John Yarmuth (D-KY): 2006 Was About the Rule of Law
(Thanks to Selise for the YouTube)
You never know who is going to sound like a DFH blogger these days. Many of you were talking about Steny Hoyer sounding like one in the Contempt debate. And how about John Yarmuth (D-KY), who reminds us that 2006 was at least partly about restoring the Constitution.
In November of 2006, the American people decided to give the Democrats control of the House of Representatives and the Congress. I was fortunate enough to be elected as one of the 43 new Democrats in that class. And many people said in examining that election, "Oh, we were elected because of the War in Iraq." But that’s not what I heard. What I heard when I was campaigning in 2006 and I think most of my colleagues in this class would say the same thing is, we want to return to the tenets of the Constitution. We want to restore the checks and balances that the Founding Fathers prescribed. We want to make sure that this President and every President is held accountable, is not above the law.
The Gavel has another passage of Yarmouth’s speech along with another YouTube.
The Democrats are almost looking like the Democratic Party today. You think they noticed Donna Edwards’ win?
Update: multiple typos fixed, thanks to selise and wkwf and SkinnyMinnie.
Last night, I stated that this is all staged, and maybe it is. It is nice to hear some of these people saying that they recognize what we, the people, have known and have been promised all our lives! Maybe there is hope…
FWIW, I think Yarmuth really does understand and is progressive. He defeated part of McConnell’s machine in Anne Northup in Louisville when she was a long time incumbent. And with any luck, he will pull Ben Chandler to the left. (not holding my breath on that last piece happening often but I can hope)
I knew him back in the day for years, and was very glad to see him run for Congress after he started a magazine and a newspaper in Louisville. My mom campaigned for him. He is backing Obama.
“proscribed” -> “prescribed”?
Minor typo, opposite effect.
also, is it yarmuth?
Hoo boy. Thanks to you both. Any other typos I missed?
lol, i wouldn’t know.
pretty sure that’s the first time i’ve ever had the experience of correcting anyone’s spelling – and this time it was only because i looked him up before trying to find him in today’s recording (since i didn’t even know who he was). thanks marcy, it’s always cool to have new experiences.
Do you thin Leahy will press for contempt for Rove and others,
now that the House has acted?
“tenants” -> “tenets”
we’ve been making marcy work too hard.
(EPU’d, sorry:)
The word Yarmouth probably meant to use is “tenets,” although there is great poetry in the idea that We the People are at all times the “tenants of the Constitution.” Returning the government to us is a snappy idea I’d back any old time.
You think they noticed Donna Edwards’ win?
That, plus primary and caucus turnouts like nothing that probably any of us have ever seen.
Isn’t it rather late for them to feel threatened during this election cycle? So perhaps Donna Edward’s win might not have swayed them as much. Considering it’s highly probable there’ll be a Democratic president in 2009, most voters may be complacent enough to not care in 2010. And we’ll have new battles to fight against the sore losers (a.k.a Repubs) who will get even more noisy and loudmouthed from their tiny corners in each of the houses (is the Senate considered a “house” if considered as a body along with the ‘House’?)
You think *maybe* the leadership is getting some sense of what we want by seeing the number of emails, phone calls they get?
Or maybe they had nothing better to do today, so they decided, “what the heck, we’ve tried everything else, why not this”.
It’s nice to see them introduce the companion measure, though, the one that authorizes initiation of a civil suit in case Mr. Muke keeps his promise and doesn’t enforce those subpoenas. Shocking to see some semblance of a good strategy, but nice nevertheless.
Isn’t it rather late for them to feel threatened during this election cycle?
No, it’s not too late. They should be scared sh*tless.
most voters may be complacent enough to not care in 2010. And we’ll have new battles to fight against the sore losers (a.k.a Repubs) who will get even more noisy and loudmouthed from their tiny corners in each of the houses
After the kind of debt, housing worries, and job layoffs that you read about on the blogs (and via my email and chats), it’s a safe guess that people will NOT get political amnesia by 2010; the trauma is too severe.
