MoveOn To Obama: Keep Your Word, Filibuster Telecom Immunity

MoveOn.org has launched a new campaign pressing Sen. Barack Obama to honor his pledge to filibuster any legislation that gives immunity to telecoms that spied on Americans:

Here's an excerpt from MoveOn's letter:

Dear MoveOn member,

On Friday, House Democrats caved to the Bush administration and passed a bill giving a get-out-of-jail-free card to phone companies that helped Bush illegally spy on innocent Americans.

This Monday, the fight moves to the Senate. Senator Russ Feingold says the "deal is not a compromise; it is a capitulation." Barack Obama announced his partial support for the bill, but said, "It does, however, grant retroactive immunity, and I will work in the Senate to remove this provision so that we can seek full accountability for past offenses."

Last year, after phone calls from MoveOn members and others, Obama went so far as to vow to "support a filibuster of any bill that includes retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies." We need him to honor that promise.

Can you call Senator Obama today and tell him you're counting on him to keep his word? Ask him to block any compromise that includes immunity for phone companies that helped Bush break the law.

Obama's presidential campaign: [phone]

Then, help us track our progress by clicking here:

http://pol.moveon.org/call?cp_id=758&tg=479

These companies helped the Bush Administration illegally spy on the emails and phone calls of innocent Americans. By giving "immunity" to these companies, all lawsuits brought against them by civil liberties groups would be thrown out of court. That means we may never find out how far Bush went in breaking the law. And once it's done, it can't be undone. That's why we need Obama to promise to block any bill that has immunity.

Read the full letter here.

Comments

[bobdob]

IDIOTS. He's running for president. Let's win this stupid battle and lose the war, alright? Freakin' morons. I have MoveOn for being stupid.

[Tommygun264]

People respect a leader who stands up for what he believes in. Obama is the head of the party right now - he can lead a filibuster and the American people will rally around him. So we sacrifice our morals to win in November. Then people like you will be telling us we can't endanger the re-election campaign. The capitulation stops at the 4th Amendment. We will not shred the Constitution for the promise of power.

[bbbear]

Exactly!

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

Ah yes, a new kind of PRINCIPLED politics, or merely a CIVIL version of the usual horse-trading?

[tommybones]

How is standing up against telecom immunity a losing battle, exactly? Newsflash, the dems aren't supporting this because they are afraid of public backlash, they are merely protecting their own. Pelosi, Rockefeller etc etc etc are all knee deep in the warrantless wiretapping program, as much as any GOP rep is. They are protecting their own. Period. This is NOT a losing issue with the public.

[Zombiepocalypse]

Contact Obama here:

http://obama.senate.gov/contact/
http://obama.senate.gov/contact/
http://obama.senate.gov/contact/
http://obama.senate.gov/contact/

Tell him to keep his word!

[bobdob]

Thanks, Republican troll.

[mav4499237]

I just wrote Obama about this. This legislation is horrible and has far reaching effects if we allow this. If patriotism is what motivated these telecoms to illegally spy on us, can someone tell me why they discontinued providing the gov't this information when the gov't became delinquent in their payments?? Sounds like patriotism to me.......t­he facts are that the telecoms have bought the politicians off with their lobbying effort and no one has the balls to stand pat.

[bbbear]

Thank you. I just now wrote another note... The first note was sent through mybarackobama.com ... I've also been trying to call the number but haven't been able to get through.

[ultrabop]

Okay. I just wrote him.

[Marrigan]

This faux outrage from MoveOn.org is just the kind of thing that makes the average American's teeth hurt. They ask themselves "who are these innocent Americans being spied on?" that MoveOn is so concerned about? How many of these "innocent Americans" have been convicted of a crime as a result of illegal eavesdropping? How many can provide evidence of actual damages as a result of illegal eavesdropping?
It's time for MoveOn.org to MOVE ON and find new targets to pester. Americans are consumed with worries over food costs, energy costs, pathetic public education systems, crappy Chinese imports, loss of jobs, high taxes, medical care, illegal immigrant criminals, drug use by their kids, protecting their kids from pedophiles, etc. etc. This filibuster demand is yet another losing election year issue. Give it up and MOVE ON.

[scooperss]

We'll never know exactly what happened in those fools give immunity.

[Tommygun264]

Standing up for the 4th Amendment is not a campaign issue, losing or otherwise. It's a case of standing up for what is right because it's right, regardless of the odds for or against success.

[joh]

Moveon.org has figured out what many of us knew for a long time. Obama is a politician who will say or do anything..­..........­..

