The ACLU repsonse to the FISA sell-out

An example of "working within the system" when the system could care less.

Some folks aren't gonna like it...

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Someone asked Rich where the ACLU was on FISA... Here's our answer... Deliberately shunted aside by the Democrat leadership.
How can there be any doubt in the mind of anyone paying attention now?



Response from the ACLU: Blame Pelosi
by: Matt Stoller

Tue Aug 07, 2007 at 10:05:21 AM EDT

This is an emailed response from Caroline Fredrickson, the Washington Director of the ACLU, to my post yesterday titled 'Why the Progressive Movement Couldn't Stop the FISA Bill'.



Matt,
Much of your criticism is unwarranted: we worked FISA and hard (and have been since December 2005). We reached out to Democratic leaders -- we met with Pelosi and with Reid -- we spoke with the staff from every leadership office. They did not listen to us. It was dem leadership who scheduled the vote on these particular bills. Why be mad at us and not at them? We met with them. They rebuffed our arguments.

We weren't notified that the bill was moving until 6 days before when Rep. Harman let it slip on Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer. We gave it the full court press: with action alerts, meetings with Members of Congress and Senators and their staff.

Pelosi and friends spent the entire week negotiating with the DNI and cut out ALL the civil liberties groups - not just the ACLU. Senator Rockefeller led the effort on the Senate side (with McConnell). The bill only passed because a) 41 dems crossed the line in the house, after the "liberal leadership" could NOT muster up its own party to assert its 30 seat majority, and b) most importantly, Pelosi, our "liberal leader" scheduled the bill in the first place. She could have put any bill on the schedule and she chose the Administration's. We worked this hard, and somehow you blame the ACLU?

http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=611



Matt Stoller :: Response from the ACLU: Blame Pelosi



Here's the sad fact: Dems are scared to pieces about the issue of terrorism and feel that they desperately need to show "strength" - even when the cost is their principles, and our Constitution. Look for lots more of this in the Fall. (and of course "crime" has the same potential to soften spines).

We are trying to communicate to Americans what they lost. We need folks to keep the pressure on Congress -- as you know, this will be voted on again in six months.....It would be more helpful if you could explain to your readership what we lose when the Fourth Amendment gets turned on its head and Americans can be wiretapped without warrants than your fingerpointing at the ACLU. We lost, but we worked it hard. One of the key problems for this battle was that Mike McConnell, the DNI, enjoys tremendous respect from the Democratic leadership. They believe everything he tells them. Why not attack them for that rather than attacking us? And what about buying into pressure from President Bush? Has there been a president who can be trusted as little on national security? Remember weapons of mass destruction? But still the Dems gave him what he wanted.

Then on Habeas:

Find Habeas is one small piece of a much broader campaign that has included a massive rally and lobby day, radio and print ads, in-district organizing, building coalitions both in DC and in the field, etc. (see below for the details)

And as to your comment on results (i.e., habeas hasn't been restored yet), we can say that the relevant committees in both the House and the Senate have held hearings over the past two months, and the House leadership is committed to moving a bipartisan habeas bill sponsored by House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton, and the Senate is ready to vote on the habeas issue when the Defense Department authorization bill gets back on the Senate floor this fall. So while we have not had results yet, we think we are turning the corner on restoring habeas rights.

HILL VISITS

*296 Total meetings scheduled

*92 of those were senate mtgs

LOCAL EVENTS

*13 states organized local events

*20 events took place

*NM did a protest

*NoCal did a Happy Hour

*San Diego did a lecture

*FL did a protest a city hall

*MI did demonstrations at 5 district offices

*MI also did a call in day to member offices

*MN had rallies at Coleman & Kline's district offices

*AK did a forum

*CO did a march

*OR did a rally

*WA had a march

*MA did a march

*DC did 3 movie screenings

LOGISTICS

* 27 buses (from as far away as Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri and Florida)

* Hotels - we provided housing for some bus travelers and for grasstops who were flying in from the affiliates (also provided airfare for two grasstops per state to attend

OTHER RESULTS

*85 partnering organizations, representing millions of constituents

* In less than 24 hours, five lawmakers signed on as co-sponsors of critical habeas restoration bills. And the list of co-sponsors has continued to grow this past week. Just since June 26th, two senators co-sponsored the Habeas Corpus Restoration Act, four representatives co-sponsored the Restoring the Constitution Act, and three representatives co-sponsored the House's version of the Habeas Corpus Restoration Act. We expect more activity and co-sponsors in the coming weeks. (One Senator - Stabenow - co-sponsored just before the arrival of the MI folks)

* Three days after the hill storming, more than 140 representatives signed an open letter to President Bush urging him to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay.

http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=611

:shrug:

It was kept under wraps. Obviously!

"We weren't notified that the bill was moving until 6 days before
when Rep. Harman let it slip on Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer."

"We need folks to keep the pressure on Congress..."

Yep!