Sans the obnoxious name-calling, I agree with LWM (I can't believe I just wrote that). As much as I grow to hate the Democratic party, there is yet a more base organism known as the Republic party. Republicans and mainstream media do in fact tend to focus on this narrative--that a win for Republicans is a plebiscite on the popularity of attacking civil liberties and middle eastern countries. That's dangerous, especially at this point. We have seen that the Dems will move rightward if they think the wind blows that way, so we would be sending a pretty negative message.

Not to mention there are some states where you can't vote Republican unless you register as one, or are registered as in Indie. Rules vary from state to state. If you want to elect a Republican, vote for one - or just don't vote for the Democrat. Same difference. Lesser of two evils. Deal with it.

Third party? See Nader.

Like Bush?

I've donated (twice). And will only donate again to Obama if he makes a real stand. This is a signature issue for me. If he can make a speech about fathers, he can darn well spend pulpit time on FISA to show his commitment to the values of his base.

I wonder what his new National Security team thinks about this issue.

Thanks for the link to donate to Ms. Thomas. I agree that we need to defeat this FISA sell-ou, so I gave $100 to the fund yesterday. Today, I'm still mad!

While I, like you, want everyone to focus on donating to defeat FISA, I personally think it sends a strong message to congress men and women when one of their own loses their seat. But that's just my opinion.

BTW Ms. Thomas is on Actblue, so while I know nothing about her, I can hope she will be an improvement.

...regarding the ad campaigns in Hoyer's and Carney's districts.

I don't grasp the purpose. In fact, if you want to pressure the leadership, attack the caucus, attack the blue dogs who have credible challengers, Democratic or otherwise.

I feel it undermines the 'strange bedfellows' ethic if this is done in a way that specifically avoids targeting vulnerable Democratic seats. But ethics aside, realpolitik would say the only way the leadership will clamp down hard is if they feel their majority is under attack.

Isn't campaigning in Hoyer's district just tilting at windmills? He's already been written-up in the Times and on your blog, he's not deaf.

This morning I thought I'd have some fun and called Steney's Waldorf office and his one in D.C. I told the staffers that I'd read Glenn Greenwald's columns from yesterday and asked if they had. I told them both how concerned I was for the 4th Amendment and they both assured me that Mr. Hoyer was against granting immunity.

I then told them my name, and that I was the general manager of the largest auto dealership in Hoyer's district (I was lying) and that I would, if a new FISA bill with immunity was passed, run weekend promotions called "WIRETAPPING AWARENESS SALES". I told the staffers I would run my promotions selling Chevrolet cars and trucks and educating my customers about the FISA debate every weekend until Hoyer was thrown out of office in November.

Man it was fun.

This latest disgusting caper by Pelosi-Hoyer - the Tweedledum and Tweedledee 'leadership' team of the House Dems- just adds unnecessary confirmation to the revelation that Pelosi and Hoyer are the 'Blue-Dogs-In-Chief' of their party - slavishly loyal to the extreme right corporate blue dog wing of the House Dems. This is why Pelosi has insisted in defining her 'mandate' from the People who put her in power in 2006 as one of 'ever more slavish acquiescence to the lawless repub right' - exactly the opposite of what the People wanted and expected - which was to confront and defeat the criminal agenda of the right. This is why she sucks up to the putrid likes of Newt Boy. And this is why Americans rate Pelosi and her party below even the universally detested bush.

I applaud Greenwald and others' heroic efforts to bring transparency to the nefarious back room stealth dealings that the Congress has always been able to depend upon before the advent of the bloggosphere. Fight on!

Sans the obnoxious name-calling, I agree with LWM (I can't believe I just wrote that).

I prefer "colorful". Reinhold Aman is obnoxious.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinhold_Aman

Some of his "work".

http://sonic.net/maledicta/

He lives right up the road from me.

Maybe it's the water.

This campaign should include, in Phase 1, huge pressure on Obama to step up to publicly oppose this legislation. Now is a good time for him to take on one of the ostensible reasons for this legislation, fear the Republicans will call Democrats weak for not caving. Why wait for the Republicans to attack?

Obama should be pressured to insist Congress pass one or two laws to amend FISA to allow tapping foreign to foreign communications traveling on US-based wires and extending PAA warrants for one year. Then dare Republicans to not vote for these changes.

Leaving Obama out of this fight is a missed opportunity, both to leverage his influence and train him to stand up, not just talk.

I then told them my name, and that I was the general manager of the largest auto dealership in Hoyer's district (I was lying) and that I would, if a new FISA bill with immunity was passed, run weekend promotions called "WIRETAPPING AWARENESS SALES". I told the staffers I would run my promotions selling Chevrolet cars and trucks and educating my customers about the FISA debate every weekend until Hoyer was thrown out of office in November.

Man it was fun.

That's really obnoxious. And ingenious. And it probably scared the shit out of them. Good guerilla theater.

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/shared-blogs/ajc/politicalinsider/entries/2008/06/18/obama_cuts_an_ad_to_help_john.html

Obama cuts an ad to help John Barrow in his primary fight
Wednesday, June 18, 2008, 07:02 PM
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has taped a radio commercial on behalf of U.S. Rep. John Barrow of Savannah, who faces a July 15 primary challenge.

It’s the first case of Obama involving himself in a local race in Georgia.

Details of when the ad will start airing and where it will be broadcast — the 12th District covers much of east Georgia, including portions of Augusta and Savannah — were not immediately available Wednesday.

But the Obama campaign made clear to my colleague Aaron Sheinin that it sees Barrow, a two-term Democrat, as an important ally. We’ve got calls into the Barrow campaign, but haven’t heard from them yet.

“Senator Obama believes that Congressman Barrow has worked hard to bring change that families in his district deserve, and we’ll work hard to help John Barrow win in November,” Obama spokeswoman Amy Brundage said.

In the ad, Obama asks voters to join him in supporting Barrow. “We’re going to need John Barrow back in Congress to help change Washington and get our country back on track,” Obama says in the 60-second ad.

Barrow beat a Republican incumbent in 2004 and had tough GOP opposition in 2006. But this April, Barrow picked up unexpected opposition from Regina Thomas, a well-known African-American state senator based in Savannah. Barrow is white, and In past primaries in the 12th District, black voters have cast nearly 70 percent of the ballots.

Barrow had endorsed Obama in late February, a few weeks after the Illinois senator won the Georgia primary. And within weeks of Thomas joining the race, Barrow, a conservative Democrat, was placed at the top of a list of 14 national co-chairs for Obama’s massive, 50-state voter registration drive — along with the likes of singer Melissa Etheridge and the Rev. Joe Lowery.

Barrow has plenty of cash to make use of the Obama ad. He reported $1.3 million in cash on hand this spring.

- - Jim Galloway, Atlanta Journal-Constitution