This should help out the 16% approval rating — if only trial lawyers and CAIR representatives are polled next time around.
From the Washington Times, here’s Rep. Peter King:
“I don’t see how you can have a homeland security bill without protecting people who come forward to report suspicious activity.”While the conference is not likely to meet again, Mr. King noted the conference report has not been written and says he will continue discussions with Sen. Joe Lieberman, Connecticut independent and chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, to insert the “John Doe” language.
Sen. Susan Collins, Maine Republican and ranking member of the committee, announced afterward she will attempt to attach a similar bill to an education measure currently under debate on the Senate floor.
Because I’m a giver, let me offer this as a campaign slogan for the next Democratic presidential candidate: “Vote for me. Because who else is going to protect you? You?”
Nuance.
(h/t Stacy M)
****
update: Via Malkin:
8:55pm Eastern update. Well, the Senate Dems have spoken. Susan Collins got a vote, but it just failed. Audrey Hudson’s latest update: “The measure failed in a late-night 57-39 vote after some last minute arm-twisting by Democrats, three votes shy of the required (super majority) 60 votes because it was not directly related (germane) to the underlying educational funding bill.â€ÂBottom line: The Dems believe that if you see something, you should just shut up.
Well, not exactly. They believe you can report it, but if you do, prepare for the possibility that you might be dragged into court and waste money defending yourself against a nuisance suit (best case scenario), or that your head hacked off on videotape (worst case scenario).
A minor distinction, but an important one.
This fight is not over. There still is a final conference report to be hashed out. Keep your phones lit. The Senate Dems need to hear from you.
What I want to know is, why aren’t the Senate Dems hearing from registered Democrats? Surely there are Dems in the electorate who believe that reporting suspicious behavior should not place one in financial or physical peril?
Or is it all about politics or political correctness — even where security is involved? Because make no mistake: the Islamists are at war with us, whether we wish to acknowledge it or not.
For the record: no Republican voted against John Doe, though one — Sam Brownback — didn’t bother voting.
Guess he was too busy trying to prop Fred Thompson’s skeletons into some sort of fright for social conservatives.
Always politically cagey, Hillary voted for the measure, allowing those Senators whose seats are safe to cast the votes that killed Doe.
Principles? Feh. It’s about nuance.
Comment by Robin Roberts on 7/19 @ 5:18 pm #
We need a bumper sticker for ‘08: “Report a Terrorist, Be Sued by a Democrat”
Comment by JD on 7/19 @ 5:23 pm #
The campaign commercials for this should be spectacular. A
nybody care guess the over/under on the number of tough questions Pelosi actually answers on this issue?
Comment by Topsecretk9 on 7/19 @ 5:38 pm #
I just commented at Ace’s that this seems to be a campaign issue for the GOP handed on a silver platter – do Democrats who bemoaned the Dots, the dots – really want to protect the terror plotters plots and punish people for possibly stopping it?
This is just the dumbest – ill-thought position ever.
Comment by JD on 7/19 @ 5:58 pm #
It is not ill-thought, topsecret, no thought whatsoever went into this one.
Comment by hit and run on 7/19 @ 6:00 pm #
Hey! Dems are trying to shore up their base:
At least they’re listenting to their constiutents.
Representative Democracy.
Comment by JD on 7/19 @ 6:09 pm #
Isn’t there somebody in their caucus that will raise their hand and say, “Speaker Pelosi, do you really think this is a good idea?”
Comment by Pablo on 7/19 @ 6:24 pm #
Well, JD, it won’t be a trial lawyer.
Comment by JD on 7/19 @ 6:37 pm #
True, Pablo, so very true. Outside of CAIR and the plaintiff bar, who else would be invested in this? The plaintiff bar has bought and paid for the Dems several times over, and I doubt that the Dems would actively push CAIR’s interests ahead of national security. Oh fuck, who am I kidding? I just figured it would take longer until they actively started pulling this crap. Fortunately for them, the media simply will not report it like they would have had the Republicans done the same thing. Actually, why didn’t the Republicans pass this previously. Good example of their lack of leadership that led them back to the minority party.
Comment by Topsecretk9 on 7/19 @ 6:45 pm #
True. True. I was just listening to Hugh Hewitt – Dwayne just described a most hilarious occurrence in the Senate this evening…apparently the Dems wrote some amendment for closing down gitmo and wrote is such a way you need to vote no for it to pass the way they wanted (or something goofy like that- I don’t know it was some goof up) and I guess because Reid didn’t also alert everyone – long story short, before they realized what happened it was something like 90 – 3 vote
I guess Kennedy was just livid with Reid for hi mis-management again.
Comment by Topsecretk9 on 7/19 @ 6:50 pm #
OK – I was little off – it was an amendment offered by McConnell – but I can’t find the text
Comment by R30C on 7/19 @ 7:03 pm #
Once, years ago,long before 9-11, I was flying from Harrisburg to Fort Wayne with a layover / transfer at Cinci (Florence, KY) for the final leg of the trip to FWI. When I boarded at Cincinnati I noticed that Jill Long(D) (congress critterette at the time from my district and long term resident who lived at the time not more than 20 miles from me) was on the flight. So my question is am I to just STFU all of the time when I see something peculiar, or open my mouth only when a congress critter is on the same flight I’m taking and something seems odd?
Comment by gahrie on 7/19 @ 7:20 pm #
Guys..You are missing the point. The Democrats have told you that there will be no terrorist threat once we have left Iraq, so no whistleblower protection is needed.
Comment by Great Mencken's Ghost on 7/19 @ 7:24 pm #
Hell, the Democrats can’t even “defend” us from the Republican Party; how are they going to defend us against terrorists…?
Comment by JD on 7/19 @ 7:25 pm #
Rep. Pelosi’s voice mail box was full. Imagine that.
