Netroots feel jilted by Obama's FISA stand

[liberalfella]

By CARRIE BUDOFF BROWN
Politico, June 26, 2008

When former Sen. John Edwards dropped out of the presidential race, the progressive Netroots took their affections to Barack Obama, defending him against attack from Hillary Rodham Clinton and others.

But with his support of a government surveillance bill that offers retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies — a bill that he vowed last year to filibuster — the honeymoon has ended.

Disappointed over his position on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the online activists feel jilted and betrayed and have taken to questioning his progressive credentials. One prominent blogger, Atrios, has even given him the moniker “Wanker of the Day.”

“He broke faith,” said Matt Stoller, a political consultant and blogger at OpenLeft.com. “Obama pledged to filibuster, and he is part of that old politics, in this case, that he said he wasn’t. It will spur us to challenge him.”

...

MoveOn.org has called upon its members to pressure Obama to “keep his word” and block the bill. Obama gave no indication that he would support a filibuster, and a press aide did not respond to requests for clarification on this point.

Read the rest: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0608/11349_Page2.html

[Tarheel_Dem]

1. I hope Obama will keep his word, but I understand he has to win in order

to affect the kind of change we need. There are so many pressing issues facing the American people right now, I'm not sure this is of great concern to those outside the "netroots". Political junkies like ourselves know what this is all about, but I doubt very seriously that Jane & Joe Sixpack know about it, or even care.

[gateley]

3. I agree that most people don't pay attention to this --

they will believe the line that it's a "compromise" and not give it another thought.

[beachmom]

2. The problem with the MSM is that they think they can use the word "Netroots"

as if it is just one voice. It is not. The prominent ones who get into the press do not represent necessarily everyone. I don't feel "jilted". I see a Democrat moving into General Election mode.

[liberalfella]

4. I'm not sure that most Americans are against the good old FISA law

The few polls that I've seen regarding this issue were conducted 2 years ago, and the public was evenly split. It would be interesting to see what people think about giving immunity to telecoms. We'll see.

And remember, under FISA, 99.98% of requests to wiretap were granted, even after the spying had already begun.

[robinlynne]

6. It doesn't matter what people think. It is a felony whether or not people are aware of it.

And I think most people are unaware that the illegal wiretapping started 7 months BEFORE 9/11. Not one senator has yet mentioned that. People may actually think that bush was "protecting" someone.

[Mojorabbit]

5. I am old enough

and cynical enough to know I should not feel jilted but I do. I admit it. I let my hopes get a bit too high that maybe, just maybe things might be different.

[villager]

7. I guess Obama is right -- *we* are going to have to be the change, if he's not willing to be...

n/t

[Larkspur]

9. I see a Democrat betraying his oath to uphold the US Constitution

I don't feel jilted by Obama. I knew he was Bill Clinton ver 2.0 but I didn't have much of a choice in CT's Feb. 5 primary. Obama was the lesser of 2 evils for me. I voted for Obama on Feb. 5 because I was voting to break the Clinton and DLC strangle hold over the Dem Party. I'll vote for him in November to oust the Rethugicans, but I will not donate $ or volunteer time to his campaign. Obama is proving my position as the norm for the Democratic Party right now and Obama is not the kind of "change" any Constitution loving American can believe in.

[Skittles]

11. correct n/t

[DeeDeeNY]

8. I hope he thinks this through. Supporting a filibuster would not jeopardize his election

It would bolster his election victory. I've seen posts saying well, he needs to do whatever is necessary to win the election. But what does voting against the 4th Amendment and allowing illegal, retroactive wiretapping against American citizens which began before 9/11 have to do with winning so-called "moderate" votes? Voters want someone who is a man of his word, who has strong convictions to do the right thing with the voters' best interests at heart.

[groovedaddy]

10. Yeah, really. What does he gain from supporting this atrocious bill? I don't get it.

It looks like a free pass to companies that broke the law and a pResident who has no respect for it either. How is Obama justifying this one?