I think the Verizon "scandal" was leaked by Republicans

[politicaljunkie41910]

Last edited Fri Jun 7, 2013, 05:53 PM - Edit history (1)

They weren't getting the sustained traction they had expected with the other "scandals". They couldn't get the public at large to wrap themselves around a conspiracy involving Obama and Hillary with Benghazi. The public at large is not buying the argument that the IRS scandal reaches the highest levels of the White House. And even the AP "scandal" failed to produce the public outrage the GOP had expected and was losing steam and the right had even begun to chastise Darrel Issa about his rantings starting to cause the Party more harm than good. So with even the media seemingly suffering from scandal fatigue, the long summer ahead and a disinterested public heading for vacation beaches, something was needed to shake things up, and keep President Obama glued to the Hot Seat.

Enter an anonymous leak about a 7 year old program, that every breathing member of Congress would have had to have known about. With Eric Holder sufficiently neutered as a result of the AP "scandal" there would not be much appetite for another investigation of who "leaked" this story to the press. What makes this an intriguing "scandal" is because it has sparked 'bipartisian' outrage. It's far sweeping because everyone has a phone, and it pits liberals, conservatives and libertarians against President Obama. A Trifecta. Everybody blames the President. Republicans and Libertarians feign outrage although anyone with a brain and who reads the newspaper, would have had to have known about the existence of this program for years now, and congress has voted to continue its existence. But that's neither here nor there.

Everyone is outraged. The GOP's immigration reform plans appear DOA. No jobs program on the horizon and instead of the public being outraged about a do nothing congress which continues to draw a paycheck, while other government workers are furloughed and which once again is threatening to do nothing regarding (take your Pick) Student Loan rates scheduled to double, sequestration which is threatening to stall the recovery, threats by the GOP to gamble with the Debt Ceiling once again, etc. etc.

But lets get all up in arms about our loss of privacy based on a government program that collects phone numbers of who called who and for how long. I know I'm supposed to be UPSET about all this, but it's hard for me to get upset about the probablility of some future occurrence where the outcome is unknown when we collectively are not outraged about the present which is known.

When we get off our butts, and our laptops as the Tea Party did, and get outraged and rattle a few doors like the Tea Party did over a do nothing Congress which is willing to sit patiently for another 4 years and watch this nation's infrastructure continue to crumble, jobs reports that remain lackluster while the rightwing continues to do things that ensure that this remains a jobless recovery, than I will take this latest "scandal" serious. Until then.

[NYC_SKP]

1. Thankfully, nobody fell for it. Not the Huffington Post or Drudge, nobody on progressive boards...

[tridim]

2. DU's official, "Yep, I fell for it... Again" poll is here...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=2964607

And the predictable impeachment call...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=2965542

[davidpdx]

12. It doesn't surprise me a bit

I would not expect anything else from DU.

Although I didn't read the thread, one person said "I just left the Democratic Party". Anyone want to bet me whether the person will close their account on DU? (remember you have to be a Democrat). I'd give it 10,000 to 1 odds.

[Generic Brad]

15. Perhaps we should change the name of this site

"Democratic Knee Jerk Reaction" or "Democratic Undermined" seem to be appropriate site names this week.

[davidpdx]

20. The first one works

At this point the forums have gone way downhill. Some people are a little to be gullible.

[Union Scribe]

16. No, you don't.

Please read the TOS.

[davidpdx]

19. I stand corrected

You can not however advocate for candidate of another party

[jazzimov]

22. I LOVE The Magistrate!

His comments in that first thread are spot on! Especially this one phrase that he repeats:

I will repeat myself once again:

This is not a reasoned or disinterested dispute over proper extent or exercise of government power.

It is a political fight, in which one side aims to discredit the other, to hamstring and hobble it in the period before the next election, and to shift the focus from its own lacks and discredits. In this particular fight, one side is composed of tea-bagging traitors, the most un-American bunch to infest our political life since the confederacy, and their Birchite corporate pay-masters; the other side is President Obama and his Administration. I am on one side of this, the only side a person who opposes the most reactionary elements of our political culture can be on in the present situation.

I support President Obama.

I hate and despise his enemies.

