Feinstein Faces Dem Censure After Backing Mukasey

[proud2BlibKansan]

One day after voting to elevate a divisive conservative judge to the federal appeals court in New Orleans, California Sen. Dianne Feinstein was the president's guest aboard Air Force One. She had been invited to survey the damage from the recent spate of Southern California wildfires.

The senator later remarked privately that she found her conversation with Bush aboard Air Force One "illuminating," a source close to Feinstein told the Huffington Post.

Two weeks later, Feinstein was one of two Democrats on the Senate judiciary committee to vote to send Michael Mukasey's nomination to be the new attorney general to the full Senate. Her support helped turn the tide in favor of a nomination that faced an uncertain future after Mukasey refused to say whether waterboarding was torture.

When the full Senate voted, Feinstein was one of only six Democrats to vote in favor of confirming Mukasey.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/11/12/feinstein-faces-dem-censu_n_72342.html

[AzDar]

1. I know it's SO petty and immature...but that photo ENRAGES me.

Hopefully, the censure will be a lovely 'pre-retirement' gift for DINO Feinstein.

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. I know - it pisses me off too

[Tom Joad]

14. it's not petty. bush is a fascist. It ain't nice to be nice to fascists.

but then, Bush made DiFi very, very wealthy. and besides, difi's pretty much agrees with bushboy.

[City Lights]

17. Me too. What a cute couple!

DiFi hanging on to her hero...:puke:

[NNN0LHI]

20. This one pisses me off even worse

[MADem]

2. Jesus--what was the quid pro quo?

Come on, this stuff doesn't happen out of the blue. What is she, or her state, GETTING for that vote?

The censure isn't the real story here--it's unlikely to fly. The quid pro quo, though, if there was one, and damn, there's gotta be--is.

The censure resolution faces an uphill battle. In order to be considered by the full executive board, it must first make it through the party's resolutions committee, which must approve the text unanimously.

[Richard Steele]

11. The "quid pro qo" was Feinstein's STATUS QUO- continued $$$ for her hubby's many military contracts.

Every day our troops continue dying overseas is more money in her pocket.
It's really just that simple.

[Tom Joad]

15. You got it. She and hubby should be jailed for decades.

[MADem]

19. No. I disagree. Her husband knows how to take care of himself.

If there are contracts to get, he has connections. He can 'override' Bush because Bush doesn't have much political capital left to spend on that kind of shit, and anyone making a deal realizes that the worm is gonna turn in a year or so, and then paybacks could be a real you-know-what.

Bush is a lame duck. I doubt that anyone going with her husband in a business capacity is going to turn away on the lame duck's say-so at this stage--looking downstream, taking a long view, that's suicidal.

That said, I have to wonder if her husband's status or fortunes were "threatened"--i.e. "Play ball, or we'll dig up charges and find a way to make them stick?"

I know, farfetched. But something isn't adding up here.

[Ecumenist]

3. Well, it's a about damn time. That, (pardon the term I use becauseI know it's not completely right)

and I'm a woman, BUT IT APPLIES IN THIS CASE), Broad needs to be taken to task about the votes and decisions she makes in spite of what it means for her constituents. She needs for someone to hang their foot off in her rear end, to be perfectly honest.

[EST]

5. I knew thare was a bunch of republican house members

who were really, really pissed because they did their damndest to get an adjournment early that thursday and failed.
I knew they were most pissed because bush had invited them to schmooze and fly along with him in AF-1 on his trip to photo-op the wildfire tragedy and they were gonna miss the flight.

I had no idea Feinstein was also invited. Now it all makes sense.

[EFerrari]

6. I got this email today from the Courage Campaign:

Dear Elizabeth,

Dianne Feinstein has failed us.

Failed progressives. Failed Democrats. Failed Californians. Failed Americans.

As the world watches, you want someone to take a stand. To hold Senator Feinstein accountable. Now.

That's what Courage Campaign members overwhelmingly told us after Senator Feinstein's pivotal Judiciary Committee vote to approve Judge Michael Mukasey as U.S. Attorney General -- a man who refuses to acknowledge that "waterboarding" is torture and will look the other way if President Bush ignores the rule of law. The Senator's vote condoning torture closely followed her vote to approve Judge Leslie Southwick to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit -- a man with a clear record of condoning racism and gender discriminaton.

Whether it's condoning torture, racism or homophobia, Senator Feinstein's actions are unacceptable.

You demanded action. We're taking action: The Courage Campaign is calling on the California Democratic Party to officially censure Senator Feinstein.

Will you join and help build the movement to censure the Senator? With the CDP Executive Board meeting in just a few days, time is running out. A growing group of progressive grassroots organizations needs your support for a censure resolution no later than Friday at noon:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/censurethesenator

Last Wednesday, we expressed our frustration with Senator Feinstein and asked you to send us your ideas on how to hold her accountable. We told you we would take action on at least one of the many brilliant ideas brainstormed by the Courage Campaign community to hold our senior Senator accountable.

