2015 American Politics Thread: The 114th Congress Is in the House!

Sax teacher was convicted of a crime, looks like hastert will be too (also paying hush money is p much an admission of guilt)

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/31/us/shaken-by-charges-for-denny.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=second-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

“That was the thing about him,” said Marty Kermeen, 58, who makes stone labyrinths. “It wasn’t like Jon Bon Jovi rolled up."

I am not an apologist wtf

een counted the number of stabs you delivered and carefully gauged the vigor of your blows, and found both to fall short of the required standard of enthusiasm, so... you're next.

Hilarious that its gonna be a gop congress that guts the patriot act. Incredible.

But will NSA and McConnell get some of what they want in 2 days, even if the Senate approves the House version (where private phone companies are expected to maintain the data for the NSA)?

looks mostly like rearranging the furniture in sum

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/05/31/zombie-patriot-act-will-keep-u-s-spying-even-if-the-original-dies.html

yup

there's no way the spy agencies just stop, even if they couldn't stretch the interpretation of any law to their ends.

for that reason i tend to think of the entire surveillance apparatus as essentially treasonous

Pretty sure there is a lot of money in gathering and collecting this information, not just on the NSA side but for the content providers as well. We'll be subsidizing some form of Verizon's customer database for permanent from now on.

no kidding.. thats the whole thrust of the new Hooray Freedom Act(tm). basically outsource the data hosting to third parties who will charge a hefty fucking fee for the privilege. and the metadata (lol yeah right only that) of every call in the world is probably quite a bit of data to store..

as usual Charlie Savage is indispensable:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/01/us/a-gap-in-surveillance-but-ways-around-it.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

i feel like if the US gov ever tried to use NSA data to blackmail a US activist, and said activist told the NYT, that would be a huge story - even w/ prolific data collection, isn't a free press always the best bulwark against the abuse of that information?

it's way more likely that the story would appear in The Guardian first

Mordy's friend Greenwald would write it.

wherever, the west doesn't lack for media who would love to run that kind of blockbuster story.

Dem advisor Greenberg on trying to win back white, working class voters. He's done his surveys and is sure he knows the answer. Sorta

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/junejulyaugust_2015/features/the_average_joes_proviso055824.php?page=all

Yet they are only ready to listen when they think that Democrats understand their deeply held belief that politics has been corrupted and government has failed. Championing reform of government and the political process is the price of admission with these voters. These white working-class and downscale voters are acutely conscious of the growing role of big money in politics and of a government that works for the 1 percent, not them.

It is possible that their cynicism about government is grounded in a fundamental individualism and long-standing American skepticism about intrusive government. And it also may be rooted in a race-conscious aversion to government spending that they believe fosters dependency and idleness—the principal critique of today’s conservative Republicans. If that is the prevailing dynamic, no appeal, no matter how compelling, would bring increased support for government activism.

Yet the white working-class and downscale voters in our surveys do support major parts of a progressive, activist agenda, particularly when a Democratic candidate boldly attacks the role of money and special interests dominating government and aggressively promotes reforms to ensure that average citizens get both their say and their money’s worth. These findings came out of innovative research conducted in partnership with Page Gardner’s Women’s Voices Women Vote Action Fund and David Donnelly’s Every Voice.

Occupy didn't accomplish much but I am glad that "1%" meme has become so thoroughly ingrained in political discourse

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/hoyer-dems-need-to-ease-off-the-trade-attacks-on-fellow-dems-118550.html

fuckin weasel

so the House bill passed - aside from the declassification of certain court decisions I'm unclear about which NSA powers have been rescinded. Are the NSA required to go to court to get records now, is that the deal? Seems like a good thing.

or at least better than how it was

It's on the telecom companies now, not the NSA.

well telecom companies can't have me murdered without a trial so that seems like a net win

but they will surely hand over their records, right?

I'm sure they will, but having an extra layer of judicial review can't be a bad thing

will it go to that court that approves 99.8% of requests?

‏@RepPeteKing
Today's Senate NSA vote is a victory for America, for freedom over ignorance and defeat for ISIS, Edward Snowden & Rand Paul

McConnell: USA Freedom Act is "a resounding victory for those who are currently plotting against our homeland."

will it go to that court that approves 99.8% of requests?

I assume so, but if that court's decisions are now public then that means pressure can be applied, rulings can be contested(?) etc.