You think *maybe* the leadership is getting some sense of what we want …Or maybe they had nothing better to do today….
Look at what Pelosi quoted, and then recall that Richard Clarke’s very fine OpEd appeared only in recent weeks. One supposes that this is the manifestation of a convergence that became necessary because people had no other recourse, after BushCheney continued into 2008 intransigent and impossible to deal with.
Bush had plenty of chances to avoid this nightmare, but he has no concept of how to accept responsibility for failure of any kind. Which makes him fundamentally helpless, because he has so little resilience, and such limited ability to learn.
Shocking to see some semblance of a good strategy, but nice nevertheless.
Indeed! Standing up for the Rule of Law should be the norm.
After the kind of debt, housing worries, and job layoffs that you read about…it’s a safe guess that people will NOT get political amnesia by 2010
I know what you mean. And those are the problems everyone will be grappling with. But, I thought (and I don’t have any numbers or specifics for this) that for the most part, Democrats have been voting in favor of addressing all these issues.
It is only on the specific point of curbing Bush’s extremes that most Democrats have been derelict. That’s a topic that will become old once Bush leaves office. FISA, the US attorneys scandal, waterboarding, outing of a spy, etc., etc. How many ‘ancient’ stories can you talk about to hold against an incumbent, and still have enough money to talk about how much better you will do if you’re elected?
BTW, just so there’s no confusion, I *hope* they are scared shitless. I just don’t know if that will happen, though. People have short memories, politicians have none at all.
If they’re not too dense to read their tea leaves, rOTL, they’re seeing that the 111th Congress isn’t going to even remotely resemble the 110th, much less than any of the previous 10-20 years.
Watching the Republicans posturing, I can’t help but think that they know their days are numbered and are resigned to the fact that this is their last hurrah, so they’re making the most (ugliest?) out of it.
Seeing them standing outside Congress for their photo-op, I wonder how many of them contemplated that they were likely to be outside for good soon ; )
Doors have locks for a very good reason, to keep the bad elements out. Given this perfect opportunity today, couldn’t the Democrats have used said handy feature on doors for the purpose intended?
Good point. The Repugs don’t think the Congress serves any other purpose than to do King George’s bidding, so I see no reason they would need to go back in, do you?
Not with the repug “total information awareness”. Locks and closed doors are useless.
I haven’t been posting, because there was no way I’m going to put myself through the emotional roller-coaster of yesterday again, but….
I can see that cbolt (and, to some extent, bmaz) are still warning against too much celebration, but….
Am I correct to say that nothing on the PAA is expected today?
The staffer in my Congressman’s office (Capuano) said around noontime they expected the PAA to expire without extension. Staffers have been known to be correct on occasion, but it’s never money in the bank. cboldt said he’d be surprised if that’s right.
Solai–House is going into recess tomorrow, no tricky late-night votes.
Are the Dems delaying the FISA vote till late Friday thinking we won’t notice?
i don’t know…
i’m planning to:
watch this page (daily leader from hoyer’s office) for the daily schedule.
watch the house rules committee page for “emergency meetings” on new fisa rules.
watch for pow wow’s most recent comments at glenn’s.
and keep checking in here.
“Are the Dems delaying the FISA vote till late Friday thinking we won’t notice?“
You mean they put on such a good show today for us?
Is this relevant?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..eheadlines
Hoekstra debating PAA now
Please pardon the petulant child’s mess; L’il Bushie likes to play with Scooters and Rockets. MacNamee’s lawyer says Bush will pardon Clemens.
Beat me to the punch…
so clemens is gonna admit that he lied to us when he denied he used steroids ???
admission of a need for a pardon is part of the process
and clemens must be ONE STUPID MUTHERFUCKER if he wants his name linked to george bush for the remainder of history
OT but not for Bmaz…
Another Scooter?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..01991.html
The day seems to be done. Random requests for 5 minutes for pet issues and/or rants.
But something Hoekstra said made me sit up. The recess starts now??? The PAA will actually expire?
