Source: Collins Strips Stim Bill Of Whistleblower Protections

[kpete]

Source: Talking Points Memo

Source: Collins Strips Stim Bill Of Whistleblower Protections
By Zachary Roth - February 11, 2009, 6:57PM

Another great coup for the centrists!

Sen. Susan Collins, the Maine GOP dealmaker who's been in the limelight this week for helping to pass a watered down stimulus, has been talking a good game about the need to avoid wasting taxpayer money. But it looks like Collins also worked today to strip from the final bill a measure that's crucial to exposing that waste.

.......

Yesterday, 20 members of the House, from both parties, yesterday sent a letter to House negotiators urging them to ensure that the protections remained.

But, according to a person following the bill closely, Collins used today's conference committee to drastically water down the measure, citing national security concerns as the reason for her opposition. In the end, the protections were so weakened that House negotiators balked, and the result was that the entire amendment was removed.

According to the person following the bill, Collins was the "central roadblock" to passing the protections.

Read more: http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/02/source_collins_strips_stim_bill_of_whistleblower_p.php

[Unsane]

1. What is a logical reason to oppose whistleblower protections?

[Mika]

3. Covering their own asses re: criminal activity.

Our government is a criminal enterprise. This is evident.




Don't ask questions!

[Idealism]

4. Quite right, as usual

[wordpix]

56. nothing else makes sense

[crim son]

21. She's been criticized for going against the party.

Maybe this is how she proves she's still a bonafide repuke?

Susan Collins is a spineless woman and one cannot trust her motives, ever, unless you assume her goal is to get reelected.

[madfloridian]

2. SO....the GOP still in control, looks like.

:eyes:

Collins has more power than all our Democrats put together.

[salguine]

11. You're not kidding. Why did we bother to have a goddamn election?

[bjobotts]

26. Without the "Goddamned election" we wouldn't even have a stimulus bill.

[Grinchie]

49. This is no stimulus Bill - It's a band aid on an infected compound fracture

It's pretty clear that this stimulus package is all for show. Otherwise, we would see draft copies of the law floating around for general review.

The DLC, Blue Dog's and Republicans are fighting for their major share while we get the leftovers.

[LSK]

32. why didnt we fight harder to get one more Senate seat?

[FiveGoodMen]

44. Not sure that would do the job.

You're assuming that all the Dems would stand and fight for fairness and decency if not for the excuse of < 60 votes.

I'm not convinced that most of them really give a shit.

[AlbertCat]

52. one more Senate seat?

We have a majority! Why all of a sudden do Dems need 61 votes on everything? The Repugs didn't have 61 votes in the Senate from 2000 - 2008, did they?

[leftchick]

14. yes indeed

I get sicker by the day. As do my children. :(

[fascisthunter]

54. no kidding

[Cha]

5. Looks like collins is as big a hypocrite

as any of them. My money's on Whistleblowers being protected in an Obama admin no matter how scared susan collins is.

[atreides1]

6. She has always been

It's just that she fools people with this BS moderate label that she hung on herself.

[notadmblnd]

41. I don't like her. Cant stand to listen to her talk

She's the one with that shaky voice that makes her sound like there is something medically wrong with her. How do these morans get elected?

[xchrom]

7. recommend -- seeing this as a metaphor for what has happened to

this STIM bill.

[truedelphi]

8. Totally. n/t

[pacalo]

9. I bookmarked this & the TPM article so that I can write a handwritten letter to Collins.

This is just awful, considering Congress had a hand in eliminating the itemization of the huge expense of the unnecessary Iraq invasion:

So when, in the coming months, conservatives start jumping up and down over the fact that money from the stimulus bill is being wasted, as they surely will, it's worth remember that a key measure designed to help expose that waste was removed from taken out of the bill -- and by a senator said to be a champion of fiscal discipline.

[rpannier]

31. Don't bother sending one to Collins

Send it to Snowe.
She's up for re-election sooner.
Tell her you won't vote for her if she supports Collins in this move.

[Metta]

10. That's just wrong. Happy karma, Susan. I hope its restored or passed later.

... steaming.

[Demeter]

12. Witah Bipartisanship Like This, Who Needs an External, Foreign Terrorist?

[Wizard777]

13. I wonder how much of that stimulus will end up in her pocket or her cronies without whistleblowers?

[QC]

15. So this is what post-partisanship looks like.

No thanks.

