the pressure on

  Thanks mcjoan, let's use our dollars and phones and faxes to continue to fight against retro-active immunity.

  The FISA vote has been delayed again because of disagreements within the Democratic caucus:

  http://www.dailykos.com/...

  by Rachel Griffiths on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 04:58:54 PM PDT

  •  I see you do your own whoring.

    Good.

    Less work for me.

    by ek hornbeck on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 05:12:14 PM PDT

•  Is this a pretty confirmed list

  of members of congress who have so far stood strong against this constitutional assault?

  I've had a little trouble gauging exactly where Ron Klein D-FL22 stands and will actually be meeting him on Saturday.

  Would love to give him some personal encouragement on this issue!

  by kansasr on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 05:00:57 PM PDT

  •  Freshmen

    According to the post, it's a list of the Democratic representatives targeted by the pro-amnesty group, where "target" equals "freshmen".  So the list shouldn't include any veteran congresspersons who are standing up, just the newbies who are.

    by asym on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 05:16:37 PM PDT

    •  Except for Altmire, the first one on the list,

      they all accept emails from non-constituents. I would suggest adding Rep. Sylvester Reyes to the list. He should get an earful.

      by psnyder on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 07:31:43 PM PDT

•  The ACLU called me today

  to ask me to call my Rep.

  Great idea, but I already had.

  by lgcap on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 05:02:01 PM PDT

  •  ACLU

    is running ads FOR Altmire on right wing radio.  I thought it is about f**ing time someone answered the deception.

    by dvschase on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 05:38:27 PM PDT

    •  Is nothing sacred?

      Damn.

      by lgcap on Thu Mar 06, 2008 at 05:15:40 AM PDT

•  Obama and Hillary?

  Have they taken a stand?

  by drlevant on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 05:03:34 PM PDT

  •  Obama mentions the fight every so often...

    And he actually showed up at work to vote on the issue.  Clinto just skipped work that day.

    I am not an Obama supporter.

    by Jason Mannino on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 07:43:01 PM PDT

    •  It went down too quickly

      Clinton had planned to be there, but had scheduled for the next day, depending on Dodd & Co holding the vote til the next day.  My blue dog senators joined the feeding frenzy on cloture - it passed by such a majority that Dodd couldn't hold the vote off.  Obama was campaigning in the area (the "Potomac Primary") and so was able to get there for the vote when it blew up.

      by bfitzinAR on Thu Mar 06, 2008 at 07:20:19 AM PDT

•  FYI - Tim Mahoney (FL-16)

  replaced Mark Foley.  Good pick up!

  by Barry in MIA on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 05:05:12 PM PDT

  •  And it's a very conservative district

    Mahoney is himself quite conservative personally, but he's doing pretty good...much better than Foley, of course. Very important to hold onto this.

    We have filled Mark Foley and Tom DeLay's seats with Democrats. Hopefully next week we can put a good Dem (and a brilliant scientist and successful businessman to boot) in Dennis Hastert's seat.

    by mole333 on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 06:13:08 PM PDT

    •  Wasn't he at Yearly Kos?

      I seem to remember him and being quite impressed.

      by psnyder on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 07:32:45 PM PDT

      •  Don't know

        I can never make Yearly Kos. Maybe if they held it here in NYC I could!

        Sometimes a person whose personal beliefs are conservative but who is politically more liberal leaning make the best Conrgessmen. There is such a person, Steve Harrison, running for Congress in a neighboring district to me. He is personally uncomfortable with abortion due to a Catholic upbringing but considers pro-choice the only logical position because, as he puts it, if you ban abortion women will die. He understands the conservative frame and can explain the liberal stand to Republicans and they are receptive. I wrote about one very impressive encounter with him here.

        I also do believe a candidate needs to fit his district. Brad Ellsworth in Indiana is someone I contributed to when he ran for office. WAY too conservative for me, but for the district he is by far the best Democrat we could have and he seems genuinely to represent his district.

        by mole333 on Thu Mar 06, 2008 at 03:38:51 AM PDT

•  The House Dems capitulate at the end of this

  act of Kabuki Congressional theatre they deserve to lose their majority:  tactically and morally incapable of engaging in effective politics.  Start by primarying Schumer, Pelosi, Reid, Hoyer, Bayh and every Blue Dog who folds.  When the results are identical to what the GOP delivers it isn't capitulation its political subterfuge.  "Hey ladies and gents, you run as an R and I'll run as a D to really screw with the heads of the masses, and then will give them the same old screw job and they'll actually buy hit hook line and sinker.  They're that gullible."

  by rrheard on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 05:06:54 PM PDT

  •  If we don't get more influence with the d's

    it's starting to look like serious third party time.  (Sit down, Nader, not you.  Someone we can elect.)

    by geomoo on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 07:25:31 PM PDT

•  And tell them about this:

  A U.S. government office in Quantico, Virginia, has direct, high-speed access to a major wireless carrier's systems, exposing customers' voice calls, data packets and physical movements to uncontrolled surveillance, according to a computer security consultant who says he worked for the carrier in late 2003.

