I’m live blogging the Senate proceedings on CSPAN 2 right now over at Action:

http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2011/08/01/senate-debt-ceiling-watch-party-part-iv/

Stop by after you call your member of Congress. And bring the Pepto, you’ll need a strong stomach.

I’m so spitting mad that I could bring every damn one of them up on Treason charges. Want to talk about derilection of duty?

After the NSA debacle with super secret laws concerning phones and tracking, now we have a super secret Congress!

We might as well shut the entire place down. It is defunct!

Hoyer says his whip count is only 68. They’ll lose more than that on the right because the Tea Party is opposing:

http://news.firedoglake.com/2011/08/01/no-guarantee-debt-limit-deal-gets-through-the-house/

I won’t pretend we can win this. But this is too important not to make a stand.

Let’s make ‘em work for it.

Called Gwen Moore (D-WI), but her staff doesn’t know how she will vote. Her staff knew about FDL and appreciated my call. I think they want her to vote against it.

We’re in this together. I really appreciate the calls to action.

I’m in! Dialing DeGette’s office now…

need CA 36;
Janice Hahn

I have Louie “Terror Babies” Gohmert as my congressman. I’m calling him anyway. Never hurts to let him know people care about those programs in his own district.

Thanks Peterboy, we’ll add.

Waiting on Schakowsky to cave. I think her staffer knows my voice. I almost think I heard a sigh.

I already know what my rep is going to do. He is a teahadist by the name of Mick Mulvaney. The only one that claims to be a Dem is Clyburn and he is also a sell out. Jim Demint, Lindsey Graham, and Joe–You Lie are useless, brain dead, fascists.

That’s a safe bet. Schakowsky always caves, it’s her job

Janice Hahn

California-36th, Democrat
2400 Rayburn HOB
Washington DC 20515-0536
Phone: (202) 225-8220

“Details of deal are still trickling out. We will make a determination before the vote today.
Still talking with party leaders.
Are you being whipped–I am not privy to those discussions. We will make a determination soon.”

I am reminding them in my calls (to CBC & CPC) that the votes of the unwashed like me shouldn’t be their only concern wrt Super Congress

- w/ just 12 members protected from amendments and filibuster, just where in the fuck do they think their corporate patrons are going to be putting their cash ?!?!?

Yes. Make ‘em work their effin asses off to the bone for it.

Good point. Unintended consequences.

Great question, cbl!

The cash is only going to go to the super secret 12 to make protected and unquestioned laws for the country.

No wonder big biz and TBTF didn’t bother making a stink during all this back and forth. They knew they were being taken care of all along.

If/when the “Super Congress” is established, we all know the GOP will seat their most anti-entitlement, anti-tax ideologues. Naturally Obama will make sure the Democrats do the same thing, all in the name of compromise. There will be no liberal voices.

goopers say: tax increases will hurt jobs.
Dems dont say: cutting government payroll and purchases will Kill Jobs.

McIntyre might vote against. He voted against the Reid deal and the Tea Party is whipping against the deal.

Can’t blame the Tea Party for this piece of shit.

I called John Duncan’s (R- TN 2nd District) office on this and the staffer listened politely but did not know how he was going to vote on the Super Congress business.

I reminded her that, according to the BLS, if it were not for Mississippi and Arkansas, TN would be at the bottom of the 2009 median family income scale.

I’m not sure that any of these assholes give a shit about the people they represent. (I do admire Duncan for always being on the right side on war funding. He also joined the lawsuit questioning the legality of the Libyan war)

Just got off the phone with John Carter’s office. (R) TX 31

Staffer did not know how the Congressman would vote. Claimed he was reading the bill. Fat chance that. She, the staffer, assured me that would would pass along my concerns. Told her that it is the Congressman who should be concerned. For his job if he supports this bill.

What is it that the Party does to Progressives to force them to cave? Do they slay their first born children? Or just not support their campaigns, or what?

Clearly, the Dems we elected believe, come 2012, we WILL vote for them regardless what they do to us now. All the phone calls in the world won’t change that. So, how about entertaining a shift in approach? I think FDL is the most qualified to post the argument loud & clear why Obama MUST be primary challenged or abandoned come election time? Arguing now about who would best challenge Obama would distract from the critically important argument that Obama has failed Democrats (& all Americans to whom he promised “hope” and “change we can believe in”) miserably.

All of the Debt Deal Kabuki was simply a Trojan Horse to slip the Super Congress past US – so the Rich could plunder the Social Security Trust Fund – Don’t Fall For It!

calling Frank Lauentburg/Robert Menedenz and my house guy is Frank Liobindo who is a GOPer and is full of BS but I am calling him anyway…forgive my spelling as I am so pissed I can’t settle down

That’s true. I can’t blame the tea party for anything at this point. I’m still dumbfounded that the entire Dem Congress is part of this.

