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| Home Front: Politix |
| Democrat Fratricide: seething bloggers & PACs tear into Hoyer on telcom immunity |
| 2008-06-24 |
| John Bresnehan & Patrick O'Connor, Politico In a tense moment during negotiations over the Foreign Surveillance Intelligence Act, Sen. Kit Bond — the ranking Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee — said that his side of the aisle could never accept one of the proposals the Democrats were pushing. According to Democratic insiders, House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer abruptly stopped the meeting and said that, if a deal was made, no one would get more grief than he would. Hoyer was right about that. The Maryland Democrat shepherded a set of FISA amendments through the House last week — winning praise from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and even some in his party to who opposed the deal — but now finds himself subjected to a barrage of criticism from his party’s left. Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) called the House bill a “capitulation.” Salon.com’s Glenn Greenwald called Hoyer an “evil, craven enabler of the Bush administration.” Firedoglake.com blogger Jane Hamsher — delivering the lowest possible blow from the liberal blogosphere — declared Hoyer “the new Joe Lieberman.” . . . At Firedoglake.com, 'Lieberman' is a four-letter word. In an interview with Politico on Monday, Hoyer called the FISA legislation a “significant victory” for the Democratic Party — one that neutralized an issue Republicans might have been able to use against Democrats in November while still, in his view, protecting the civil liberties of American citizens. ... liberal activists were furious at what they view as a sellout by House Democrats on FISA, particularly on the retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies. Two liberal groups, Blue America PAC and ColorofChange.org PAC, ran a full-page ad in The Washington Post spelling out their displeasure with Hoyer. “I am aware of it,” Hoyer said of the loud criticism from progressive groups of the FISA agreement. “When you try to reach a compromise, the people on one side or the other are not pleased.” Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) called the FISA compromise a “very terrible bill.” Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich (D-Ohio) said the bill would allow “large corporations and big government” to “work together to violate the United States Constitution” and “use massive databases to spy, to wiretap, to invade the privacy of the American people.” But Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.) said Hoyer did what he had to do in getting the deal done. |
| Posted by:Mike |
| #4 Well, long before the cult movie took the line, |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2008-06-24 21:10 |
| #3 Sounds like seething is going on from the lunatic left as well as foaming at the mouth. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2008-06-24 19:11 |
| #2 I can think of a four letter word for Jane Hamsher and it ain't "Aunt" |
| Posted by: Frank G 2008-06-24 18:21 |
| #1 Funny thing is he is in a rock solid safe district. So they are as powerless to do anything about him as we are about San Fran Nan. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2008-06-24 17:18 |