Redstate

Posted at 6:14pm on Jun. 20, 2008 Obama Retreats on FISA

This Line Can't Be Crossed! [Pause] No, *This* Line!

By Dan McLaughlin

I asked yesterday how Barack Obama, who opposed the FISA bill last time it came around and specifically opposed the telecom immunity provisions, would handle the compromise by which nearly the same bill has now passed the House and will return to the Senate with sufficient votes to pass. You will recall the emphatic nature of Obama's statement in opposition:

I strongly oppose retroactive immunity in the FISA bill.... No one should get a free pass to violate the basic civil liberties of the American people - not the President of the United States, and not the telecommunications companies that fell in line with his warrantless surveillance program. We have to make clear the lines that cannot be crossed.

Well, anyone who was observing this campaign to find out whether Obama has credibility when he draws that kind of line now has their answer: he folds like a cheap suit:

Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama | FISA | Great Netroot Betrayal | Kneel Before Zod | Obamafiles — Comments (16)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 9:16pm on May 22, 2008 Congressman admits Democrats "stretched the facts," misled anti-war supporters about supposed plans for ending War

By Jeff Emanuel

Congressman Paul Kanjorski (D-PA) has been a fairly undistinguished member of the House of Representatives for nearly a quarter of a century. He is a career member of the Financial Services Committee who has made little or no name for himself since his first electoral victory, and has maintained incumbency through the funneling of pork back to his district. Even his Wikipedia entry says that Kanjorski "usually plays behind-the-scenes roles in the advocacy or defeat of legislation and steers appropriations money toward improving the infrastructure and economic needs of his district."

Never one to stand out in a crowd outside of his own district if he could help it up until now, Rep. Kanjorski's public life may be about to change in a major way very, very quickly, and for a very big reason.

You see, Paul Kanjorski has an honesty problem.

More specifically, Paul Kanjorski's problem is that he was publicly honest about the intentional dishonesty of Congressional Democrats (and Democrat candidates) in the run-up to the 2006 election -- particularly with regard to the War in Iraq.

Watch the video below (a transcript follows):

More below the fold....

Posted in anti-war Democrats | Democrats | Great Netroot Betrayal | Kneel Before Zod | PA-11 | Paul Kanjorski | War — Comments (19)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 12:27pm on Mar. 3, 2008 For your vicious amusement, o my droogies.

Won't be long now!

By Moe Lane

Glenn Greenwald: House Democratic leadership: not just complicit but also self-destructive. "Self-destructive" being defined as "not doing what Greenwald tells them," of course: which is doubly funny, as his faction has been notoriously bad at actually doing anything with their supposed mandate from the American people. But let's look at the most fun bits of this rather bitter article about FISA, shall we?

...Hmm, after the fold. And via Just One Minute, by the way.

Posted in Congress | FISA | Great Netroot Betrayal | Kneel Before Zod — Comments (2)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 10:59am on Mar. 1, 2008 I'd like "Cynical Betrayal of the Democratic Netroots" for $500, Alex.

What is "The Upcoming FISA Reconciliation?"

By Moe Lane

Took 'em long enough:

To break an impasse over legislation overhauling the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, House Democratic leaders are considering the option of taking up a Senate-passed FISA bill in stages, congressional sources said today. Under the plan, the House would vote separately on the first title of the bill, which authorizes surveillance activities, and then on the bill’s second title, which grants retroactive legal immunity to telecommunications companies that aided the Bush administration’s warrantless electronic surveillance activities. The two would be recombined, assuming passage of both titles. In this way, Democratic leaders believe they can give an out to lawmakers opposed to the retroactive immunity provision. Republican leadership sources said their caucus would back such a plan because not only would it give Democratic leaders the out they need, it would provide a political win for the GOP. It remains to be seen if such a move will placate liberal Democrats who adamantly oppose giving in to the Bush administration on the immunity issue.

The link above, by the way, is not to the original, which is behind a subscription wall; it's to an upset Netrooter, albeit one not as upset as s/he will be once this passes. Alternatively, you can read karl of Protein Wisdom, who is just about as amused over this as I am.

No further commentary necessary, except that I really wish that the Democrats would start subordinating their primary fund-raising requirements to their responsibilities as legislators, instead of the other way around. I understand that they don't want to pass FISA with retroactive immunity until after their post-3/5 revenue generation blitz, but if they had just passed this two weeks ago they wouldn't be in this mess. Fourteen days is plenty of time for the netroots to get over a fit of pique.

Posted in Congress | FISA | Great Netroot Betrayal | Kneel Before Zod — Comments (19)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 1:30pm on Feb. 22, 2008 I hope you enjoyed that week off, House Democrats.

Because the end of recess is coming up.

By Moe Lane

And you'll have to face us eventually. Via Protein Wisdom:

Now, I understand how your supporters are going to take advantage of our current administration's quaint habit of taking security clearances seriously to duckspeak about how we're not actually more at risk from your grandstanding. Let 'em: that's why they're there. But all y'all know just how badly you messed this one up... and the clock keeps tick tick ticking along until you can't run away any longer. And when you do break, next week, the elapsed time won't actually make your base less unhappy with you.