Primary Obama? NOPE! Primary every member of CONGRESS!

Hutchison: Staff doesn’t know; will tell her. She’s leaving…can do what she wants…Cornyn: line busy, no VM.

I told staffer I had simple message for the distinguished gentleman from Round Rock:

Go Rogue or Go Home !

if any one’s congress critters claim they have no option but to vote yes, or see the economy crash with no debt limit increase…..

please let them know that is WRONG and WE KNOW it. tell the president to use Proof Platinum Coin Seigniorage and, Cut the Gordian Knot with the Platinum Sword.

Called Klobuchar’s office at 10:20 am central time. Staff person who answered phone was almost apologetic when she told me that the Senator told MPR this morning that she was a yes vote. Minnesota will be looking for a new candidate.

I can’t get through – either by phone or email. So here’s:

An Open Letter to Tom Udall

Sir:

No No No on the Super Congress!

At this point I would trade our Leaders for any and all dogcatchers willing to take the jobs.

All of them!

And the Leader in Chief is the first. What part of NO does he not understand?

Oppose this bill! Raise the debt ceiling the way it should be done

And don’t even THINK about backdooring cuts to social programs.

We are watching you.

High 5! That’s nice!

I can’t get through to anyone in my former district in California. I’ll try my new district in Texas, even though I’m not registered here yet :)

They’re going to create an unconstitutional Super Congress to avoid the political process of the democracy that the Constitution is supposed to ensure?

Even with this aside, the economic mess that they’re creating with their super-bad efforts at governing and determination to do the bidding of the wannabe plutocrats will destroy this country.

More than their jobs are at stake!

In Rome, the people’s Assembly abdicated power to the Senate, and the Senate abdicated power to an emperor.

In the United States, the People’s House abdicated power to the Senate and President, and the Senate and President and abdicating power to a handful of people who think they can have more money and power than God while they make this once prosperous country burn to the ground.

Are there any distinguished gentlemen from Round Rock?

Just tell ‘em 78634. Also, too, if he is a yes we are shopping for new representation.

Not in Congress.

I called my Rep, Kathy Castor (FL-11) and suggested that if she really wanted to be re-elected, she might want to vote against this piece of crap. I pointed out that if the “Super” Congress stuff goes through, then there’s apparently no need for regular members of Congress so what would we be paying them to do?

The person taking the info was non-committal and said he would pass it on to the Representative. Since the number for Rep Castor showing on her web site was not getting me through, I did mention that I was having problems with it and was told there had been large volumes of calls into the Capitol Hill switchboard

This one time, at debt-ceiling camp, I stuck a Boehner in my Barack.

You can rest assured that the same blue dog democrats who decided what was going to be in the stimulus, and HCR legislation will be the ones appointed. Obama throws a last minute bone after the decisions are made to the “progressive” caucus in the form of a wham-bam-thank-you-mam meeting where he pats them on the head? and sends them off to be ignorred again.

In the meantime, the latte liberal contingient is out singing praises in his name.

If Congress has been consistently ignoring us previously, what strange notion makes you think they will pay the slightest attention now?

Clyburn’s office in DC said:

We still don’t know how he will vote. They are continuing to discuss and negotiate.

I said:

Please tell him I feel that a Super Congress of 12 to make laws is Treason.

She said:

I’ll tell him.

Barack Obama has revealed himself to be one of the strongest, and at the same time cagiest, presidents in U S history.

Obama did not “surrender” in the debt ceiling negotiations. He got exactly what he wanted. In the legislation is the Obama Cut and Gut Commission – a committee that represents a far greater threat to the middle class than the failed Obama Catfood Commission.

This president has displayed extraordinary determination in his perverted quest to cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

Why would Obama – now clearly a pseudo-Democrat – sellout the working classes of his country?

Here’s my take on the Obama betrayal. He sold his soul and the soul of his country to his Sugar Daddy Donors promising during the campaign that he would do his utmost to kill the social safety net. In exchange for his soul Obama received record amounts of payoff money from his Wall Street benefactors to finance his run for office.

By doggedly pursuing cuts to his nation’s most cherished programs Obama has once again displayed undivided fealty to his Sugar Daddies. And they are responding in kind. Already Obama is bagging tens of millions of dollars in cash.

The words crafty, cunning, devious do not do justice in describing this man’s duplicity.

