4um: Red State Update: Obama Bashes Small Town America

Title: Red State Update: Obama Bashes Small Town America
Source: http://www.youtube.com/user/johndenugent
URL Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVC4JUg9A9A
Published: Apr 13, 2008
Author: Jackie and Dunlap
Post Date: 2008-04-13 20:12:53 by robin
Keywords: None
Views: 259
Comments: 25

Senate renews Patriot Act by 89-10 vote

WASHINGTON -- The Senate on Thursday gave its blessing to the renewal of the USA Patriot Act after adding privacy protections designed to strike a balance between civil liberties and the government's power to root out terrorists.

The 89-10 vote marked a bright spot in President Bush's troubled second term as his approval ratings dipped over the war in Iraq and his administration's response to Hurricane Katrina. Renewing the act, Bush and congressional Republicans said, was key to preventing more terror attacks in the United States.

The House was expected to approve it next week and send it to the president. "This bill will allow our law enforcement officials to continue to use the same tools against terrorists that are already used against drug dealers and other criminals, while safeguarding the civil liberties of the American people," Bush said.

Illinois Democrats Barack Obama and Dick Durbin voted for the act.

Yes, they're both horrible. But isn't it ironic that Obama's vote allowed for the continued abuse of Habeas Corpus, and now he's making its restoration a central piece of his campaign?

That is incorrect. Habeas Corpus was lost in a bill about detainees. McCain voted to end habeas corpus, not Obama, not even Hillary.

Which is why I am formally coming out of the closet with my support for Senator Barack Obama. Of all the candidates running now, he is the leader on understanding the threat to the Constitution and actually taking action, not just mouthing soundbites, on the need to deny torturers space in our nation and to restore the rule of law.

"Lawyers for Gitmo detainees endorse Obama," read a recent headline on the Boston Globe's political blog. In the article, reporter Charlie Savage notes that "More than 80 volunteer lawyers for Guantanamo Bay detainees today endorsed Illinois Senator Barack Obama's presidential bid. The attorneys said in a joint statement that they believed Obama was the best choice to roll back the Bush-Cheney administration's detention policies in the war on terrorism and thereby to 'restore the rule of law, demonstrate our commitment to human rights, and repair our reputation in the world community.'"

"When we were walking the halls of the Capitol trying to win over enough Senators to beat back the Administration's bill, Senator Obama made his key staffers and even his offices available to help us," the lawyers wrote. "Senator Obama worked with us to count the votes, and he personally lobbied colleagues who worried about the political ramifications of voting to preserve habeas corpus for the men held at Guantanamo. He has understood that our strength as a nation stems from our commitment to our core values, and that we are strong enough to protect both our security and those values. Senator Obama demonstrated real leadership then and since, continuing to raise Guantanamo and habeas corpus in his speeches and in the debates."

I stand corrected on habeas. But you would agree his vote for Bush's Patriot Act does removes constitutional rights from us, correct?

Voting record (0.00 / 0) Eric, do you know where to find information on Obama's voting record? Has his record been examined and could RK post it if there is any interest? Thanks.

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Obama voted to protect the Constitution (mostly) (3.67 / 3) On the Dodd Amendment to strip telecom immunity, Obama voted yes, Webb voted no, and Clinton was absent. On the overall bill with telecom immunity (which retroactively makes legal all of Bush's secret Fourth Amendment violations and illegal warrantless searches), Webb voted yes (which is why I'm so critical of him), and Obama and Clinton didn't vote.

In Obama's partial defense, by the time of the final vote on the bill, the handwriting was on the wall.

The vote on the Dodd Amendment was 67-31 (All 31 were Democrats but 17 Dems, including Webb, voted the wrong way.) The vote on final passage was 68-29 because Obama didn't vote (and it looks like one other Senator switched but I haven't taken the time to figure out which one).

Check out my talk radio/television show/podcast, THE INSIDE SCOOP, at RadioInsideScoop.com and on iTunes' Head-On Radio Network!

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Full Senator Count (4.00 / 1) On the Dodd Amendment, every Republican and Lieberman voted for telecom immunity (except Graham who was not present (49 total). Every Democrat voted to strip telecom immunity (31 total), except these 18 (Clinton was not present) who voted to legalize Bush's illegal wiretaps through the use of telecom immunity: Bayh (D-IN) Carper (D-DE) Conrad (D-ND) Feinstein (D-CA) Inouye (D-HI) Johnson (D-SD) Kohl (D-WI) Landrieu (D-LA) Lincoln (D-AR) McCaskill (D-MO) Mikulski (D-MD) Nelson (D-FL) Nelson (D-NE) Pryor (D-AR) Rockefeller (D-WV) Salazar (D-CO) Stabenow (D-MI) Webb (D-VA)

When it came time to vote for cloture to end Dodd's filibuster. the same coalition of Republicans, Lieberman, and 18 Democrats voted for cloture. Two more Democrats (Baucus of MT and Whitehouse of RI) switched and joined them. Obama voted with the 29 Democrats against cloture. (69-29)

Then it came time for a vote. The vote for the bill was the same as the vote for cloture, except by then Obama had left. (68-28). By then, I think it's fair to say Obama couldn't have affected the bill's chances. (And to be fair to her, neither could Clinton.)