Enjoy your weekend!

Posted in Archived | Cut you if you Stand / Shoot You if You Run | FISA | Great Netroot Betrayal — Comments (19)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 9:44pm on Feb. 13, 2008 I guess the Speaker was tired of taking her lumps...

By Moe Lane

...so she sent out Steny Hoyer to be the punching bag for a change:

House Defeats FISA Extension
By Daniel W. Reilly

(The Politico) House Democrats were unable to hold together their caucus on a key intelligence vote on Wednesday, as a coalition of Republicans, Blue Dog Democrats and liberals helped defeat a measure to extend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act as the deadline approaches.

The measure, which failed 191 to 229, would have extended the bill an additional three weeks to work out differences with the Senate on the issue of granting immunity to telecom companies which aided the federal government in wiretapping.

Posted in Congress | Great Netroot Betrayal | Kneel Before Zod — Comments (4) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 4:44pm on Feb. 12, 2008 The Coward Versus the Hypocrite.

A study in competing methodologies.

By Moe Lane

As we have noted already, the opposition to retroactive telecom immunity in FISA has been gutshot*: Dodd's amendment died, 31-67; Specter's amendment likewise died, 30-68; and the cloture movement passed , 69-29. They'll now go reconcile the bill with the House version, which translates to as "the Speaker of the House will cave and do what we tell her." This is, of course, not surprising to anyone with a functioning cerebral cortex: they delayed this long, frankly, to allow Democrats to duck the issue until after Super Tuesday.

Which is why it's so amusing that Senator Obama didn't take the hint.

Read...

Oh, before I forget: we shouldn't have won this one. The reason that we did is because the netroots failed. If only you'd been better people, you might have found victory. You're not worthy enough to deserve to win, though.

Just wanted to make sure that we were clear on that - and, yes, I am laughing at you right now.

Read on.

Posted in Breaking News | FISA | Great Netroot Betrayal | Kneel Before Zod — Comments (94)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 12:18pm on Feb. 8, 2008 They're Delaying the FISA bill again...

Gotta say: he may be a spineless little whelp of a man...

By Moe Lane

...but Harry Reid sure knows how to hide in plain sight:

Senate delays FISA vote — again

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) once again pushed back key votes on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act until early next week, another temporary setback for the long-stalled bill.

After passing an economic stimulus package late Thursday afternoon, the Senate immediately began taking up some of the 11 amendments pending to the FISA bill.

However, Reid put off votes on final passage of the bill, which means it will not likely be completed until early next week.

Specifically, Tuesday. Two of Senator Feingold's amendments (3913 and 3915) have already crashed and burned, which should have surprised nobody; and the fact that the next stage has been scheduled for a day when two Democratic Senators are going to be in the middle of an absolutely critical campaign day (MD, VA, & DC - which means, paradoxically, that a last-minute cancellation could be plausible*) is, of course, a complete and total coincidence.

Of course.

Moe

Posted in Congress | FISA | Great Netroot Betrayal | Kabuki Dance — Comments (7)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 2:43pm on Feb. 6, 2008 Selected, Not Elected

This Game Cannot Be Completed In Regulation. Overtime Commences August 25.

By Dan McLaughlin

Allahpundit looks at an analysis by Chris Bowers of OpenLeft (who is, obviously, no right-winger) admitting that the Democrats, with typical foresight, have created a situation in which it was, even before yesterday's results, essentially impossible for either of their candidates to clinch the nomination by winning primaries and caucuses. Thus, unless either Hillary or Obama concedes a winnable race for the good of the party (shall we take bets on the odds on the Clintons relinquishing power for the greater good? Anyone remember 1998?), the Democratic presidential nominee will not be elected by the voters but will be selected by the "superdelegates" (the party elite) and/or through machinations at the convention (mark your calendars - August 25!):

Read on and glory in the spectacle of our enemies divided and the sound of the lamentations of their women.

Posted in 2008 | 2008 Presidential Campaign | Barack Obama | Great Netroot Betrayal | Hillary Clinton — Comments (48)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 3:26pm on Feb. 5, 2008 HuffPo to Obama Campaign: Lawyer Up. Now.

By Moe Lane

Noted in passing, to be sure - but part of a current of Democratic activist worries about a brokered convention appearing at about the same time that we started reluctantly concluding that Edwards dropping out made such a thing an impossibility.

Posted in 2008 | Great Netroot Betrayal — Comments (10) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 1:07am on Jan. 26, 2008 It's "plans," Ezra. Not "tries."

But I'm glad that you guys are finally getting up to speed on this.

By Moe Lane

The title refers to Ezra Klein's sudden revelation that, hey, people are playing games with the Democratic Party's delegate count: he's got the basic outline, but is a little vague on how far it's gone. But that's why we're here, to help: well, help and mock savagely. Anyway:

CLINTON TRIES TO REINSTATE MICHIGAN AND FLORIDA'S DELEGATES.

