Reid Thanks Christy and McJoan on FISA

I’m at a schmoozy event at the Senate today–Harry Reid gave an opening speech focusing on the areas where progressive loud mouths have really helped out the Senate.

He spoke for a bit about FISA–repeating what he has said publicly (that if the Republicans won’t accept a PAA extension, then it will expire). But at the very start of his speech he named some of the people who had helped most on the FISA bill. McJoan (from DailyKos) and FDL’s own Christy were the first two people he mentioned.

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57 replies
  1. CasualObserver says:

    Excellent. So we may infer that his staff absorbs at least some of what Left Blogistan is talking about.

    • watercarrier4diogenes says:

      Or perhaps, because _what_ has been said by our McJoans, Marcys and Christys and Janes and Johns and Glenns, not just who said it, he’s begun to see that the ‘New Media’ has given ‘the people’ of this country a voice and what he’s hearing from that voice is a warning to him and the rest of the beltway that we’re really out here and we really do vote.

      • readerOfTeaLeaves says:

        OT, but if they’re actually listening, can I put in a special request that the Congress FUND at least 1200 FBI fraud investigators?!

        Funding FBI fraud investigators would have been a damn sight cheaper than bailing out the massive fraud represented by The Big Shitpile. Congress should not even mention the words ‘bailout’ or ‘assist’ until they fund a lot more fraud investigators (!).

        • watercarrier4diogenes says:

          Amen to that. Yet another thing that $10 billion a month should have been going to, or even better and cheaper, OVERSIGHT! (Ya listening to us, Harry? Ya REALLY listening to us?)

  2. phred says:

    You guys rock! And I cannot tell you how pleased I am to hear that Reid has acknowledged the hard work of McJoan and Christy by name. One finally gets the sense that we have their attention, if not yet their votes.

  3. readerOfTeaLeaves says:

    Sweeeeeeeeeet ;-))
    McJoan and CHS are certsinly good resources!

    Schmooze merrily, and please do catch us up later on what you can share. Curious eyeballs await what you can share ;-))

  4. bmaz says:

    Man, you should see the wingding that Caroline and Teddy are ginning up for Obama. Got Patrick there too. i don’t think much of a lot of the endorsements so far. This is pretty big. Gotta hand it to Obama on this one, it is huge, and the old lion still packs a huge punch, it will make a difference. I don’t see RFKJr. there, I wonder what his status is, and he will bring the green with him if he is down with the rest of the family who are clearly in lock, stock and barrel for Obama. Not just an endorsement either, it looks to me like they are going out to actively stump and, again, that is absolutely huge. They really see their brothers and fathers in Obama. Fascinating.

    • phred says:

      After the news of the endorsement broke, the Clinton campaign distributed a statement from Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, the daughter of Robert F. Kennedy and a former Maryland lieutenant governor. “I respect Caroline and Teddy’s decision but I have made a different choice,” she said, noting that “my brother Bobby, my sister Kerry, and I are supporting Hillary Clinton.”

      from the WaPo. The RFK branch of the family is going with Clinton. Teddy and Caroline pack a much bigger punch though, imho : )

      • bmaz says:

        Well, there you go. Kathleen has shown some un-Kennedy like bad political instincts; she and Kerry don’t pack much punch, but RFK Jr. does, not just because of his personal voice, but his organization and contacts list. I have not seen him very active for Clinton, but you guys on the east coast might have.

        EW – That is a good thing to come out of Reid’s mouth. Do you think he really means it, or is just saying it because of the nature of the event he is at? I really don’t trust Reid.

        dsalexan @8 – That is Patrick of Rhode Island

        • TheraP says:

          May I say that if you are a “true agnostic,” you never know for sure if you have seen people’s souls!

        • phred says:

          Just as well really. It’s kinda of like ghosts, if we could actually see them and ergo prove their existence, all the fun would go out of the whole enterprise. That would be the end of Halloween, and then where would I be? Right, in dire need of chocolate… ; )

        • bmaz says:

          Speaking of soles, the reports are that Tom and his foot are walking around just fine up at the Westin Kierland. I am about to go up to Kierland for lunch, want me to track Tom down or anything?

        • CasualObserver says:

          I don’t see their souls either, unless they lift their feet up way high, which is very unpresidential. I do look for sensible shoes however…

        • bmaz says:

          Well, I do trust you, so okay then. What does Harry want us to do to help? And does he really understand the intricacies of immunity as to what it will do negatively and exactly why there is no need in the world for it? Because i will be happy to draft a primer for him….

        • phred says:

          I really don’t know what RFK Jr. has been up to, but there has been a recent stir over the split between Governor Patrick (supporting Obama) and Boston Mayor Menino (supporting Clinton). Not really sure what this says in terms of the influence of the Kennedy clan. I can tell you though, that Teddy carries a lot of weight in these parts, much more so than any member of the next generation.