[bobdob]

It IS a campaign issue, you clueless nit. EVERYTHING OBAMA DOES IS A CAMPAIGN ISSUE. The Republicans are PRAYING that he'll filibuster this bill. In fact, they're hoping a filibuster will be successful. There's nothing they'd like better than to go to moderates and independents and say, "Thanks to Senator Obama, our country has now lost a powerful tool in the War Against Terrorism.­"

I have nothing but contempt for people who get involved in politics without studying and understanding strategy.

[tommybones]

The same shortsighted excuses were made by the German people, as Hitler engaged corporate Germany to violate their civil rights via warrantless spying. Nothing is more sacred than vigorously defending your civl rights. Nothing.

[Marrigan]

It is precisely comments like yours that make most Americans groan in disgust. Comparing this to Hitler may be what you need in order to sustain a heightened state of outrage, or what you think is a necessary red-alert alarm, but you obviously haven't learned how to pick your battles. Neither has MoveOn.org.
The topic of this thread is whether or not Sen. Obama should filibuster. I laid out a series of valid premises that are my reasons why he should NOT and why it is stupid to dog on Sen. Obama.
Yes, warrantless wiretaps are wrong and a violation of our civil rights. And it may be that Americans, in the aftermath of 9/11, are willing to be more forgiving of whatever violations occurred. But alot of us also understand that behind this movement to punish the telecoms is an army of lawyers looking to make a name and a fortune for themselves. In the absence of actual victims with actual damages, there's no case to be made.
Sorry to be so pragmatic about this, but I live in the real world. Join us. You'll feel better.

[bbbear]

Exactly!

[scooperss]

"Change we can believe in"

Nice slogan, seem to have heard it before. Hmm I do believe that before every election I hear those words or some version of them..

Sure would like to see them actually be true before I die.

[Tommygun264]

This is your chance to show us some leadership, Barack. Don't let us down.

[outnow]

Dodd filibustered. I sent his campaign some money for sticking up for the constitution. If Obama filibusters, I will do the same. I would do that for Hillary too. If everyone did that, then we would have more collective power than the transnational corporations. Think of it as "positive reinforcement" until we can reform the campaign system. The problem is that there is no campaign support for constitutional rights. The Founding Fathers understood that our rights could not be taken for granted. I have been a contributor to many PACs over the years so long as our rights were protected. I receive several telephone calls per day just about our rights. They want money so they get it.

[bobdob]

Yeah. Dodd also lost.

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

Dodd lost. Ergo, every principled stand Dodd has ever taken since third grade has been a mistake the nation repeats at its peril.

Sheesh.

[lebec]

Correction. Dodd did not lose. Reid pulled the legislation after Dodd (with some respite from Feingold) talked for many hours (was it 12?).
Reid reintroduced the legislation again a month later. That time Dodd did not filibuster and it passed.

[bbbear]

Thank you and you're absolutely correct! I do the same.

[Krikkit]

Sorry, supporting a filibuster is not the same as trying to filibuster alone. If other senators won't step up to the plate, Obama can't carry it off alone.

[jackie4444]

Sure he can Krikkit. I have about 50 cookbooks he can recite cover to cover. It used to be a
joke that you could get a lot of good recipes by attending filibusters - and we all know that Obama
loves to talk, don't we?

So far Obama has BEEN A LACKEY. Its seems to me you have three possible reasons for
why: (1) he has absolutely NO INFLUENCE on the Party, despite heading the largest national
public movement to come along in decades; (2) he's not the brightest bulb on the tree and
simply gets outstrategized by great 'intellects' such as Pelosi or (3) he's as craven as politicians get, a Con Law professor who's winks and nods at destruction of the Fourth Amendment.
What's your choice?

I'm an Obama supporter from way back. But he doesn't 'get a pass' on this one. This goes to
the core of what he says that he stands for, and so far it appears the public is being conned.
For a day or two I felt sorry for him - having to go up against his own party this close to the
election. But cynicism has set in. Because there's just as good an argument that he WANTED this to be rammed through now. He can nominally vote 'no' and it will pass and then he can
write grand speeches about how wrong it was - but it will never be 'on his tab'. Craven.

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

Huzzah.

[sherbug]

I'm curious as to what you would suggest as a solution. It seems Obama is dammed if he does and dammed it he doesn't.

One question, why would you support a candidate that you felt was not very bright? That would tend to make me think that you are not very bright.

Quite frankly, you sound like a troll.

[tommybones]

Are you telling me that a Democratic controlled Senate would OVERRIDE a filibuster by their own Presidential nominee, in an election year? Just to protect telecom companies who spied on their constituents? Is this what you are saying? You really believe he can't "carry it off alone"?