(No. Stop it. Do not get excited. It can’t be true. Kabuki. Not real.)
Kit Bond just said that the “enhanced techniques” banned by the Army Field Manual have “only been used on a couple of dozen of detainees.” That’s a bit more than the three I’d heard of before. Is this new or am I out-of-touch?
Remember…There are “enhanced techniques” and there is waterboarding. The number for enhacned techniques is 30 or so. Of which 3 were ultimately subjected to waterboarding.
IIRC,
Waterboarding -> 3 they have admitted to.
“Enhanced” techniques -> who knows how many?
I doubt they will admit to anything that hasn’t been discovered independently.
Right. What I’m expected is one of two things: the Senate bill suddenly rears its ugly head or another extension is proposed. I’m wondering when these things might occur.
OK. Got it on Kit Bond. Thanks.
Maybe the Republicans were right and the Democrats are so weak on security that they gave the whole country away; because I stepped away for a minute and come back to find CSPAN-3 showing a Vladimir Putin news conference…..
we didn’t give it away
it got repossessed
guess you hadn’t heard that Putin is the new spokesman for Repo Depot
I’m assuming it’s nothing but silliness for the rest of today in the House (with all due respect to anyone who wants to use five minutes to talk about a resolution to recognize the contributions of the Great Horned Toad), but what’s the schedule for tomorrow?
FWIW, office of the Clerk:
(emphasis mine)
Does this mean we made it?
i think for today.
don’t know yet about tomorrow: the daily leader (house floor schedule) isn’t posted yet for tomorrow. no new “emergency” house rules committee meetings are on the schedule for tonight (but keep an eye out, it’s not to late for them to add one).
fingers crossed.
Yes, I just heard from someone in the House that it will expire.
good!
WooHoo!
I just love it when the House sends out Valentines ; )
Now let just hope we don’t catch the Dem Leadership smooching Bush after recess…
“Yes, I just heard from someone in the House that it will expire.”
Anyone have a stake handy to drive through its heart? And sprinkle it with garlic maybe? Can we encase it in concrete and drop it off in the Mariana Trench?
Bob in HI
we have to toss it into the heart of evil
when is dick cheney’s next coronary checkup
C-SPAN Watch| Listen | Schedule | About
Tonight · House Speaker Pelosi (D-CA) Weekly Legislative Briefing (8pm)
· Congressional Republican Walkout & News Conference on FISA (8:20pm)
· President Bush on the FISA House Vote (8:30pm)
· U.S. House: In Session (10am) – LIVE
Tomorrow
C-SPAN2 Watch| Listen | Schedule | About
Tonight · Mitt Romney Endorsment of Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) (8pm)
· Hearing on the State of the Economy with Paulson, Cox & Bernanke (8:20pm)
· Russian President Vladimir Putin Annual News Conference (11:25pm)
· U.S. Senate: In Session (Time TBA) – LIVE
Tomorrow
C-SPAN3 Watch| Listen | Schedule | About
Tonight · Programming on Margaret Thatcher (8pm)
· Booknotes: Margaret Thatcher, Author, “The Downing Street Years” (Time TBA)
· Programming on Slobodan Milosevic (8pm)
Tomorrow
C-SPAN RADIO Listen | Schedule | About
Tonight · Hearing on the State of the Economy with Paulson, Cox & Bernanke (7pm)
· Washington Journal (7am) – LIVE
· House Hearing with Army, Navy, Air Force Surgeons General (10am) – LIVE
· Egyptian Ambassador Nabil Fahmy Address at the Palestine Center (12pm) – LIVE
Tomorrow
Book TV on C-SPAN2
McConnell and Reid had/having back and forth on this. Reid offered the Senate a 15 day extension. I think McConnell is about to object to it.
McConnell was out with the line that the telecoms will go bust without immunity.