He has set the stage for the first round of cuts to the programs. Worse, Obama has opened the floodgates to future changes by right wing extremists who have only begun the war and who are now greatly encouraged to continue the assault. The vendetta the right has borne for decades is about to realize a deadly revenge.

I have no evidence that any of the above is a valid analysis. However, it seems less and less farfetched every day.

Bernie Sanders to primary Obama, don’t make me laugh

Here is the Tea Party Nation’s email on the subject, that came today. Notice the electoral threat. Notice, also, that they don’t ordinarily make such threats (which was news to me), but feel that it’s justified, in this case:

If we thought the Boehner Bill was bad, he and Mitch McConnell have taken the White Flag of Surrender to new heights.

Everyone must wear their Congressmen out to stop this bill.

Here are the low lights:

First it contains a massive $2.4 trillion dollar increase in the debt ceiling.

It contains almost no immediate spending cuts.

The Deficit commission that is going to be created by this nightmare bill will be equally divided between six Democrats who want massive tax hikes and six Republicans who will look for the first opportunity to surrender, much as John Boehner.

The bill also calls for massive cuts in defense and allegedly in entitlements if the Deficit Commission is deadlocked or otherwise cannot come up with more budget cuts. The deficit commission will have the option of recommending tax hikes. The Bush tax cuts will be gone. Capital gains will be raised from 15% to 28%, destroying investment. Middle class deductions, such as home mortgage interest will be gone.

In short, by the end of the year, the left will have everything it wants. It will have massive new borrowing to cripple the economy. It will have massive new tax hikes and it will gut defense spending. About the only thing it won’t do is repeal the Bill of Rights. They are saving that for next year.

This bill is so incredibly bad and the worst part is it will give the Democrats the political cover they need. The GOP will not be able to pin this one on the Democrats because Boehner and McConnell brought this to the Republicans and the Republican House passed it!

Folks we have to act today. Call, fax, email, tweet and visit your Congressman’s office. Tell them that if this bill passes and they vote for it, it is war. I don’t care who the Congressman is, we will find a Tea Party candidate to run against them.

As a rule, at Tea Party Nation, we do not believe in threatening Congressmen but this bill is so bad we have no choice. We have to make the GOP Representatives fear the loss of their jobs. That is the only way they can overcome the pressure the House Leadership will be putting on them.

(emphasis mine)

Strange bedfellows do Tea Party and Progressives make when confronted with the gang of Twelve.

Done– they’ve been whipped and whipped good (I was firm and polite).

Called John Garamendi’s DC office this morning. He’s with us on SSMM but I have no indication on the current before the House.

called both Senators here NJ..neither has isued a statement yet..both offices said their phones are ringing off the hooks about opposition to the super Congress,,I guess Casting Director in Chief David Axelrod has not given out the parts of Good Guy or Bad Guy yet.

I made it clear I would not vote for anyone who supported this; I would write to as many NJ papers as I could and shame those who support; I will not support Obama’s reelection and I told them I proudly belong to a group of progressives who are actively working to unseat Obama in 2012

I am calling my House guy just to unload..he used to be moderate but now he is tea partyish..

Jane,

I’m in District 5. Mick Mulvaney took Spratt’s seat. I believe you have me mixed up. I’m in the Lower Carolina and McIntyre is in the Upper Carolina. Anyway, we are screwed all around in the Carolinas.

Clyburn’s office now knows what I think.

“Can’t blame the Tea Party for this }}}}STUPID(((( piece of shit.”

I hope you don’t mind the wee correction, Jane?

If the “manipulated” members of the T-Party are held to be “stoopid”, then the “leaders” and other Congressional members of the D-Party cannot claim either wisdom or wit, as they are “fully covered” with this awful damned shit.

(Spoke with Congressman Mike Doyle’s offices, both local and in Dee Cee. Neither staff member knew how Doyle would vote. The person who answered the local phone completely agrees and added her own concerns, the chap in Dee Cee, was not so openly honest and yet, even he, seemed to understand the sigificance of the “crossroads” which I suggested the D-Party has found or not found itself … at.)

DW

I called these people too:

Mailing Address:
Democratic National Committee
430 S. Capitol St. SE
Washington, DC 20003
Main Phone Number:
(202) 863-8000

and Mulvaney’s lines are all busy, even the DC numbers.

Called the DNC. Wouldn’t give me the time of day. Called people in Northern Minnesota and told them pass on to everyone in every store, business, golf course etc. that our Senator Amy Klobuchar is voting against working people, elderly and the poor today. We are working on recruiting another candidate to replace her in 2012. Each state needs to do this. If we move now we can do this. Contact Labor Unions for support money and manpower.

