Dems Who Flipped On FISA Immunity See More Telecom Cash

[marmar]

from the Politico, via MichaelMoore.com:



June 25th, 2008 12:37 am
Dems Who Flipped On FISA Immunity See More Telecom Cash


By Chris Frates / The Politico

House Democrats who flipped their votes to support retroactive immunity for telecom companies in last week’s FISA bill took thousands of dollars more from phone companies than Democrats who consistently voted against legislation with an immunity provision, according to an analysis by MAPLight.org.

In March, the House passed an amendment that rejected retroactive immunity. But last week, 94 Democrats who supported the March amendment voted to support the compromise FISA legislation, which includes a provision that could let telecom companies that cooperated with the government’s warrantless electronic surveillance off the hook.

The 94 Democrats who changed their positions received on average $8,359 in contributions from Verizon, AT&T and Sprint from January, 2005, to March, 2008, according to the analysis by MAPLight, a nonpartisan organization that tracks the connection between campaign contributions and legislative outcomes.

Retroactive immunity could squash about 40 lawsuits pending against telecommunication companies that helped the government monitor the telecommunications traffic of Americans without warrants. The telecom industry has lobbied hard to insure that the provision is included in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act update Congress is currently considering.

Nick Papas, spokesman for the House Democratic Caucus, said, “Many members of the caucus opposed the earlier version of this legislation and ultimately supported better legislation that was the product of bipartisan negotiations. Months of hard work, not campaign contributions, earned the support of many members.” ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=11741

[midnight]

1. When any company and or person breaks the law is it

covered up via immunity? Or does this just happen if large sums of cash are given to the law maker?

[Evoman]

2. A system of legal bribes. Great government there....

[leftofthedial]

3. Liberty is worth less than $8359 to the "democrats"

goddamned traitors

[Papa Boule]

7. Such a small sum. Poor negotiators

Any extortionist worth his salt would be disgusted.

I have to think they're better than that. Maybe they're getting bigger payoffs through other channels.

I would hope my liberty isn't worth selling out by them for anything less than two hundred and fifty grand.

[Otto DeFay]

10. Watch closely

To see who gets lucrative job offers and sweet lobbyist gigs after they get voted out.

[Papa Boule]

12. I would hope so. Otherwise they're not even good pimps

Pimping out our liberty for a paltry eight thousand and change.

[wtmusic]

4. Not "legislating from the bench", but "judging from Congress"

The GOP whines about legislative interpretation of the Constitution, but what about legislative interference with what is primary function of the judiciary?

If the telcom lawsuits have no merit, then our fine and experienced federal judges will have no problem throwing them out of court.

[tsuki]

5. Worst government that money can buy. nt

[daa]

6. Maplight.org has it

HOUSE DEMS WHO CHANGED THEIR VOTE TO SUPPORT FISA BILL, GIVING IMMUNITY TO TELCOS, RECEIVED, ON AVERAGE, $8,359 IN PAC CONTRIBUTIONS FROM VERIZON, AT&T, AND SPRINT



BERKELEY, CA—Last week, on June 20, the House of Representatives approved a compromise bill to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA). The bill sets new electronic surveillance rules that effectively shield telecommunications companies from lawsuits resulting from the government’s warrantless eavesdropping on phone calls and viewing of emails of private citizens in the U.S. Approximately 40 lawsuits have been filed with potential damages totaling in the billions of dollars.

On March 14 of this year the House passed an amendment that rejected retroactive immunity for phone carriers who helped the National Security Agency carry out the illegal wiretapping program without proper warrants. Ninety-four House Democrats voted in favor of this measure--rejecting immunity--on March 14, then ‘changed’ to vote in favor of the June 20 House bill--approving immunity.

“Why did these ninety-four House members have a change of heart?” asked Daniel Newman, executive director of MAPLight.org, “Their constituents deserve answers.”

MAPLight.org's research department compiled PAC campaign contributions from Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint and correlated them with the voting records of all House members who voted on last week’s FISA bill. (The analysis used data from CRP; contributions were from January 2005 through March 2008). Here are the findings:

http://www.maplight.org/FISA_June08

[rosesaylavee]

16. Members benefiting from ATT, Verizon etc list here:

http://www.maplight.org/FISA_June08

PAC contributions from Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint (January 2005 - March 2008).

