POLITICS DAILY
In a setback for the new Republican leadership, the House refused to extend surveillance sections of the Patriot Act that allow government to use roving wiretaps on terror suspects and also gain access to tangible items such as library records.
An unlikely alliance of Republicans and Democrats — joined by a concern for individual liberties — brought the bill down Tuesday night. It mustered majority support in the 277-148 vote, but fell seven short of the two-thirds needed to pass under a speed-up procedure.
At least 148 of the idiots care about the people.
Oh don’t worry, They will try this again. Since when does the government ever cede power? Our idiots in office will keep doing this over and over until they get it passed…
So they weren’t willing to rush things through, but I see a majority voting in favor. Not just a slender majority, but 60 people can change their mind, and it still passes.
The notion of “legal” and “illegal” or inadmissable evidence, is American.
Slowly but surely, the Cheney administration police state should dissolve.
Hopefully by the end of Obama’s second term.
What happens to the information they already have stored from these forbidden sources? Should they be able to retain it or does possession of information from such sources now become an offence?
I sure hope that the Patriot Act gets repealed, but not as much as I want the TSA to get demolished.
That last one is like giving the keys to the asylum to the patients, the stupid, lazy, violent psychopathic ones.
Actually, I would make citizenship revocable and not make it automatic for anybody.
You want to be a citizen here?
You have to earn it by the strength of your character.
Imagine all of the people we could kick the Hell out of here?
Say goodbye to all the trailer-livin’, wife-beatin’, cousin-fuckin’ white trash.
Let ’em go the same way as the Romanche. (The Gypsies must have done something to really piss off somebody big and important about a millennium ago, ’cause they’re still getting chased out of whatever country they’re in.)
Ok, ok… Just for a few minutes let me feel proud to be an American.
It is really bothersome to see all the reports saying ” the Republicans failed” or “they botched the extension”.
Not one damned news report on how great it is that they actually are trying to follow the constitution for once.
I suppose you get to decide who’s “worthy,” msbpodcast?
I suppose you’ll put the undesirables in camps?
You are an affront to american ideals of liberty and equality.
So let’s see Democrats had control of Congress for four years, and during that time they did not repeal the Patriot Act. They in fact passed an extension of the act, and Obama voted in favor. Republicans in four weeks did what Democrats did not do in 4 years.
So if you are a liberal you should vote Republican, and if you are a conservative you should vote for Democrats.
#6 Dallas – Although it’s sad the Obama adminstration supported the extension.
Everybody: this is not a big win for the Repubs nor a major defeat for the Dems. Or Tea Partiers or any combination of the three. This was a special vote ahead of the required one. Due to it’s special status, 2/3 majority was required. When it comes back for a routine vote, they’ll only need 1/2 + 1. They’d have to lose about 60 more votes in the House for it to fail next time and, until then, it’s still in effect.
No loss. No win. No gain. Game called on account of mange.
MikeN…I think a better way to look at it is that neither side can use it in the next elections to make bogus “soft on terrorism” claims. That won’t stop certain pundits and maybe certain candidates, but political cover is a necessity for all of them…in this case I think that’s a good thing.
This is just a procedural move. The Congress has plenty of time to renew the Patriot Act and you can be more than sure they will indeed do so.
Congress needs to put a horizon on executive orders too, If we can keep the three branches groping and diddling each other they won’t be as apt do do it to us.
Don’t know the other numbers but this was effected by all the Dem’s or most of them and only 26 PUKES.
PUKES are all about maintaining government intrusion in all areas of our lives. The true “conservative/libertarian” PUKE is a rare species that gets all kinds of lip service but no voting support.
I only wonder if Obama supports this in order to get the PUKES to vote against it???? Naw, I don’t think he is “that way.” Sad he hasn’t come out against it. Kinda amazing he went as far as he did regarding Egypt. Wholly cow, people we know nothing about might freely choose something we know nothing about. Why do they hate our freedom?
Silly Hoomans.
I’ve already congratulated my Congressman, and have asked him to vote against any further attempts to resurrect the Patriot Act.
the House is the appropriate place for this turkey to die, score one for the Fourth Amendment!
Oh, dang. Just as things were getting interesting.
#5 “The notion of ‘legal’ and ‘illegal’ or inadmissable evidence, is American.”
I don’t think that’s true.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evidence_%28law%29
“The White House and some Democrats prefer a longer extension of the three provisions, through 2013, and Senate Democrats are expected to propose legislation calling for such an extension.”
http://cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/02/08/house.patriot.act/index.html
It seems 44 members of the Tea Party caucus voted in favor of renewing these sections of the Patriot Act.
Isn’t that special? They want to get rid of big government – unless big government happens to be spying on everyone and anyone. WTF?
What a bunch of phony shitheads!
http://tinyurl.com/4rhjsfq
6, Dallas,
If the Dems were so concerned, they could have done it before losing control of the House to the Republicans. 🙂
With the poor memory recollection of most Americans and the fact that Obama is now running to the middle due to a Republican-controlled House, you may have a point since the same happened for Clinton. So you MIGHT have a point. The economy is probably going to dictate whether or not Obama is going to get re-elected.
Something to gnaw on: http://tinyurl.com/4z8evg5
18, Bobbo,
That’s because they’re not trying to buy people’s votes with other peoples’ money. Voter support for the Dems would fall through if they didn’t try to redistribute wealth.
Extending the Patriot Act would extend it “as is” The Tea Baggers voted lock step against it so when it comes around again they can make amendments to it. Rachel Maddow talked about it 2/8
@#27 You apparently take Left BS about “Tea Baggers”. Instead, listen to the Tea Party itself, not Left interpretation. 100% of Tea Party followers are strict Constitutionalists. If anything matters to them, that does. Patriot Act was not Constitutional, that is why representatives elected via Tea Party movement never ever can support it or amend it. They’d be kicked hard in the as in next election and they know it. That is why there is a lock-step. That is why it is trivial to predict their votes for PA in general: no, no amendments, nor anything else. Simple NO.
Go and learn facts about Tea Party, not what Left wishes they are or tries to propagandize…
It will almost certainly pass as a regular bill, but going that slower route leaves it open to amendments, which this attempt precluded.
And which is it, lockstep Tea Party voting it down or 44 breaking step and voting to pass it?
All government (no matter what you call it) is the enemy of people who would be free.
Only government enslaves us and sells our souls to bankers after giving the bankers our tax money. We people are nothing but cannon fodder and cheap labor to the governments of the world.
Might as well give allegiance to Satan.
I pity the fool who thinks government will ever make anything better.
If you think I’m cynical this is my best case opinion of government.
#26–Guyver==you lie!!! Ha, ha. How can you be as intelligent as you are and post so consistently wrong? oh—wait a minute==you mean the Obama has kept the wealth transfer from the poor, middle, and rich classes to the SUPER RICH don’t you. Whew. You had me there. Yea, my boy Obama ain’t called BushtheRetard-Lite for no reason at all. Still got tax cuts for “everybody” while expanding overseas wars while maintaining tax cuts to export jobs while propping up all the failed International Bankers while the richest/largest corporations in America pay zero taxes.
Yea, you almost had me there.