[defendandprotect]

16. Reid, especially needs a strong pounding tomorrow for this . . .

To make matter worse, Collins is the ranking Republican on the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs commitee, which, as an oversight committee, might be expected to see its role as protecting whistleblowers. She also sits on the Senate appropriations committee, giving her a strong position from which to wield influence during today's negotiations.

Though Senate leader Harry Reid supported the protections, said the source, he wasn't willing to strong-arm Collins on the issue, given her central role in negotiations over the stimulus bill as a whole.

WHAAAAT . . . ????

Since when does even "bipartisan" workings give a REPUBLICAN A CENTRAL ROLE --- ???

[depakid]

17. Pander to Republicans and this is what you get

Anyone think that if the shoes were on the other feet, that Republican would EVER have let something like this happen?

Once again- heck of a job, Democrats.

[NBachers]

18. Collins & Snowe = Hogwash

People keep touting Collins and Olympia Snowe as the "reasonable moderates we can work with." That's utter hogwash. They'll stick a knife in your back just as quickly as any repuke. Here's proof.

[madrchsod]

19. bitch

[Skwmom]

20. Collins is a fraud. She also voted against oversight of

Iraq spending which allowed contractors to steal billions of dollars.

Oh wait, I forgot, Harry Reid was singing her praises.

[notesdev]

22. Doesn't that belong

in a different piece of legislation? Why couldn't that provision pass on its own as a separate bill?

[BalancedGoat]

29. Generally yes. This provision is different.

If what they're talking about is the same as the one I found in the actual bill this provision was aimed at "employee(s) of any non-Federal employer receiving covered funds"

If anyone is interested in reading the provision I think they're talking about it's on page 385 of the pdf version of the bill. Left side of the page at the link below.

Text of H.R. 1: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

[Qutzupalotl]

43. My thoughts exactly.

Since whistleblower protection doesn't (necessarily) increase government spending, it could pass with a simple majority vote. And now we have a president who would sign it into law.

Stripping this out looks bad, but I don't think it's the last we'll hear of it.

[Misskittycat]

23. What are the "national security concerns" she's worried about?

[Left Coast2020]

25. If Franken was in the Senate, we wouldn't have to put up with her.

As long as we are short on crucial votes like this, we will have to listen to repugs whining as they always do. I'm just bummed that we don't have the magic "60". :grr:

[Baby Snooks]

24. National security concerns?

What do banks ripping off the taxpayers, not to mention depositors and investors, have to do with national security concerns?

Maybe she's worried someone may trace more payments to the hijackers from some of the banks. Now that would be a national security concern. The American people at that point might not believe anything Congress would say at that point. And might revolt. Which the American people may do anyway. Does anyone realize we have saddled our children and grandchildren with at least $10 trillion in possible debt?

[pam4water]

27. Oh Good I can all my friends in Maine and bash them for voting for Collins. "But she's a moderate."

[Po_d Mainiac]

55. She's about as moderate as

a swarm of fresh hatched Maine black flies. Only more annoying

Tom Allen screwed the pouch by allowing the anti-union lobby to set the tone of the election without a rebuttal. The unions were messing up the same dog by failing to set the record straight.

We turned a decent number of voters up heyuh at the top of the ticket, but getting that rubber stamp for Bush sent back to The County (Aroostook)proved to be an exercise in futility. Maybe a couple more botox treatments will cause the rest of her face to fall off. :banghead:

[Name removed]

28. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[rpannier]

30. National Security Concerns

Another BS republikkan argument

Whenever they have no intelligent argument they say it's about National Security.

Didn't get your pension check and want to know why?
Sorry. Can't tell you. National Security.

Just returned from Iraq badly wounded and are not getting proper medical help?
We'd love to help you, but National Security prevents us from doing so.

[iconicgnom]

33. Nevertheless, it was the Dems who caved.

I'd say something totally profane here, to express myself, but I'll spare you dear DU'ers.

[RandomThoughts]

34. A person that blows a whistle

On corruption or activities that only survive hidden from the scrutiny of justice, should be more then just protected, they should be elevated to the stature their bravery and integrity has won for them.

If a society will not protect the most honorable among them, then that protection must come from a higher authority, in my belief the protection will exist either way.


I'm in a bit of a song playing mood so figured I would add a couple songs I think about when people stand without fear. Just to do what they know to be honest, with the thoughts of carring for others.