Reid asks then that the Senate call the papers back, and request a conference. McConnell objects to a conference (from the exchange, this is the second objection to a conference, today)
at the great orange satan, mcjoan and kagro x have 3 fisa posts up in a row.
looks like the word has gone out… push back needed for the expected lies about how we are unprotected without bushco’s special magic new fisa bill.
push back needed for the expected lies about how we are unprotected without bushco’s special magic new fisa bill.
The president says, and Courts agree, he has an INDEPENDENT power to snoop, as needed, for foreign intelligence. FISA is NOT the exclusive means, at least not until a Court says it is.
Let his use the same power he used from 2001 (or whenever) until 2007, and the same power that was used before FISA was born in 1978.
Although the rethug stunt make the word Recess return to our school age experiences, this is also recess as in recess appointments. Is Reid leaving a
warm bodySenator Webb on guard duty as he did previously.I certainly hope so. Although Webb prolly needs to be armed with a few parliamentary procedures, in case some Republicans wander in to spoil the party and demand something be done about FISA.
But if Senate stays in pro forma session, and the House adjourns, doesn’t that prevent both action on FISA *and* any “recess” appointments?
Bob in HI
and keith olberman has the top recommended diary. it begins:
ok, i guess it’s safe to leave the computer and do other things.
happy valentines day to all.
I like my blue valentines. Don’t need the red ones.
I’m finding this much too good to believe. Perhaps it’s the Charlie Brown syndrome.
If this is true, we’ll be lifting our cup again over dinner tonight to all who worked so hard on Donna Edwards’ campaign because I think that stunning win she pulled off scared the crap out of Steny and the Speaker. At least I sure hope it did!
Well damn – I put this in the wrong thread trying to play ketchup.
**************
Part of why Yarmuth head this so much (as a Kentuckian) is that he and Andrew Horne both fought for it. Yarmuth ended up winning the primary, and while Horne was “my guy” I was thrilled to have Yarmuth too. He’s great (and he was tough enough to do the unthinkable per Pelosi and Rahm – he actually went on the Colbert show AFTER the royal decree to stay off).
Until the end of last week/first of this week, it looked like we were going to have a shot at both Yarmuth in the House and HORNE in the Senate, as Horne was launching a Senate bid.
Then along came Chuck Schumer and his crew, telling Horne he would get no party support and practically rolling out the carpet to get Lunsford (Lieberman’s sleazier, more morally bereft, twin) to run. Horne then backed out of the race.
So now what we have is a McConnell wannabe running against McConnell. Horrible.
Lunsford jumped party lines (which he does from time to time) originally to support KY scandal ridden – staff pardoning – governor Ernie Fletcher against Ben Chandler in the Gov run. Lunsford, though, has lots of money. So he appeared in our gov primaries with Stumbo (the state ag who made the deal that let Fletcher waltz free) as his lt gov running mate – and the people of KY spoke loud and clear – NO LUNSFORD!
But now Schumer’s crew has shoved him down our throats again.
Thankfully, Yarmuth has $$ to help keep him safe.
Click here
Notice anything about Sen. McConnell’s office?
I wonder if this is typical of not only most of the rest of the Republicans but many Democrats also.
Know what I’m getting at?
Think about the FISA legislation (wiretaps, reading email) net neutrality, and most things having to do with 21st century technology.
To him these are abstract ideas
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Where’s the computer?
I’m not sure
that’s why I brought it up when I called my congresscritter
16 – wouldn’t a lock out have been great?
21 – Kindof. Roberts is one of the “real” judges. He’s holding feet much more to the fire than I thought he would/could for the case he has. He also joins Kesller and Kollar-Kotelly in not being super thrilled with having DOJ lawyers show up in court only to practice their ability to tell lies, straight faced.
49 – I’m not sure about the courts agree part, at least, not since the passage of FISA. The only case to get past standing said found teh program invalid on Constitutional more so than legislative grounds, and that also seems to have been the input from both Lamberth and Kollar Kotelly when they required FISC firewalls against what they thought was an unConstitutional (without regard to FISA) program. Still, I think its pretty clear all that orders granted continue for a long period of time.