  "What I thought was alarming is how this carrier ended up essentially allowing a third party outside their organization to have unfettered access to their environment," Babak Pasdar, CTO of New Jersey-based IGXglobal told Threat Level. "I wanted to put some access controls around it; they vehemently denied it. And when I wanted to put some logging around it, they denied that."

  Pasdar won't name the wireless carrier in question, but his claims are nearly identical to unsourced allegations made in a federal lawsuit filed in 2006 against four phone companies and the U.S. government for alleged privacy violations. That suit names Verizon Wireless as the culprit.

  Pasdar has executed a seven-page affidavit for the nonprofit Government Accountability Project in Washington, which on Tuesday began circulating the document (.pdf), along with talking points (.doc), to congressional staffers hashing out a Republican proposal to grant retroactive legal immunity to phone companies who cooperated in the warrantless wiretapping of Americans.

  http://blog.wired.com/...

  Privacy.  It's not for Americans anymore.

  Bush spits on the Constitution.

  by Sick Of It on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 05:16:19 PM PDT

  •  Wow!

    I just finished reading the sworn affidavit and the talking points. This is absolutely unbelievable, tinfoil hat scary stuff. It is an absolutely convincing smoking gun of the full scope of the bush regime illegal domestic spying program.
    This goes beyond anything in 1984. The government is monitoring ALL voice an data communications!

    by cybersaur on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 07:07:36 PM PDT

  •  Wow. No wonder they are so determined to keep

    secret their unamerican behavior.  I just sent along $250 through the inimitable Russ Feingold.  Come on people, pony up what you can.  Let's put our money where our outrage is.

    Reasons this is important:

    1. It's the constitution, stupid.

    2. The amount of power accruing to those with unfettered access to these records is difficult to overstate.  It could soon be too much to stop.

    3. Lawsuits over this matter could prove to be the key to airing out the serious crimes of this administration.  It could even result in convictions.

    4. We must do everything in our power to stop the neocons now, but more especially, in the future.

    This is important!

    by geomoo on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 07:32:36 PM PDT

•  From FDL-

  Hope No One Has Any Hanky Panky To Hide...
  By: Christy Hardin Smith Wednesday March 5, 2008 3:00 pm

  Gee, hope no one has a mistress or a child out of wedlock or a secret toe-tapping mens room habit they are trying to conceal. Or any business information they want to keep secure from prying eyes or the competition which might have strong ties to folks in the current Administration. Because the federal government probably has the records to show for it. Some without having to get a warrant before combing through records and e-mails and financial documents and love notes and whatever else....not having to prove they were doing so for legitimate, legal reasons. You know, the reason that the law requires them to get a warrant in the first place. It's not new, in the sense we knew about some of this last year, but it is a lot more detail and worth pointing out just how personal that data could be.

  by ek hornbeck on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 05:16:46 PM PDT

  •  Dirt obtained on Dems through illegal

    surveillance is one of the reason we see them capitulating to BushCo....did someone say blackmail?

    by Rachel Griffiths on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 07:53:14 PM PDT

•  YAY Boyda!

  Nancy Boyda is the awesomest!

  If she wins re-election in her supposedly "solid red" Kansas district after being targeted as "soft on terrorism" for doing the right thing, it will do more than just save her own seat.  

  It will send a message to other wavering Democrats in conservative districts, who may be thinking they'll get in trouble with their own constituents if they stand up to Scrappy Doo and the war party on this one.

  It will tell them that they are safer than they think.

  Save a brave red state Democrat like Boyda, and yo may end up getting more and better Democrats without even changing any incumbents.

  Think it over. Pray for our side. Save a Democrat in your area.

  by AdmiralNaismith on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 05:16:47 PM PDT

•  My county listening session...

  is next Saturday and Steve Kagen's district is just North of here so I'll have something to ask Russ about.

  His Winnebago County listening session will be held at 10:30 a.m. in the Council Chambers at Neenah City Hall, 211 Walnut Street, Neenah. The meeting will last up to an hour.

  As always, I'll be the geeky guy in the DailyKos tshirt. Feel free to say hi!

  by blueyedace2 on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 05:18:58 PM PDT

  •  Kagen + Feingold in Madison Friday

    Russ hosts a fundraiser for Steve
    5-7 at the Monona Terrace Hilton
    Suggested $100

    by ben masel on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 06:47:43 PM PDT

•  When do I get to say I'll vote for McCain?

