KG4JYD
07-03-2008, 03:15 AM
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/stenyhoyerfisaad-tbn.jpg
An online campaign to scuttle a deal giving retroactive amnesty to telecoms that helped the government warrantlessly wiretap Americans is growing in strength, catching Senator Barack Obama between the Netroots that helped vaunt him to the nomination and a presidential campaign desire to seem strong on national security.
Last year, Obama won accolades from the netroots by vowing to fight against any bill that granted retroactive amnesty to the telecoms that helped the government warrantlessly spy on Americans.
But last week, portions of the netroots revolted when Obama changed his stance regarding the current version of the bill, saying that while he would fight against amnesty, he would vote for the final bill (http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/06/obama-supports.html) regardless because exanding the spying powers of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act was necessary for national security.
Those changes and words weren't enough for some his supporters, who created an action group on my.barackobama.com called "Senator Obama - Please Vote No on Telecom Immunity (http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/SenatorObama-PleaseVoteAgainstFISA)."
That's the senator's own site to motivate supporters to create groups that can take action on their own.
Though just created on June 25, it has quickly grown to quickly grown to being the fifth largest out of more than 7,000 groups, with more than 4,700 members as of Monday morning. That's just one place short of the Women for Obama group.
The Senate is set to take up the bill, along with a few amendments to limit or strike the amnesty clause, on July 8. The bill is widely expected to pass, and in February, similar amendments to strip or limit the immunity failed to pass.
That leaves a little more than a week to see how Obama, now one of the leaders of his party, responds to the new technological revolution in politics that he has championed.
SOURCE:
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/06/telecom-amnes-1.html
An online campaign to scuttle a deal giving retroactive amnesty to telecoms that helped the government warrantlessly wiretap Americans is growing in strength, catching Senator Barack Obama between the Netroots that helped vaunt him to the nomination and a presidential campaign desire to seem strong on national security.
Last year, Obama won accolades from the netroots by vowing to fight against any bill that granted retroactive amnesty to the telecoms that helped the government warrantlessly spy on Americans.
But last week, portions of the netroots revolted when Obama changed his stance regarding the current version of the bill, saying that while he would fight against amnesty, he would vote for the final bill (http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/06/obama-supports.html) regardless because exanding the spying powers of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act was necessary for national security.
Those changes and words weren't enough for some his supporters, who created an action group on my.barackobama.com called "Senator Obama - Please Vote No on Telecom Immunity (http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/SenatorObama-PleaseVoteAgainstFISA)."
That's the senator's own site to motivate supporters to create groups that can take action on their own.
Though just created on June 25, it has quickly grown to quickly grown to being the fifth largest out of more than 7,000 groups, with more than 4,700 members as of Monday morning. That's just one place short of the Women for Obama group.
The Senate is set to take up the bill, along with a few amendments to limit or strike the amnesty clause, on July 8. The bill is widely expected to pass, and in February, similar amendments to strip or limit the immunity failed to pass.
That leaves a little more than a week to see how Obama, now one of the leaders of his party, responds to the new technological revolution in politics that he has championed.
SOURCE:
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/06/telecom-amnes-1.html