The idea to censure Senator Feinstein came from you, not us. It came from the bottom-up, not the top-down. Flooded by calls for accountability, the Courage Campaign decided to take direct action on a grassroots resolution supported by progressive California Democratic Party delegates and Executive Board members.

Right now, hundreds of grassroots and netroots activists are organizing support to censure the Senator, burning up their phone lines and email lists with calls to action. People just like you who have had enough. Enough caving. Enough capitulation. Enough Republican-lite triangulation.

You can read a version of the full censure resolution of Senator Feinstein by clicking here. If you support censuring the Senator, please sign on and be counted before the California Democratic Party Executive Board meeting that starts this Friday.

Join the movement now to censure the Senator:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/censurethesenator

How did this movement to censure the Senator spring to life? This is what democracy looks like:

As with any popular political action, the idea popped into the minds of numerous activists simultaneously last week. As many of you were writing the Courage Campaign encouraging a censure of Senator Feinstein, grassroots activists within the California Democratic Party began pursuing the same action.

On Wednesday night, California Democratic Party Progressive Caucus co-chair Mal Burnstein stood up at an Oakland "Democracy for America" Meetup and read his original censure resolution aloud to dozens of attendees, including several members of the East Bay for Democracy Democratic Club. Inspired by Mal's call to action, East Bay for Democracy officers unanimously endorsed Mal's censure resolution a few days later. The endorsed resolution then went viral over the holiday weekend, as activists across California emailed it to friends, Democratic Clubs, progressive organizations and grassroots groups.

By Monday, several grassroots organizations joined the movement to censure the Senator, including the Executive Board of the Progressive Caucus -- the second largest caucus sanctioned by the California Democratic Party. Progressive Democrats of America added their endorsement a few hours later. Late last night, the Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club, San Diego Democracy for America and Progressive Democrats of Los Angeles all endorsed the resolution. With only a few days before the Executive Board meeting, other Democratic Clubs and organizations are working towards endorsement as well.

Please add your support now to encourage more clubs and organizations to endorse the censure of Senator Feinstein. Sign on, be counted, and send a loud and clear message that the condoning of torture, racism and homophobia is unaccepetable.

Join the movement now to censure the Senator:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/censurethesenator

Senator Feinstein has repeatedly undermined core American values at historic moments, enabling President Bush to maintain his radical right-wing agenda. Even though the Senator represents one of the most progressive states in America, she votes time after time to support the President, despite the fact that 70% of California voters and 91% of California Democrats disapprove of his policies.

As we said on Wednesday, "if Senator Feinstein cares about nothing else, she cares about her legacy."

That's why it's so important that you call on the California Democratic Party right now to hold her accountable -- and tell your friends, family and neighbors to join the movement to censure the Senator as soon as possible.

Thank you for taking action today.

Rick Jacobs
Courage Campaign

P.S. Dianne Feinstein is about to fail us on civil liberties as well, having expressed her support in favor of granting huge telecom companies retroactive immunity from prosecution for wiretapping Americans.

If you think condoning torture, racism, homophobia -- and spying on Americans -- is unacceptable, please take just a few seconds to sign your name in support of the movement to censure the Senator:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/censurethesenator

[B Calm]

7. Why don't California have a recall election on her and Pelosi?

Don't Feinstein's husband have interest in war profiteering?

[LeftCoast]

8. We can only recall state elected officials

Pelosi seems quite safe in her seat, but DiFi is pushing things a bit. I think she'll probably retire though. She's getting up there in years. Plus, that picture of her hanging on to W's arm :puke: - That pic will be used against her next primary season if she runs again.

[LibertyorDeath]

9. Feinstein is a Corporate sellout POS

Rec 5 !

[PBass]

10. Can New Yorkers vote to censure Senator Schumer?

That putz deserves censure as much as anybody, for his vote on Mukasey.

Also, do you think the Courage Campaign http://www.couragecampaign.org/page/s/censure is interested in getting signatures from people outside of California? I'm guessing that a New Yorker signing the petition doesn't count for anything.

I'm already sending back empty envelopes to the DCCC, DSCC and so on, along with a note stating why I'm not helping to fund the campaigns of "Bush Democrats".

[Cronus Protagonist]

12. Wonder what he shared with her on the flight - some tapes, perhaps?

Dianne and Dr. Laura together when they were younger? euuugh..

[Tom Joad]

13. Why was there no filibuster against mukasey?

maybe its wrong to single her out.

[JNelson6563]

16. Good! I'm so SICK of that wretched DINO.

She and Lieberman are cut from the same cloth. They both make me sick.

Julie

[Tom Joad]

18. Any chance they can suggest a criminal investigation of her business dealings?

and one wonders if Bush promised her that she would not be subject to one if she played along.