I do really worry, though, about how we have basically been poking Hezbollah with a stick for awhile. Almost everything I read, once upon a time when I was looking for info from people who should know what they were talking about, was that Hezbollah was a tremendously worse threat than al-Qaeda, at least domestically. But we had a kind of truce while we were staying out of Beirut. So after the support for the war in Lebanon and rushing bombs in, then the Syrian bombing, now we have not only the car bomb killing of a top Hezbollah figure, but also the odd response of Sean McCormack at the State Dept issuing gleeful happy statements about the US supporting the assassination.
I’m sure we do -I’m sure many others do too. They aren’t having their diplomatic corps come out and make happy, publically, over the assassination. And all while Gates is lying low with a broken arm.
So once you have what you want (the car bombing death), why publically goad the terrorist organization that all the experts said has the best organization, skills and infiltration to attack the US domestically?
I’m sure there’s a good reason.
35 – you did see about the mysterious death of Putin’s Russian billionaire enemy, didn’t you?
47 – so do we aboslutely, positively, definitely KNOW that this:
is going to happen?
Really truly absolutely?
Yes. I saw that news. Putin is on a roll; has been for a bit now. A deadly, progress in the wrong direction roll, but a roll nevertheless. You know, the mark of a real winner is the ability to close the deal, to finish off the opponent when they are dazed and down. Shows what candy ass drugstore cowboys the Bushies are; they rarely are competent enough to even get an opponent on the ropes, but in the few times they have, or in the case of Russia where they inherited an opponent on the ropes and marginalized as an international power tiger, the Bushies never seal the deal. The adversary always escapes, reverts to normal, or morphs into something worse than when they started. Bin Laden, al Zawahiri, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, al Sadr, Nasrallah, Putin, russia, North Korea, China etc. Where has there ever been the Michael jordan dagger to the throat finishing off an opponent and actually winning something? Anything?
freepatriot @60 – No, no, no; that is MacNamee’s idiot lawyers running their yaps again. None of that came out of Rusty’s operation.
58 – where indeed. McConnell (and Lugar for that matter) both do have great staff though. I disgusted by their bosses, but the staff who handle calls and responses are pretty aces. One of them might take a moment to explain computers to Mitch. I have a feeling that he knows ALL ABOUT Blackberries though.
From Scott Horton, who sends us irony for valentines day.
http://harpers.org/archive/2008/02/hbc-90002396
When DOJ put together their online list of CLE (continuing legal education – required for lawyers to keep their license) there was a course that, for some reason, they forgot to include on the list. This one:
I’m wondering who will handle the breakout session on “things that look like and sound like and have been judicially deemed to be, but aren’t – torture”
The seminar touts:
Horton’s observation:
The name for his piece about the DOJ seminar?
Indeed, the Offender May Be Your Boss
I have had enough of the distortions and lies!
Congresswoman Kay Granger who represents the Fort Worth area sent me her FISA update a short while ago. It is probably representative of the BS other Republicans are sending out to scare constituents.
In less than 36 hours, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act will expire, leaving our intelligence community without the resources it needs to protect our nation. Congress, the President, and our intelligence agencies have been well aware that this expiration was approaching. The Senate acted earlier this week, passing a strong bipartisan bill that would provide the tools our intelligence officials need to battle radical extremists who wish to harm Americans and our allies worldwide.
The Senate bill also protects telecommunications companies that aided our government in the days following September 11th. The assistance these companies provided was invaluable. As I said on the House floor this morning, allowing these companies to be subjected to frivolous lawsuits threatens their cooperation in the future, crippling America’s counterterrorism efforts.
Unfortunately, it appears that the House Democratic Party is not going to act, and is going to allow the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to expire, removing valuable tools we need to fight the War on Terror and prevent terrorist attacks. If this law is allowed to expire, our intelligence agencies will lose the ability to eavesdrop on foreign terrorists in a timely manner, delaying America’s ability to react quickly to potential plots.
