When looking at the numbers, it turns out that Democrats in the House that voted for the bill with retroactive immunity received thousands more in donations from the telecommunications industry than others. Honestly I expect more from our Democratic caucus, but this is exactly why we need to get more Democrats, then better Democrats. The 94 who voted with the Republicans for these companies to escape justice along with the architects at the Bush Administration (George included) must be held accountable for their actions...and in time will find plenty of primary challenges from Democrats ready to uphold the Constitution before their exorbitant bank accounts.
From 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.
How sad is that a measly $8,400 can steer so many elected officials so far off course? It may be a sizable chunk for a Congressional race, but if you could show 840 people that you care about the Constitution, they'd throw you ten bucks faster than you can bend over for AT&T or Verizon.
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