    • TheraP says:

      thrilled to watch this!

      It brings me back to my youth. I was a teenager when JFK said “ask not…” and it thrilled me then!

      I’m in the “business of hope.” And boy do we need it!

  5. dsalexan says:

    in response to phred at 6: the WaPo article is outdated I believe, as there has been a last-minute joining of a third Kennedy and I believe that bmaz is correct; that it may be Robert Jr.

  6. Mary says:

    6 – I think the RFK branch support is pretty lukewarm and was kind of premised on Robert running for Hillary’s vacant seat with her support if she won.

    19 – and if Hillary really went to work on her supporters, like Bayh and Nelson, and did that professional arm-twisting that she says she has in her – imagine that as well. What really will it say about Clinton and Obama if both of them together can’t keep 40 votes in line?

  7. oldtree says:

    The lake has been a bit treacherous for the senator in the past. This is most interesting that he would do this? Politicians usually use any statement for gain, so what comes next?
    Congrats Christy! May it continue.

  8. BayStateLibrul says:

    Besides Teddy, my favorite is Joe 4 Oil.
    With Bush-oil prices zooming, he has helped plenty.
    Sorta wish Kennedy had endorsed Edwards…. my favorite.

    • phred says:

      Me, too, but as a tactical maneuver I think Teddy standing with Obama is brilliant. The “inevitable” HRC nomination is now seriously in question (thanks to SC). I don’t think Edwards can pull this out, so if it comes down to HRC and Obama, who would you prefer? Me, I’ll take my chances on Obama.

      I may yet vote for Edwards, if he will put the rule of law front and center in his campaign. If not, I may yet vote for Dodd as a protest vote to send a message to the Dem establishment. Like others have said at the Lake today, I’ve never been undecided this close to a vote before in my life.

      • BayStateLibrul says:

        Yeah. Before I would vote for Obama v Hillary, I need to douse
        my “Obama as a rock star” image that I own…

  9. bmaz says:

    Wishing to return this thread to whence I hijacked it, MY HEARTFELT THANKS TO CHRISTY AND McJOAN CREAT JOB!
    Ahem, and MARCY TOO! I can’t be in the District, so make some noise and trouble for me while you are there.

  10. JohnLopresti says:

    Well, the Democratic party convention may be a Real convention this time. Somehow I always associate HReid’s rhetorical style with the generous remarks about the Gutenberg quality of the good blogs in his speech at Ykos 2006, though in actuality I knew little of his expertise ascending thru the ranks of politics to become majority leader. Hopefully he will be as good a guide as Bill Walsh a famous Stanford sport coach was, addressing the dynamic of the instant’s rules to optimize his chances of winning. FISA is an important forum going forward; there are going to be presidents from the Democratic party who will want it to remain contemporarily strong.

  11. Mary says:

    18 – Well, I’m a Methodist just like 4th Estate (maybe not JUST like him) and I have to say that I’ve looked in many a politician’s eyes and seen the $oul-ed $igns gleaming there.

    • FormerFed says:

      I think you would see the same view in any politician’s eyes, whether they were agnostic, catholic, baptist, or whatever.

    • bmaz says:

      Crikey, you are a lawyer. You see $ and $ in the eyes of all your peers…… It is why I wear sunglasses….

      For all you Pats fans, I am having lunch right outside of the teams headquarters here, the Westin Kierland. The security is absolutely scary; you would think chimp boy is here or something. Crikey. No signs of Tom, Bill or Giselle.

        • bmaz says:

          Well, probably not; there are like 5,000 press people credentialed and a healthy percentage of them are here already. They are crawling out of the woodwork; my guess is there are no more credentials available, whether EW could get them or not. Part of the problem is that the Phoenix Open golf tournament is also going all week and weekend. This is not your average golf tournament, it is the biggest tournament on the tour in terms of attendance. They get over half a million in attendance every year without the Super Bowl being here. Just huge. Last time the Super Bowl was here, 97 or 98, I got a ticket right before the game for $275 (I think; 25 over face value is what I remember). Pretty good seat, 24 hours earlier the same type of seats were going for $2,000. The face values have gone up noticeably now though, and the scalpers are asking $5,000 for crappy nosebleed seats currently. I had planned to go down and see what I could do right before kickoff, but not now that the Packers are not in it. My guess is $500-$600 will get you in if you can wait until the last minute.

        • bmaz says:

          Naw, 500-600, if that is correct, would not be very much over face value. The ticket that is analogous to that I had last time ($250 face value) is now, I believe, $900 face value. Beers start at $8.

  12. FormerFed says:

    you sundevil fans get all the breaks – it was fun listening to Tedy talk about practicing on the asu field yesterday

  13. dosido says:

    Well this is pretty nice! Well deserved recognition, that’s for sure.

    Watch out for the cocktail weenies, though. I hear they are pretty addicting.

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