[demomntgirl]

I am an ardent Obama supporter, worked on his campaign in PA, but this truly disturbs me. He is the leader of the party, he SHOULD let it be known to all party members, this will not happen under my watch! I watched the congressional vote on C-span, and watched the numbers of Democrat traitors that voted AGAINST THE VOTERS!!!
The truly disheartening part of this, is they are extending immunity until 2012! That means until the next Presidential election! So the Democrats WILL DO the same thing if they win the White House? Obama said if passed, he will watch this program closely...­why did he not say I will get rid of this program if it passes and I'm President??? So he is gong to allow SPYING on the PEOPLE TOO? How is that upholding the constitution as OBAMA PROMISED he would?
And Nancy Pelosi...w­hat happened to her and the promises she made for Democratic leadership? FISA is in tact, they have NEVER denied a warrant! WHY have the DEMOCRATS VOTED AGAINST THE PEOPLE and FOR THE REPUBLICANS and TELECOMS??
This is truly, truly disturbing to me!!!
IF this passes...I believe I will have to VOTE AGAINST EVERY DEMOCRAT in my state, and for President!! I can NOT believe this!!!!
My hope is fading...C­HANGE IS NOT COMING....­if this gets passed by the Senate!

[bbbear]

As long as Senator Obama makes the effort... I'm with him all the way.. After he's elected POTUS we can put our efforts into replacing the bought and paid for, spineless Democratic Representatives and Senators with those who have fearless integrity.

[foreffectivegovernment]

You don't actually expect the presumptive Democratic nominee for President of the United States to filibuster in the Senate do you? He probably doesn't even know how. He admitted he didn't know how the telephone system worked or where the restrooms were just two years ago. He got a free ride on everything else in his manufactured record in both the U.S. Senate and the Illinois State Senate. Why would you expect him to perform now when he already has the nomination sewed up.
Why would the first viable African-American candidate chosen by a major Political Party be expected to take a stand against the Party Leadership that made him what he is today? Obama doesn't owe you anything. The superdelegates that he bought are what got him the 2118 delegates to put him over the top, you all couldn't.
Please realize you have been Bamboozled, beg Hillary Clinton to come back, and spare the Country four more years of George W. Bush under McCain. After all, 18 Million of us tried to warn you about Obama but you wouldn't listen.

[MRb1000]

Here we go another sore loser. He knows more about law that Hillary could ever know. Hey she need to sit down and learn something from him. Well, he beat the biggest machine in our time. He did not buy those vote the American people bought into his argument that Washington needs to change. It is the peoples white house. CRY BABY.

[AdLib]

"18 million of us", that's a lot of spilt personalities for one person to have.

In case you missed the news, about 17 million of Hlllary voters have already gotten behind 0bama.

You are deluded if you think there are more than a few thousand misfits like yourself out there.

History and evolution will leave you and your type behind if you don't smarten up.

[sherbug]

When are you bitter HRC supporters going to get it....she lost. Our presumptive nominee is Barack Obama. You can say whatever you want, but the facts will not change. You need to get a grip and support the Democratic nominee...­. or you should quit the Party and join one of the other parties. Whatever you do, stop whinning aboutg HRC.

P.S. 18 million people voted for Obama as well.

[joh]

Obama will say or do anything to get elected. I am totally disenchanted with his campaign.

[bbbear]

I fully understand your anger, but I strongly suspect foreffecti­vegovernme­nt is merely another corpse effin' repub. And if s/he ( it? ) is not, then "it" is merely speaking out of it's a$$.

[CWW]

Why don't you go bother Hillary Clinton about filibustering this then? She hasn't been back to the Senate and she lost......­. she has no reason not to return to the Senate and work tirelessly for the American people as she so often claims to do.

[Daisy1111]

If you put on your thinking caps you'll realize why he will not attempt a filibuster.

Because to do so and FAIL would make him look ineffectual for all the world to see.

[AdLib]

Tell us all about failure, Daisy, we want to hear from an expert.

[Daisy1111]

Well, for starters. I've observed your failure to see your candidate for the panderer he really is.

[kevenseven]

Leadership includes risk.

And if he were to filibuster, and Dem senator who voted for cloture would go on the next president's sh_it list.

[scooperss]

Think I'm a fan. People who use their heads for more than hat racks are rare.

[bbbear]

And I also hope the ch*t list of millions of ordinary Americans.

[Tommygun264]

Standing up for what is right and moral is never failure. It's called "LEADERSHIP" and people respect it.

[bbbear]

Amen! Sure, the corporate media will come down hard on Obama... But he needs to hang tough and if he does, and I strongly suspect he will, we need to dig deeper, thereby giving him enough loot to not only fight the death loving repubs, but also the telecom controlled media.