Jim Costa, California 20 is on the fence. I am definitely not holding my breath considering he is a blue dog. I would say mark him as voting for the bill. His staff is the epitome of unhelpful.

Edit: Costa and Nunes may be fighting for the same seat after redistricting here. Both of these so called reps need to go. Stay tuned.

Just called Russ Carnahan’s office in Washington. I told the lady that answered the phone that if he votes for the deal that gives cover to slash SS Medicare, and Medicaid I would not vote for him and would let everyone I know how he voted. She took my name address etc. and said I would get a written response via mail. I also told her I have requested a meeting with him to discuss his view on the big 3. I said no one seems to know what his position is. I expect him to vote yes on the debt limit bill.

We should also ask each of our Reps. and Senators for hearings as to the genesis and constitutionality of this specific “Joint Select Committee. Who’s idea was it? Where did it come from? Who authored it? Follow da money … I only think it fair that the public understands who behind the curtains…

W.o.w.

OK; done. Karen Bass (CA-33) hasn’t announced her position; a munchkin took my message and said he’d pass it along.

The USA FINALLY gets its own Enabling Act

Stick a fork in it, the USA is officially DONE.

we will have a star chamber congress. totally unconstitutional, but shit, that’s just a goddamn piece of paper anyway.

I just called Janice Hahn (thanks for the phone number). The person answering the phone stated that today was a typical day for phone activity. The office has received its usual pre-noon call total of about 200 calls. I asked about the issues and he said that there were a variety. I asked about how many are for compromise and how many are against. He stated that the office was still compiling the data.

Senator McCaskill’s mailbox is full. She is going to vote yes as well. She was lying saying yesterday what a good bill it is.

FAX the witch

free faxes online

I already called, I run up my phone bill to call them and most of the time, they don’t know what’s going on or won’t say, then, they do what they want anyway.
Sick of it

Yeah, I figure we lost America July 31st 2011.
I marked it on my calender

From Missouri McCaskill’s office says she has
not made a decision regarding the super congress.
but that she is not happy about negotiations.

Forget it, she is on public radio as I type and she
sounds very much for it. She needs to contact her
office ….

Sent this to my congress critter:

Whatever your position on the current state of fiscal affairs of the national debt, budget, and deficits, you must not pass a bill that will allow a band of 12 members of congress to decide the fate of millions of people who depend on Social Security and Medicare.

This is a total aberration of the representation citizens of this country expect, demand, and have a constitutional right to enjoy.

Many people see this for what it is, blatant theft of benefits that are already paid for because profligate Military Spending has driven this nation to the brink of insolvency.

Allowing such a so-called “super congress” to be formed would be a knife in the back of Democracy itself. I urge you to oppose any bill that contains such clearly unconstitutional language.

If he votes for this job killing debt increase he is NOT with us for anything.

“This is an emergency: we need you to call your Congressman today and ask them how they intend to vote.”

Jane, are you not taking a stand? You want us to call and just ask how they are going to vote?

I have never been so discouraged as I am today. Come 2012 we are going to have one Republican (Obama) going against another Republican — whoever that might be. If there is not going to be a primary challenge I see game over right now.

More suffering is needed before the majority wakes up.

According to what she said yesterday that is not right. Her office is lying.

Done, I used free faxes online. You are only allowed 3 faxes per day but that is enough to fax at least 3 members of congress a day.

Just called Adam Smith (Congressman – WA 9th District). Staffer claimed he was unavailable and was weighing feedback. Wow! Weighing the feedback…as opposed to consequences a Yes vote would have on the people he represents. Informed staffer that Obama was putting reelection ahead of country. Gave them my email address and expected a direct response from SMith. I’m not through with this guy…oh, and of course I informed them I would not be voting for Smith or Obama in the next election.

Agreed.

A “stacked” Deficit Commission? A “Super Congress”? Who do we blame?
Midterm: Further Right Lays Waste to What is Left
Obama Put Social Security on the Table

P.S. “[Since] a mandate was a solution, [are we now going to] try that to solve homelessness by mandating everyone buy a house[?]” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoSnqofelsQ

The Unconstitutional “Super Congress” Council of Twelve
The so-called Venetian Republic had a council of ten which did the bidding of a small and criminal oligarchy, which carried out political assassinations of its opponents with impunity. This Venetian sort of tyranny is what James Fenimore Cooper exposed in his novel The Bravo. If we accept this new form of “Super Congress,” then we shall have an outright tyranny of twelve handpicked henchmen of Wall Street, and our true form of constitutional republic will be no more a republic than the quondam oligarchic charade known as the Serenissima Repubblica di Venezia. Obama aspires to be nothing more than Il Doge, a figurehead lap dog of this brave new world.