Nicely done Chris (4.00 / 1)

I emailed both my Senators on this last week.  Maybe I'll call today as well.

Action on this is time well spent!

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by: alffy @ Mon Nov 17, 2008 at 12:23:47 PM CST

I've made a few calls (0.00 / 0)

and it sounds like many of these staffers don't even want to talk to you if you don't live in their state. If you call, be prepared with a local zip code from one of those states if you want to pretend to be a constituent.

http://www.50states.com/zipcodes/

Inouye's office wanted to know which island I was from, and Sen. Byrd's office wanted to know my name, my address in WV, and my local landline telephone number.

Jesus Christ, I've given money to Byrd and they act like someone from CA is not even worth the time of day!

Meanwhile, my home state Senator, Boxer, has a full voicemail box and nobody picking up the phone. Guess I'll try a local office.

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by: existenz @ Mon Nov 17, 2008 at 13:00:14 PM CST

[ Parent ]

who wants to take bets .. (0.00 / 0)

My main target is my popular 12-year old niece who was elected class President a couple years ago and recently tested as the most liberal member of her class in a Social Studies quiz

on the first time in school she is called a DFH    ;-)

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by: Calvin Jones and the 13th Apostle @ Mon Nov 17, 2008 at 12:26:37 PM CST

Here is my talking point: (4.00 / 3)

The DSCC contacted me, telling me how important my local Franken-Coleman race was. I gave time and money to help Franken get elected. Lieberman's pro-Coleman comments were featured in the Coleman campaign. Does the DSCC really expect me to continue my support in the future if they themselves, when they have it in their power, do nothing to circumscribe and rein in the destructive actions of Lieberman? Is the Democratic Senate caucus a country club or an organ of power for all of us?

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by: VLaszlo @ Mon Nov 17, 2008 at 12:30:55 PM CST

Think Progress posted this on Sen. Carper (0.00 / 0)

saying Lieberman should face consequences and hearing anger at Lieberman amongst his colleagues.

Hopeful...

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/...

John McCain won't insure children

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by: magster @ Mon Nov 17, 2008 at 12:33:10 PM CST

I don't see how anyone could vote against MoveOn (4.00 / 1)

and not vote against Lieberman.  

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by: AliceDem @ Mon Nov 17, 2008 at 12:38:42 PM CST

I spoke to Max's office (4.00 / 1)

I told them that Lieberman should not chair any committees, but I had to be honest. I think that the Dept of Homeland Security is just a boondoggle and a place for crony capitalism to feed at.  I would get rid of the whole dept.  
But I also thanked Max for his white paper on health care and I would be working hard here in Montana to educate the public on the myths surrounding health care through radio, op eds and forums.

I agree with  one of the commenters that we should  emphasize the money and time spent in getting Senators like Franken, Merkley, Udall, etc. elected.  There is a snake in the house.  You can get the shaimans to remove it and let it loose in the jungle, but it will only crawl back and bite you at some point.  Best to kill it.  Or, in this case, defang it.

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by: FeralCat @ Mon Nov 17, 2008 at 12:50:48 PM CST

Giving Bush administration a pass (0.00 / 0)

What I find most damning is that Lieberman has conducted no meaningful investigations of the Bush administration. The Bush administration has been incredibly corrupt and incompetent. And yet, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs -- the Senate's major good-government investigative body -- has done nothing under Lieberman to investigate or challenge anything. This lack of oversight is why Congress is only viewed favorably by 11% of the American public.

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by: RandomNonviolence @ Mon Nov 17, 2008 at 12:58:11 PM CST

nice (0.00 / 0)

My main target is my popular 12-year old niece who was elected class President a couple years ago and recently tested as the most liberal member of her class in a Social Studies quiz. If she gets into it, that should mean a couple dozen more calls.

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by: Bob Brigham @ Mon Nov 17, 2008 at 13:04:14 PM CST

Contacted... (0.00 / 0)

Sen. Kerry's office. She listened and said "Ok I'll pass that along." I asked if she wanted my zip or address, and she said yes, we do it by regions and took my zip. I'm suspicious that when she didn't initially take my zip she was just blowing me off and not going to bother to register my objection to Lieberman.

I gave money to Kerry's campaign for prez in 2004. That really galls me that his office might be showing casual disregard toward this issue. having just won re-election, he may be feeling any consequences are too far down the road right now to be much bothered by what constituents think. Grrr.

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by: johnalive @ Mon Nov 17, 2008 at 13:19:34 PM CST

Called both my MA Sen's and very young-sounding staffers had nothing to say other than (0.00 / 0)

"the Senator has not taken a position on this".  I used the FDL link that connected me to each office (nice!) and used some of the talking points from this OL post.  I also called Sen Leahy to thank him and to let him know what my MA Senators' staff had to say, and also that I had blogged about this on www.BlueMassGroup.com and posted Senate tel#s and links to Take Action sites.

FDL has a page up showing the "current positions" of all the DSC Senators on the Joe Must Go vote http://tools.advomatic.com/7/k...

Civil disobedience becomes a sacred duty when the state has become lawless or corrupt. And a citizen who barters with such a state shares in its corruption and lawlessness.  --Gandhi

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by: AnnMalone @ Mon Nov 17, 2008 at 14:10:40 PM CST

I think that a decision's already been made (0.00 / 0)

and this is their way of blowing off constituents and avoiding their wrath, by pretending to still be mulling it over. And my guess is that the decision was to let him keep his DHS chairmanship, because he threatened to do a really really really scary thing if they didn't--like vote with Repubs on all military, national security and foreign policy legislation. D'oh!

"Those who stand for nothing fall for anything...Mankind are forever destined to be the dupes of bold & cunning imposture" -- Alexander Hamilton

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by: kovie @ Mon Nov 17, 2008 at 16:33:42 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Dana Bash on CNN right now (0.00 / 0)

claiming that it looks like Dems will allow Lieberman to keep his DHS committee chairmanship but strip him of his environmental subcommittee one. No way to tell how reliable this information is, but this is CNN, not Drudge or WorldNutDaily, so interpret accordingly.

I'm guessing that this is what will happen. Lieberman threatened to hold his breath and turn blue, and Dems, as usual, caved. These are people who are constitutionally incapable of putting up a fight. And the GOP is paying close attention, trying to figure out how to exploit this gutlessness to block future legislation and/or influence it.

People who continually avoid confrontation in the name of comity end up regretting it someday. They justify it by saying that it's the wise thing to do, but in the long run, it's actually not.

"Those who stand for nothing fall for anything...Mankind are forever destined to be the dupes of bold & cunning imposture" -- Alexander Hamilton

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by: kovie @ Mon Nov 17, 2008 at 16:29:58 PM CST

Senator Casey (PA) (0.00 / 0)

I called Bob Casey's Washington office today. I spoke to the nice lady who answered the phone. I told her that I knew the vote was tomorrow and that I encouraged the Senator to vote to strip Lieberman of his chair.

She told me that Casey had not announced a position and that she wasn't aware that he had made a decision. She took my zip code and confirmed that she had marked my position on her list.

No real surprise, but it's good to know we may actually have a chance of influencing him.

Karl in Drexel Hill, PA

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by: KB @ Mon Nov 17, 2008 at 18:57:09 PM CST