Does anyone know where our favorite senator is?

[babylonsister]

Feingold is getting hoarse and could use some help, from anyone! I know Byrd lent his voice yesterday, but where are any other Dems? Boxer, Kennedy, Durbin, et al, hello?

[Mass]

1. Difficult to know where people stand on this bill.

I know Durbin and Reid are supporting it as a clear improvement to the existing Bill. I was surprised to see Boxer voting for the Motion to Proceed, but once again, this was not the motion to end debate, so who knows. Same thing goes for Kennedy and Kerry. What seems clear is that nobody is rushing to speak against this bill, except for Feingold.

[babylonsister]

2. I love the united front the Dems are exhibiting.

:eyes:

[wisteria]

4. I haven't seen anything on the changes that were supposedly

worked out between some "objecting Republicans" and the White House. A small story the other day just mentioned that a compromise had been reached and all parties were satisfied.
It is difficult for me to have an informed opinion on this act with the noted changes w/o knowing what the changes were. Has Feingold been clear in explaining his opposition to this act?

[Mass]

7. I would not presume from this vote who supports this version of the bill

and who does not. Apart a few people who said that they would support the bill (Reid, Durbin, Feinstein), I have not seen anything at all.

It is clear it is a difficult choice, and even more difficult that the media and the lefties are describing it as voting "Against the Patriot Act" when in fact, Feingold opposes mainly three provisions in the Patriot Act.

[TayTay]

3. Sen Kerry voted FOR cloture

Does he favor this version of the Patrtiot Act?

At least I think he did. What was that vote about?
Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to Consider S. 2271; USA PATRIOT Act Additional Reauthorizing Amendments Act of 2006

Was this cloture on the idea of bringing the bill to the floor or cloture on the bill itself. :shrug:

C-Span just said that the bill won't go to a vote in the full Senate until 3/1. Is this true?

[babylonsister]

5. I'm absolutely no help, Tay Tay. I'm so confused about the

whole thing! Feingold wanted to further discuss, and the repugs wouldn't let him.

[Mass]

6. This was a vote to bring the bill to the floor and debate it.

There will be a separate vote to end debate after the recess (I think it is scheduled on Feb 28th).

As for the position of Kerry and Kennedy on the bill which is on the floor by itself, I have no clue whatsoever. They have not given any indication one direction or the other.

[ProSense]

8. Hey, Senator Byrd vote against cloture!

WTF!

[wisteria]

9. Maybe he thought he was voting on Alito-ha ha! n/t

[karynnj]

10. It may well be that after looking at the changes

which are clearly not all the way to the unanimously passed Senate bill, but which Senator Durbin said were an improvement over the bill they voted on, that Kerry thinks this is as good a compromise as they'll get.

The problem may be what is the alternative? In December, they extended the (worse) existing bill to get more time to work out a compromise. So, now they have to vote on the new bill and it may well be that this is the best bill they will get. The question is whether the changes are significant enough that they can declare a victory in getting the changes they did and then vote for it.

Otherwise, the December victory was not real. The danger is if they let this be the new IWR vote, where they can't defeat it, but the two sides will war forever on this.

[wisteria]

11. Look what I just found!

Senate overwhelmingly backs Patriot Act
96-3 vote rejects Feingold's bid to block renewal of anti-terrorism law


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11386597/


'Cosmetics'
“Sometimes cosmetics will make a beauty out of a beast and provide enough cover for senators to change their vote,” Specter told reporters Wednesday.

Indeed, virtually every senator who had stood with Feingold last year to kill a House-Senate agreement abandoned the effort this month after two of them, both Republicans, struck a deal with the White House to add more privacy protections.

Now, the legislation’s supporters include some of the chamber’s most senior Democrats, and the 60 votes required to overcome Feingold’s filibuster.






And I suppose in the current situation we find ourselves this is the most we could hope for.

[Mass]

12. It would be nice if AP was accurate once in a while.

The vote they refer to is a vote to start debate, not a vote on the Patriot Act or a vote to end debate. For example, the Dems voted for starting debate on defense Bill last year, then voted against ending debate.

It still does not tell me what people like Boxer, Kennedy, Kerry, ... are going to do concerning the motion to end debate. I have no clue and cannot find anything about that. Any clue.

[wisteria]

13. What a waste the media is. No wonder people don't understand

whatis going on, the "intelligent press people" can't even get it right! I will keep my eyes open for any further information on opinions.