Don't fear the reaper
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZH3h70aRFxQ

Voice of truth.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwsvqVmFV6Y

Polar opposites in song and image, yet both celibrate courage, I find that compelling.

[Laelth]

39. I beg to differ.

If the law won't protect whistleblowers, then nothing will. For that very reason, very few whistles will ever get blown.

:dem:

-Laelth

[Sunnyshine]

35. Sweet. Justice hardly stands a chance thanks to Sen. Sue "central roadblock" Collins!

This is fundamentally wrong. Why did this particular amendment bother her. She got a re-crafted, non-transforming bill.
Just effective enough to bait the sharks and watch the feeding frenzy. I think it might get ugly.

How is that we Dems failed to wield similar powers over the Repubs bills for the last 8 yrs?
Scrub, swish, rinse, repeat + drastically watered down stimulus = GOP purposely raking it to dirt.

They don't want this to be successful. Matter of fact, they are holding their money and planning on things getting worse.

[democracy1st]

36. K & R thanks kpete

[No Elephants]

37. Fine. Put whistleblower protection in another bill and make the Pubs fillibuster against it, then

use that against them in 2010.

[Laelth]

38. Why is a Republican "stripping" anything?

Aren't they in the minority?

:mad:

-Laelth

[Joe Bacon]

40. Thank You, Joe LIEberman

LIEberman did everything he could to keep this fraud in her Senate seat. Thanks for stabbing Tom Allen in the Back, LIEberman!

[formercia]

42. I'm gone

That was the last FUCKING STRAW!!

[Piewhacket]

48. Its not over.

[Doctor_J]

45. Hartmann just called this "disgusting"

amen

[Belial]

46. Why would something like this be in this bill anyway?

[Cha]

47. Has everyone seen this from moveon.org?

Conservatives in Congress will try to stop everything Obama does—unless they feel heat from voters back home. Can you chip in $15 to run ads telling their constituents how they voted on Obama's stimulus?

Click Here

Dear MoveOn member,
Most Americans support President Obama's stimulus plan, yet conservative Democrats and Republicans got away with slashing key parts—billions for education, green jobs, and health care—in favor of tax cuts for the rich.1


Why? Because they think most voters will never know. So we're ready to run ads telling the public how key senators—both Republican and Democrat—voted on the stimulus bill. Can you pitch in $15 to launch this accountability campaign?

https://pol.moveon.org/donate/jobs.html?id=15559-8049715-O_wvzJx&t=3

Politicians are used to lots of pressure before a vote, but they don't expect accountability after they vote. Their votes have life-or-death consequences for real people—and they should have consequences for lawmakers, too.


Think about it. Most voters will just hear the news headline: "Congress passed Obama's stimulus plan to create millions of jobs and rebuild the economy." Sounds great! But they'll never know if their own senator or representative voted to help them in tough economic times or not. The stimulus will be a huge help, but it could have helped even more if conservatives hadn't cut job-creating investments.


Elected officials count on this voter ignorance when they vote against the interests of the people they represent. But we can change that calculus.


Can you contribute $15 to run ads letting voters know who stood with Obama to create badly needed jobs—and who stood in the way?


https://pol.moveon.org/donate/jobs.html?id=15559-8049715-O_wvzJx&t=4

Thanks for all you do.

–Noah, Tanya, Marika, Justin and the rest of the team

Source:
1. "Poll: Obama Stimulus Effort Backed By Huge Majority," The Huffington Post, February 9, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51175&id=15559-8049715-O_wvzJx&t=5

[BlueJac]

50. Working against truth and justice!

Unfucking real

[democrank]

51. Senator Road Blocks `R Us Collins

taking control of Democrats in Congress after her party won in a landslide last November.

[Canuckistanian]

53. "Roadblocks" can be removed.

What is the problem here? Has anyone EVER heard of a Dem being a "roadblock" to GOP legislation when they were in power?

Of course not, Reid would have told them to shut up and just vote for the bill as is because he didn't want to be viewed as "obstructionist".

Suddenly, opposition obstructionism is Just Fine.

[yurbud]

57. where are the DLCers to celebrate this triumph of centrism and bipartisanship?

probably celebrating quietly with Collins, knowing their less likely to get caught without those pesky whistleblowers noticing how they do business.