Comment by J Knight on 7/19 @ 7:35 pm #
Another victory for the people (I mean trial lawyers). The Dems don’t have a clue and they are in charge. There will be hell to pay one day!
Comment by Jeffersonian on 7/19 @ 7:41 pm #
I’m so relieved. Now I’ll save those cell phone minutes I was going to use to report that nice man in the keffiyeh and vest full of silly putty going into the local mall.
The Constitution may not be a suicide pact, but that doesn’t mean Harry and Nan won’t try to get it through in a statute.
Comment by The Ghost of Abu Musab Al Zarqawi on 7/19 @ 7:50 pm #
Oh come on infidels. It’s not fun if you just roll over. Make me work a little.
Comment by JD on 7/19 @ 7:54 pm #
Ghost – If Pelosi and Reid have their way, in the not so distant future, your splodeydope brothers in arms will be free to terrorize the entire Middle East with impunity, as our forces will be strategically withdrawn to Okinawa, for rapid response. There will also be a plaintiff lawyer on every flight, supplied at government expense, to ensure that all of the terrorists and non-terrorists are free to do whatever they wish on airplanes.
Comment by John Doe on 7/19 @ 9:25 pm #
Can’t you lawyers find someone else to pick on once in a while? My legal fees are MURDER…
Comment by JD on 7/19 @ 10:01 pm #
Every one of the 43 Senators that either voted against this matter, or did not vote, should get asked some very pointed questions by the media. Alas, they will not.
Comment by JD on 7/19 @ 10:02 pm #
And the specific individuals from the House that stripped this from the legislation should be identified.
Comment by JD on 7/19 @ 10:03 pm #
Unfortunately, I have absolutely no confidence that the Republican party could actually do anything useful with this softball.
Comment by Sean M. on 7/20 @ 2:35 am #
I don’t know why you’re all bitching about this. I mean, this is an important civil rights victory for People of Girth.
And we all know that George Bush doesn’t care about fat people.
Comment by Dan Collins on 7/20 @ 4:42 am #
From “The Good Citizen” chapter of Pelosi’s Little Green Book:
“The Good Citizen realizes it is in her best interest to surrender her initiative to the designated experts, for their judgment is better than hers.”
Comment by N. O'Brain on 7/20 @ 5:55 am #
What’s the difference between a catfish and a lawyer?
One’s a scum sucking bottom feeder.
The other is a fish.
Comment by JD on 7/20 @ 6:38 am #
If Hillary had wanted this to pass, she would have helped out Reid in getting it passed. If the Dems had wanted this to pass, we should expect to hear them all of this issue all weekend long on the talk shows, which I will not be watching, given the fact that I will be eating breakfast in bed, watching The Open Championship from Carnoustie all weekend.
Comment by BJTexs on 7/20 @ 6:42 am #
In case you were wondering: http://www.opensecrets.org/parties/indus.asp?Cmte=DPC&cycle=2004
2004 list of contributions by industries for the Democratic Party.
1) Candidate Committees – $71,220,348
2) Lawyers/Law Firms – $43,717,138
Now for the Republicans: http://www.opensecrets.org/parties/indus.asp?Cmte=RPC&cycle=2004
1) Retired: $44,687,956
2) Candidate Committees – $27,122,354
[....]
8) Lawyers/Law Firms – $10,848,286
Hmmmm. A 4 to 1 ratio….
Comment by JD on 7/20 @ 6:57 am #
BJ – Do those figures include the money from the local, state, and national bar associations, etc … ?
Comment by BJTexs on 7/20 @ 7:12 am #
JD:
Here is the note on methodology:
I think it means the answer to your question is “yes” but I’m not sure. I can’t find my old link but I remember seeing a list of special interest contributions from 2000 that listed the Trial Lawyers organization as the #2 giver to (i think) the 2000 Democratic presidential campaign, second only to a union (teachers or municipal workers I think.)
Comment by Terp Mole on 7/20 @ 7:18 am #
Um… how do you spell double jeopardy?
Sued if you do… imprisoned if you don’t.
Comment by Rob Crawford on 7/20 @ 8:35 am #
But, hey, at least you know you’re safe from “bias crimes”.
Comment by slickdpdx on 7/20 @ 9:03 am #
Aggravating this is the Supreme Court’s decision in Florida v JL which essentially ruled that information from anonymous person is nearly valueless. So, unless you identify yourself, the authorities can’t do much. If you do identify yourself you can be sued (or open yourself up to street-level retaliation.)
Glad to see your using reCAPTCHA, its a cool idea.
Comment by ronaldo on 7/20 @ 9:57 am #
A Washington Times and a Malkin reference in one entry? These are your primary sources? This explains a lot about how you come to your conclusions. That would be like me referencing the NY Post and Rosie O’Donnel.
Comment by Pablo on 7/20 @ 10:10 am #
Shouldn’t you be out shooting messengers, ronaldo? Or did you have some facts you wanted to dispute?
Comment by Jim in KC on 7/20 @ 10:21 am #
You know, I can report stupid, petty shit like my neighbor’s grass being too tall anonymously.
Comment by McGehee on 7/20 @ 10:41 am #
No, because you referencing Rosie O’Donnell would be just plain stupid.
And that’s nothing new.
Comment by Mojito's for Everybody! on 7/20 @ 10:44 am #
Ronaldo’s back in the house! You still trying to get your brain around market forces, there Ro? How’re you doing with that global warming thing? You stopped breathing yet?
Comment by Mental Health ward nurse on 7/20 @ 11:17 am #
Sorry, folks, but have you seen ‘ronaldo’ around here anywh… Oh THERE you are, you naughty boy.
You’ve been skipping your nice pills again, haven’t you? Come along now, that’s a good boy…
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