[RnR]

2 of the most respected people in our government, Russ Feingold and Dennis Kucinich, have tried more times than you can count to hold up the constitution and rights of the American people.

They are truely loved. Your rationalization doesn't hold up. Remember that old "ring of truth".

[bbbear]

But to be afraid to fail is to live a fearful life. To date, Obama has led a fearless life.

My bet is that he will continue to do and do whatever is necessary to win. In boxing terms such people are known as warriors and, win or lose, we fans love them.

I strongly suspect all of us intrinsically know the best thing we can do in life is to live it without fear.

[Chillinout]

"Basically, the filibuster is the ability of one or more senators to hold the floor and refuse to yield it to another senator from the opposing view."

http://www.juntosociety.com/government/filibuster.htm

I don't know where everyone keeps getting that 40 number from, but according to this, it only takes 1 Senator to filibuster.

[Daisy1111]

Because ... if you can get 60 senators to vote to stop a filibuster there is no filibuster.

[Chillinout]

You totally missed the point.

[bbbear]

True. In that case we need to know that Senator Obama did his level best to get the backing of 41 democrats. Admittedly, it may be impossible to find 41 democrats who are not bought and paid for by telecommunications companies, but we need to know exactly what he did to try to convince them... After Senator Obama becomes POTUS, we can concentrate on replacing the bums...

[kevenseven]

60 senators can vote to close debate, or for cloture.

That ends a filibuster.

[XME]

I guess Monday will be another interesting news day.

[bbbear]

LOL, As in the Chinese curse, "May you lead an interesting life?"

[PJay1]

http://repealfisa.wordpress.com/

Repeal FISA!

[kaitlyn]

Obama has backtracked on NAFTA, AIPAC, Public Funding and now this. Enough. Where is the "Change" he is always promoting? Is it just "Words"? Well "Actions" speaks louder than "Words". And If Obama isn't careful, Mc Cain will be calling him a "Flip Flopper". He promised a filibuster. And I expect him to keep his "word" . I'm through with making excuses for politicans who say one thing and do another. They take voters for granted, then we wonder why we are in the same mess. No more of this nonsense.

[Dustee]

So I guess you'll be voting for McCain. You don't have to put up with Obama when you have pillars of the community like McCain.

[AdLib]

Your account was created today, Repugg Tr0ll. No one cares about your BS. Get lost.

[Daisy1111]

AdLib:

You're all hissy over the 4th Amendment but you're intolerant of the right to free speech.

Hypocrite. Just like your leader.

[pupbayer]

kaitlyn, don't worry about AdLib or Dustee and the insults you get on here. If you don't agree with some of them, they just can't handle it. Just express yourself as civilly and intelligently as you can. Others are fine but there are a good number who love to be insulting and offensive anonymously. They obviously aren't able to speak out in real life and this is like their fantasy world where they can be rude and say outrageous and insulting things without anyone knowing who they are.

By the way, I agree with your post.

[AdLib]

Two minds without a single thought.

[Insideout143]

Fact check. Obama has NOT backtracked on NAFTA, nor on his support for Israel, and his campaign has been funded by the "public" all along. On FISA, he needs to support our constitutional rights, or provide a much better explanation. That is the only issue he has really wavered on.

[bbbear]

Although I don't fully agree with you, I certainly understand your anger. I also expect him to try to keep his word by trying his best to line up the 41 democratic senators needed to stop the vote and allow him to filibuster that %$&# Bill. Yet it might be impossible to find 41 fearless democrats willing to go against the telecommunications industry.

[JustDealWithIt]

McCain will support this bill in its entirety just the way it is- as far as I know he will not make any effort to strip the immunity provision from this bill and if elected will not make any effort to change the status quo. I understand feeling betrayed by Congressional Democrats and Senator Obama but where is the outrage against McCain as well as the Congressional Republicans who were aware of this and allowed it to happen before Democrats ever regained control of Congress?

[kellygrrrl]

well, I can only speak for myself
but I am NOT considering voting for McLame
nor am I sending money to his Campaign
nor am I working tirelessly to get him elected

I already know McLame is a NeoThug and in lock-step line the Bu$h regime

[torrrep]

Wow. Three cheers to the girl that can come up with the lamest nicknames in one post. You must get a kick out out of being stupid. You can't come up with any valid points of argument so you go straight to the nicknames. That's the kind of stuff we use to do in 5th grade. Fortunately there are those of us who have an education and can demonstrate a thought process and hold an intelligent conversation.

[bbbear]

Exactly!

[bbbear]

OOPS! Sorry! I hit the wrong reply. That EXACTLY! was meant for you! That is, I absolutely agree with you...

[Bigeasy]

When does the Senate vote on FISA ???