  When do the news men start talking about how Obama's youth base will be unwilling to sign on for more Clintons in the White House?

  by WakeCharlie on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 05:22:49 PM PDT

  •  go find a candidate diary n/t

    by bfitzinAR on Thu Mar 06, 2008 at 08:28:19 AM PDT

•  Altmire

  I was lukewarm about Altmire when he ran, and almost didn't put him on my Pennsylvania slate in 2006. He's worked out pretty well, though.

  by Christopher Walker on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 05:25:46 PM PDT

•  I donated $20 Through the FISA

  Fight Act Blue page and tipped them 10% (all of $2 :-) )

  This immunity crap just makes me so mad... <sigh>

  by dave1042 on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 05:28:58 PM PDT

  •  I was going to give $20

    ... but when I got there, I couldn't pick just one or two. I ended up giving each one $10. Don't tell M.A., my wife... I've never given anyone that much, and don't really have it, but the issue is just so important.

    by Forbzee on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 05:37:57 PM PDT

    •  Nice going. Money well spent. Thanks. nt

      by geomoo on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 07:35:03 PM PDT

•  I know Nancy Boyda

  is getting a large amount of flak from a very small number of persons. Overall, most people I talk to like what she's done. I don't think she will cave on this as she made her position known through the local paper, The Topeka Capital Journal, yesterday. The paper is owned by the ultra-conservative Morris Media Group of Atlanta Georgia and they printed her letter next to the State Republican Party's Exec. Director's attack echoing the commercial.

  by zamrzla on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 05:32:12 PM PDT

•  And call and give propse to those MoC that

  are standing up against retro-immunity even if they aren't in tight races. If you like this:

  Congressman Allen opposes providing retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies for their involvement in warrantless domestic surveillance.  Immunity would effectively end the case the Maine PUC filed on behalf of Maine consumers.  The pending cases can be resolved in a way that protects national security.  The Administration’s attempts to derail litigation with the claim of ‘state secrets’ is merely an attempt to avoid giving substantive answers about their possible violations of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.  Neither the government nor large telecommunications corporations are above the law; everyone must be held accountable."

  Then call Tom Allen's office and let him know, or visit his website and help him defeat retro-supporter Susan Collins.

  by Spud1 on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 05:33:42 PM PDT

•  I support this fund

  but it sure is a damn shame we have to fork over cash to keep our reps honest. I know I know, this is the system. But shit can Americans afford to uphold the constitution?

  by Data Mining Telecom Fascist on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 05:40:34 PM PDT

  •  Excellent point. Paying them to do the

    right thing. Sheesh.

    by mcmom on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 08:27:57 PM PDT

•  Might as well keep up the streak

  The FBI acknowledged Wednesday it improperly accessed Americans' telephone records, credit reports and Internet traffic in 2006, the fourth straight year of privacy abuses resulting from investigations aimed at tracking terrorists and spies.

  http://news.yahoo.com/...

  Why do we have a law enforcement agency again???

  by Hedwig on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 05:51:20 PM PDT

  •  Ministry of Justice

    Why do we have a law enforcement agency again???

    Because somebody's gotta illegally destroy the freedom once enjoyed by all Americans.
    Problem: "The hate us for our freedoms."
    Solution: Remove all freedoms

    by cybersaur on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 07:12:45 PM PDT

•  Gillibrand voted for continued Iraq war funding

  Gillibrand voted for continued Iraq war funding after running against the war and against "giving Bush everything he wants".   It is very hard for me to now support her now!

  by wdhul on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 05:55:52 PM PDT

•  Let them waste their money

  on targeting Mike Acruri, Paul Hodes, Joe Donnelly, Chris Murphy, Ron Klein, and Joe Courtney because these guys are not going anywhere.  

  by UpstateDem on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 06:03:15 PM PDT

•  MSMs and their 3 min spots re FISA

  So much info tends to get left out due to trying to be a propoganda arm or simply out of laziness in that you can't cram a complicated issue into a 3 min segment. I rarely hear the 72 hours after tapping etc that the gov can get a warrant anymore, and if its not that tibit of info, it tends to be another. Now with these commercials out, the public is even further misinformed due to lack of info at best.

  by Skid on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 06:05:20 PM PDT

  •  And this kind of crap will continue until

    make that unless, we bust the media monopoly.  As long as 5 mega corporations (with interlocking directorates) who also make up a large portion of the MIC own the media, the average American has less of a "free press" than did the Germans under Hitler.

    by bfitzinAR on Thu Mar 06, 2008 at 08:32:13 AM PDT

•  And as a last line of defense

  please consider contacting Democratic members of the House Rules Committee, especially Rule Committee Chairperson Louise Slaughter, as I discussed in my updated diary today.

  It's such bullsh*t that we're even in this position at all, having to fight against the risk that our own supposed friends will sell out the constitution.

  When the Rs were in power in the House, the Leadership enforced a "majority of the majority" rule, meaning that the Leadership wouldn't even consider bringing up a bill that didn't have a majority of Rs backing it.