This is a very, very, very big deal. From the Clinton campaign:

[snip of a missive by Senator Clinton informing the universe that yes, indeed, she will be championing the right of two absolutely vital States - ones that can mean the difference in November - to be given the delegates that they would normally have. It's a bit long, but I suppose that "E.S.A.D., Senator Obama" would have been considered uncouth. - ed.]

This is the sort of decision that has the potential to tear the party apart. In an attempt to retain some control over the process and keep the various states from accelerating their primaries into last Summer, the Democratic National Committee warned Michigan and Florida that if they insisted on advancing their primary debates, their delegates wouldn't be seated and the campaigns would be asked not to participate in their primaries. This was agreed to by all parties (save, of course, the states themselves).

Via Protein Wisdom, who essentially said "Well, duh."

Read on.

Posted in 2008 | Great Netroot Betrayal | I am | Shocked | SHOCKED to find gambling going on at this establishment — Comments (9)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 5:23pm on Jan. 23, 2008 Greenwald sees clearly now, the pain goes on...

And what I wouldn't give for that particular Grosse Pointe Blank clip to be in Youtube.

By Moe Lane

Well, just play this in the background:

...while you read. Greenwald reacted to this Time article, shall we say, badly. Part of what distressed him so:

The bitterest point of contention for Democrats will be the same question that divided them last summer: immunity for telecom companies that complied with Bush Administration requests for access to American phone and e-mail traffic without warrants after 9/11. After news of the Bush program broke, civil liberties groups brought cases against the companies, and since then the telecoms have in some cases refused to help the U.S. intelligence community further. Bush has said he will veto any bill that doesn't grant the telecoms immunity. The Democrats are split on the issue. Smart money bets the Democrats will cave again — the only question is how much they fight before doing so.

Read on.

Posted in Congress | Great Netroot Betrayal | Kneel Before Zod — Comments (4)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 12:52pm on Jan. 22, 2008 In which we thank Mother Jones Magazine for services rendered.

No, really, guys. It's a *cooperative* effort, getting the GOP candidate elected.

By Moe Lane

[Whoops! Sorry: H/T Protein Wisdom]

What does it take for Mother Jones to get a favorable mention on RedState, anyway?

Why, writing something useful, of course.

Did the Clintons Try to Whack a Cat?
By Stephanie Mencimer

Hillary Clinton has what pollsters call high negatives, which essentially means that lots of people really don’t like her and never will. But her supporters have long argued that she is a formidable candidate despite these negatives because those numbers aren't likely to go any higher. As the theory goes, Americans are already well acquainted with the Clintons' dirty laundry—Whitewater, Monica, etc.—and as a result, any more mud slung at Hillary isn’t likely to stick. Unlike the less-seasoned presidential contenders, she's been through the mill, and is still standing. But if last night’s Washington premier of Hillary: The Movie is any indication, this particular case for Clinton the candidate is wishful thinking.

Created by the conservative political group Citizens United, the anti-Hillary movie makes the Democratic primary season look like a polite college-debate tournament. It hurls all the down-and-dirty opposition research her opponents have thus far declined to touch. Moreover, it doesn’t simply recycle the old anti-Hillary stuff; it raises a new slew of charges to spin the New York senator as a cross between Machiavelli and Lady Macbeth. The movie offers a preview of what the general election could look like should Clinton become the Democratic nominee. Despite far too much ranting by Ann Coulter and a few silly moments, the movie hits hard at Clinton’s weak spots and lands some solid punches that can’t be dismissed just because they come from the right-wing’s usual suspects.

Do you know, I hadn't even heard of either Citizens United or Hillary: The Movie before the magazine brought up either? Go figure.

Read on.

Posted in 2008 | Audacity of Hope | Great Netroot Betrayal | Suckers! | Thanks for the Free Gift — Comments (5)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 8:02pm on Jan. 18, 2008 Actually, we thought we'd aim for right between the eyes.

Shoot, we may even RSVP first.

By Moe Lane

[Lightly edited. - Moe]

That's the answer to the HuffPo's question: "Will The GOP Blindside The Democrats On Terror Issues?" Glenn Reynolds comments that a full-frontal blindsiding can take place when you've got a blind spot*. Anyway, you can pretty much ignore the rest of the article: Ed Morrissey summed it up perfectly well when he noted that its message was that "[m]ore than six years after 9/11, the Democrats still have no comprehensive national security or counterterrorism plan."

No, "DUBYA BAD! DON-KEYS GOOD! DUBYA BAD! DON-KEYS GOOD!" is not really a national security plan. Really and truly. Look, I don't care what your favorite blogger told you...

Read on.

Posted in 2008 | Great Netroot Betrayal | Kneel Before Zod | With Malice Aforethought — Comments (5)/ Email this page » / Read More »