Freedom of the Press Foundation:

While the bill has many significant flaws, the USA Freedom Act vote is also historic: it’s the first time since the 1970s that Congress has indicated its intention to restrict the vast powers of intelligence agencies like the NSA, rather than exponentially expand them. It also shows the power that investigative journalism and brave whistleblowing can have on even the most entrenched government interests. Two years ago, debating these modest changes would’ve been unthinkable, and it is absolutely a vindication for Edward Snowden.

Unfortunately, the bill is also woefully inadequate and largely symbolic, and Congress would’ve been better off letting Section 215 of the Patriot Act expire permanently. The USA Freedom Act supposedly bans bulk collection of phone records or any other private records, and we certainly hope it actually does. But its provisions are vague and confusing, leading many legal experts to believe they could be re-interpreted in secret—by NSA lawyers with a history of warping the common definitions of ordinary words beyond recognition—and could lead the FISA court to continue to allow the NSA to collect large quantities of Americans’ data in secret. (The administration will shamefully now re-start the phone program that expired on Monday for six months, as allowed under the new law's "transition" period.)

The ultra-secret FISA court, a Kafkaesque nightmare for civil liberties, also gets to keep many of its worst features, with just minor changes around the edges. Such an anathema to democracy should be dismantled entirely.

https://freedom.press/blog/2015/06/our-statement-congress-passing-usa-freedom-act-nsa-reform-bill

But its provisions are vague and confusing, leading many legal experts to believe they could be re-interpreted in secret—by NSA lawyers with a history of warping the common definitions of ordinary words beyond recognition—and could lead the FISA court to continue to allow the NSA to collect large quantities of Americans’ data in secret.

http://www.theblaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/John-Yoo.jpg

ahhh that chump

Unfortunately, the bill is also woefully inadequate and largely symbolic, and Congress would’ve been better off letting Section 215 of the Patriot Act expire permanently. The USA Freedom Act supposedly bans bulk collection of phone records or any other private records, and we certainly hope it actually does. But its provisions are vague and confusing, leading many legal experts to believe they could be re-interpreted in secret—by NSA lawyers with a history of warping the common definitions of ordinary words beyond recognition—and could lead the FISA court to continue to allow the NSA to collect large quantities of Americans’ data in secret.

this is classic "good as the enemy of perfect" and while there is basis for their concerns it seems like the more successful rhetorical tack to take would be to build on this bill's passage and the forces behind it to ensure that the concerns enumerated do not come to pass

That's how I regard it.

But its provisions are vague and confusing, leading many legal experts to believe they could be re-interpreted in secret—by NSA lawyers with a history of warping the common definitions of ordinary words beyond recognition—and could lead the FISA court to continue to allow the NSA to collect large quantities of Americans’ data in secret.

i assume this is what will happen, but at least now if they are found out (thanks to some snowden jr.?) it will be clearer that they are going against the spirit of a bill passed by congress.

that's not a lot to be thankful for, though. but until more people in this country get mad about this stuff and actually vote out their politicians for this issue we're not going to see much changing. c'est la vie...

not to be a total downer cynic but oliver north was going against the spirit and letter of a bill passed by congress, and somehow became a national hero.

to be fair, he's a hero to a minority of folks. most people know him as a criminal.

i mean sgt. calley was a hero to some, also.

but he never meant shit to me, etc.

most people know him as a criminal.

most people know him as that guy with shows on the history channel, I expect

what show is that? "great traitors in history"?

oh I guess it's on Fox

"War Stories with Oliver North"

the "Fox Business Network" to be precise

i'm skeptical because i assume that requests to spy on americans will continue to disappear into the FISA black box, because there are neverending methods to be kafkaesque, but have to admit this warms my heart and encourages me that it's a step in the right direction

McConnell: USA Freedom Act is "a resounding victory for those who are currently plotting against our homeland."

i hate a lot of politicians, but he's one of the select few where my brain just automatically replaces certain words with their opposite and it always makes more sense

trust me, i was there, and there was considerable "populist love" for North right after his testimony

and yes i'm sure Prez Hil and/or Walker/Jeb and the Republican Congress will dismantle the security state, hope i live to see it

that didn't take long

Denny is so going to jail

ugh

the tide is shifting on fast track--they're trying to put it to a vote friday.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CHKX8L1UkAAHA0x.jpg