  By contrast, we're constantly having to worry about Nancy Pelosi calling up bills which have unanimous R support plus 25 or 30 Democrats.  Pelosi may be beyond all hope, but I'd like to think that Rep. Slaughter is not -- and as chair of the Rules Committee she has the ability at the end of the day to tell Nancy and Steny to go f*ck themselves.  And conversely, if she decides that it's more important to be loyal to House Leadership than to honor her oath to defend the Constitution, then it would be a sad a tragic end to a lifelong career devoted to progressive causes...

  Please.  Go read.

  by packerland progressive on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 06:09:21 PM PDT

  •  Pelosi should've instituted Hastert's

    "majority of the majority" idea for the first year of this Congress, both to get good legislation in and to give the Rs a taste of their own medicine.  But no, we throw the knife away before walking into a gunfight...

    by Simplify on Thu Mar 06, 2008 at 09:54:09 AM PDT

•  Done

  Picked three of them and donated $25 each.

  by mole333 on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 06:10:45 PM PDT

•  Just to add . . .

  Giffords (AZ-08) is great.  

  It's a lean-Republican district, she replaced the retiring Kolbe, and the republican who's now running against her (Bee) is horribly conservative and definitely would not be someone who would support civil liberties.  There is also an independent challenger, for who knows what reason. . . .

  I think she's done a fantastic job representing this district; I may not get everything I want, but then this district doesn't always want everything I want, either.  I've thanked her in the past (in person, too; she's been consistently good on this issue) and will contact her office again to let them know that I, for one, am paying attention and continue to be supportive.  I'll throw what little I can her way, too.

  by iheartbooks on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 06:30:36 PM PDT

•  Gave $50.08 total...

  man it's tough I can't afford to give each of them money, but kicked in $50 (rounded up) which was something silly like $3.13 each.  I hope I didn't cost the campaign more to process the contribution than I gave.  But my hope is that they are paying attention to the number of contributions and the total raised on that page more than the size of any one of them.  If any of them ended up in a tough campaign in November I'm sure we'd come through then.

  -Fred

  by FredFred on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 06:41:23 PM PDT

•  Just Donated

  I heard the radio ad on the way home this evening.  What bald faced lies.  I got so mad that I just doneated to four of our awesome heroes:  
  McNerney; Boyda; Shea-Porter; and Mitchell.  

  by hilltopper on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 06:52:44 PM PDT

•  More please!

  I have been stressing lately over the seeming collapse of any support for accountability.  Staying positive and supporting those members of the congress on the right side of this issue is bound to be more productive.  Thanks for the post.  

  by wiles on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 06:55:13 PM PDT

•  Ron Klein & Tim Mahoney: I'm So Proud of them

  They're freshmen Representatives who unseated powerful GOP Reps. They're both under attack by the RNC as "vulnerable."  Both of them have the courage to take a stand on the FISA bill.

  I'm proud of them.  They are two of my local Representatives here in South Florida.  Robert Wexler is the other one.

  by Trial Lawyer Richard on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 06:59:00 PM PDT

  •  Klein is safe

    That is a blue district filled with elderly Jewish Democrats.  

    by UpstateDem on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 07:28:20 PM PDT

•  Where does Kirsten Gillibrand(NY-20) stand?

  Anyone from my area able to get any response or answers from her office?  I haven't been able to get a good read on her.

  by Jason Mannino on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 07:39:12 PM PDT

•  So proud of them standing up on the

  floor today, denouncing telecom immunity! They deserve help in reelection, IMO. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

  by mcmom on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 08:22:35 PM PDT

•  Substance! YAY!

  McJoan, thanks for continuing to bring this to the front page. Hopefully we can all put aside the bickering for a while to put this horrendous legislation to bed forever.

  by Veritaserum on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 09:56:49 PM PDT

•  A Challenger for Every Democrat

  Every Democrat will have a challenger in their next Democratic primary. If the Democrats cave on FISA, I'm going to pick every Democratic Representative in California and contribute to one of their challengers in June.

  I can't give enough to fund the people who vote as they should. But I do have enough money to possibly cost them re-nomination if they fail us.

  At some point our representatives need to do the right thing simply because it's the right thing.

  Think, liberally.

  by Liberal Thinking on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 10:18:28 PM PDT

•  A hint

  Anyone check on the money these guys get from trial lawyers?

  by hippykicker on Wed Mar 05, 2008 at 11:46:00 PM PDT

•  Thanks, McJoan

  just sent $500

  by mffarrow on Thu Mar 06, 2008 at 12:55:40 AM PDT

•  I sent a letter to Harry Mitchell

  encouraging him to remain steadfast and not cave in.

  by lurxst on Thu Mar 06, 2008 at 10:03:15 AM PDT