I have fought vigorously for a permanent extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The Senate has passed bipartisan legislation providing that extension, and it’s time the House did the same.
The first duty of the federal government is to protect and defend our nation. I will continue to urge the House Democratic Party to immediately take up the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
Sincerely,
Kay Granger
I responded (for whatever good it will do):
Dear Congresswoman Granger,
Thank you for sending me your update regarding the FISA legislation. However, I am surprised that someone of your position would try to foist such misinformation on Texas voters.
I am Republican, but I refuse to listen to this administration’s lies any longer — and I suspect that come election time, you will find that many other people are no longer listening, either.
I strongly urge you to distance yourself from this administration. They are not Republicans in any sense of the word. The only reason that this FISA legislation is “urgent” is because they want to cover their illegal activities, which include spying on US citizens, among other things.
The Republican Party does not represent me in Washington, D.C. — you do! Please start protecting my rights instead of worrying about protecting Bush and Cheney!
WAKE UP KAY!
You want Granger’s chief of staff’s email addy?
robert.head -at- mail.house.gov
Send it to him.
Probably why I got the email from Stabe so quickly — I sent a note direct to her COS.
Thanks, Rayne! I will do it right now! I am just SO tired of the BS…
“…Congresswoman Kay Granger who represents the Fort Worth area sent me her FISA update a short while ago. It is probably representative of the BS other Republicans are sending out to scare constituents.
In less than 36 hours, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act will expire,…”
Not bad– the first lie comes within the first 12 words. Now there’s economy of expression!
Bob in HI
OT — kind of, almost…
Check out this email I got from Stabenow:
WTF??
Stabenow is a dirt-bag, but there aren’t any direct lies in that email. It would be nice if it admitted, for example, the vote against the Dodd amendment (if immunity is so bad), but Stabenow did vote against the final version of the bill, so that part is accurate.
Did you write back?
No direct lies, granted, but a wide berth of the truth. [sigh]
63/66 –
I’m guessing I shouldn’t do a youtube embed, but here’s the link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4kTnP5VJ1k
Some celebration music for the House finally calling the bluff. I just realized, 2008 is election time for all of them, no staggered 6 year terms like the Senators. Not, of course, that whether or not a Democrat would stand up for the rule of law has anything whatsoever to do with primary challenges and pissed off voters.
As has been pointed out, the PAA has a provision where its current orders continue for up to a year–so all this expiration hype by Bush and the caveocrats, Blue Dogs, and Republicans and Jello people in the Senate is simply hype. There are also orders that provide authorizations under the old 1978FISA law.
And as for new venues to tap, hell, McConnell and Hayden and Cheney/Addington could give a flying fill in the blank about what law is in effect. They’ll do whatever the hell the want.
BTW, many of the general counsel for the Telcoms came straight from the Intelligence Division of DOJ to double or more their salary at the Telcoms. There was nothing about a babe in the woods here. Their lawyers wrote the laws for years during several past administrations from their desks at DOJ.
Reid’s letter to shrub a little late after he brought SSCI to the floor, and Pelosi’s statement.
Gosh, Pete… “Intelligence Division of DOJ”
Can that be?
Yup. I have seen many of the people formerly from DOJ National Security/Intelligence on the staffs of ATT, Comcast, Sprint as attorneys
Help Wanted
Also there are many Telcom lobbyists who were with DOJ
As you know, I have been harping on this for a long time now. There are also a couple of big and very connected nasty law firms out there, Perkins Cole is the one I have had the pleasure of, that have entire departments stuffed with telco specialists that are extremely slick and effective at fixing and cleaning up any issues for their prize clients. All why I have said from the get go that these guys have secret indemnification agreements with the Administration or they would not have played ball. It is how they do business; they did not suddenly forget that on the biggest liability they have ever faced. Busco has two problems; they need immunity to protected their own rears from blatant criminal culpability and they don’t want the American people finding out that they will be the ones paying any judgments and costs resulting from the lawsuits against the telcos. Both factors have them scared shitless.