Contribution House Member District

1 29500 Clyburn, James SC-6

2 29000 Hoyer, Steny MD-5

3 28000 Emanuel, Rahm IL-5

4 27500 Boucher, Frederick VA-9

5 26000 Meeks, Gregory NY-6

6 24500 Crowley, Joseph NY-7

7 24500 Pelosi, Nancy CA-8

8 24000 Bean, Melissa IL-8

9 22500 Edwards, Thomas TX-17

10 22100 Baca, Joe CA-43

11 21500 Engel, Eliot NY-17

12 19000 Bishop, Sanford GA-2

13 18500 Moore, Dennis KS-3

14 18500 Spratt, John SC-5

15 18500 Thompson, Bennie MS-2

16 16000 Melancon, Charles LA-3

17 15500 Cuellar, Henry TX-28

18 15500 Stupak, Bart MI-1

19 15000 Ackerman, Gary NY-5

20 14800 Butterfield, George NC-1

21 14300 Tanner, John TN-8

22 14000 Kind, Ronald WI-3

23 13500 Barrow, John GA-12

24 13500 Gordon, Barton TN-6

25 12500 Costa, Jim CA-20

26 12500 Ross, Mike AR-4

27 12000 Green, Al TX-9

28 12000 Hinojosa, Rubén TX-15

29 11000 Cardoza, Dennis CA-18

30 11000 Schiff, Adam CA-29

31 10000 Boswell, Leonard IA-3

32 9000 Boyd, F. FL-2

33 9000 Tauscher, Ellen CA-10

34 8500 Skelton, Ike MO-4

35 8000 Ellsworth, Brad IN-8

36 7500 Gutierrez, Luis IL-4

37 7500 Rahall, Nick WV-3

38 7000 Harman, Jane CA-36

39 7000 Langevin, James RI-2

40 7000 Lipinski, Daniel IL-3

41 7000 Reyes, Silvestre TX-16

42 6500 Matheson, Jim UT-2

43 6500 Scott, David GA-13

44 6500 Wilson, Charles OH-6

45 6000 Cleaver, Emanuel MO-5

46 6000 Etheridge, Bob NC-2

47 6000 Herseth Sandlin, Stephanie SD-0

48 6000 Salazar, John CO-3

49 5500 Hastings, Alcee FL-23

50 5500 McCarthy, Carolyn NY-4

51 5500 McIntyre, Mike NC-7

52 5000 Davis, Artur AL-7

53 5000 Murtha, John PA-12

54 5000 Ortiz, Solomon TX-27

55 4500 Brown, Corrine FL-3

56 4500 Donnelly, Joe IN-2

57 4000 Berman, Howard CA-28

58 4000 Bishop, Timothy NY-1

59 4000 Dicks, Norman WA-6

60 4000 Lowey, Nita NY-18

61 4000 Mahoney, Tim FL-16

62 3000 Murphy, Patrick PA-8

63 3000 Smith, Adam WA-9

64 2500 Arcuri, Michael NY-24

65 2000 Altmire, Jason PA-4

66 2000 Castor, Kathy FL-11

67 2000 Chandler, Ben KY-6

68 2000 Giffords, Gabrielle AZ-8

69 2000 Higgins, Brian NY-27

70 2000 McNerney, Jerry CA-11

71 2000 Mitchell, Harry AZ-5

72 2000 Pomeroy, Earl ND-0

73 2000 Sherman, Brad CA-27

74 2000 Sires, Albio NJ-13

75 1000 Berkley, Shelley NV-1

76 1000 Boyda, Nancy KS-2

77 1000 Gillibrand, Kirsten NY-20

78 1000 Kanjorski, Paul PA-11

79 1000 Kildee, Dale MI-5

80 1000 Klein, Ron FL-22

81 1000 Perlmutter, Ed CO-7

82 1000 Rodriguez, Ciro TX-23

83 1000 Space, Zackary OH-18

84 0 Baird, Brian WA-3

85 0 Berry, Robert AR-1

86 0 Marshall, James GA-8

87 0 Peterson, Collin MN-7

88 0 Richardson, Laura CA-37

89 0 Ruppersberger, C.A. MD-2

90 0 Sestak, Joe PA-7

91 0 Snyder, Victor AR-2

92 0 Taylor, Gene MS-4

93 0 Udall, Mark CO-2

94 0 Yarmuth, John KY-3
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Apparently some got more - and some sold us out for no money at all.

Damn, there are so many of them. And with Pelosi and Hoyer on the take, how could this NOT go forward in the House. I am done with any hope that Pelosi has any integrity. Letting go of that right now.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

8. "For a price, Ugarti, for a price."

I had no idea congresscritters could be purchased so cheaply.

[robinlynne]

9. Damn those cowards are cheap!

[OneBlueSky]

11. For Sale . . . Members of Congress . . . slightly used, never had to think too much . . .

worked only when the mood suited . . . well established with stuffed campaign chests . . .

Act Now! . . . don't be the last corporation on your block to own a Congressman/Congresswoman! . . . supplies ARE limited, so call today! . . .

[fascisthunter]

13. What Good is Their Money When They Live in a Country...

sliding towards a dictatorship? Greed makes people really really stupid.

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

14. Hey, it only cost $7000 to bribe my congresscritter,

Daniel Lipinski, DINO, IL-03 and Luis Gutierrrez also of Chicago was worth $7500. I guess the Daley machine must be slipping.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

17. lipinski is a pimple on the corpulent ass of a fetid,

festering, syphilitic, bottom-feeding, unthinking, deaf dumb and blind, post-modern, neocon-neanderthal.

[Triana]

15. As always, follow the damned money. n/t