[tridim]

24. Agreed. He's a DU treasure.

[dkf]

3. The economy will go up and down. The info on you will last forever.

Through Obama and beyond. You must be prepared to have it used against you when the leadership changes or when people's perceptions of how our rights work change.

My mom used to tell me to be that I needed to be good because God was all knowing. Now it's the government that is watching and maybe it's not looking at you now, but there's always later.

[wandy]

10. The economy will go up and down? My parents lived through the depression.......

Were they still around they might tell you that their ain't no point of worrying if someone is listening in on you're phone if you can't afford a phone.
We got too dam close to that point and we ain't out of the woods yet.

[Enrique]

4. no, this only confuses their message

all their followers are wondering why all the GOP leaders are defending Obama, and why they are telling everyone to trust the federal government.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

5. As everyone looks at the dates it becomes obvious that this is Bush Era.

[busterbrown]

6. When I thought about it.. How could it not be leaked by a Republican..

And more importantly.. The Administration knew it would be leaked, how could it not? And they must have been ready for the leak... Meaning they were confident in their stance..

[Cha]

7. Anything to bring on the Stupid Hate of the President..

http://theobamadiary.com/2013/06/07/rise-and-shine-522/

From the transcript today..

"You know, I came in with a healthy skepticism about these programs, my team evaluated them, we scrubbed them thoroughly, we actually expanded some of the oversight, increased some of the safe guards, but my assessment and my team's assessment was that they help us prevent terrorist attacks."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=310274

If you want the Patriot Act gone.. elect members of Congress who will do that.

[wandy]

8. Thank you. I have been trying to figure out how to say this since yesterday........

What is worse is that we may have fallen into a well planned trap. We have forgotten that contrary to the beliefs of the right Obama is not a dictator. Obama can not do an executive order or wave a magic wand and make this all better.
Any progress to be made on this will require bipartisan effort by the House and Senate.
We know that ain't going to happen.
Simply beating Obama up over this will fix nothing.
Finding a balance between security and privacy starts here.

2014: Get the vermin out of the House.
End the republican menace.

[davidpdx]

13. A little light humor

But I do agree with you.

[rlegro]

9. Old news, but some in the GOP are milking it all the same

The GOP author of the Patriot Act that largely enabled all this spying (or that justified existing, warrant-less spying by the Bush administration) is again, again, again saying he's shocked! Seven years and more of being shocked, and yet he thinks the act is fundamentally sound. Oh, yeah? Then how come Congress can't figure out otherwise using its intelligence oversight power?

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/06/admit-it-rep-sensenbrenner-you-were-wrong-about-the-patriot-act/276638/

[musiclawyer]

11. I was going to post the same point of this thread

But it will backfire Because the GOP really does not want change. There will be enough Dems running for congress who are smart enough to take the civil liberties side .....and flip the House! Then things can change. This all really proves POTUS was too timid for the times. ......Thus far........Play it safe. Hold out your hand.

His legacy depends now on doing everything humanly possible to flip the house and then twisting arms when necessary after he gets both houses

[Union Scribe]

17. Why would he twist arms on this?

His support for these practices isn't tepid. At this point we'd need a veto-proof majority against the Patriot Act.

[davidpdx]

14. First let me say I agree with you

Pretty much any piece of meaningful legislation is probably dead for the rest of Obama's second term. Between Republicans obstructions and the accusation of scandals it is hard to see anything getting passed (though you never know). Since the Republicans have got the obstruction thing down pat it makes sense the next thing would be to go after him on a personal basis.

As I said in the other thread, if the Republicans can get enough liberal democrats in the Senate pissed they'd increase their chances of impeachment. We know it would pass the House in a heartbeat just on Republican votes alone. The Republicans will have 45 once the replacement for Senator Lautenburg is seated (which will be a Republican). From there the math is pretty simple, turn 22 Senators against the president. I'm not saying it will happen, but that seems the direct they are going.

[Corruption Inc]

18. So spying is OK because it's just a "scandal", LOL

and people should only care about spying when you do. Gotcha.

[Sunlei]

21. wonder what republicans will pick for next weeks' waste of Americans time & $??

decades of republican crap is why America and most Americans struggle today just to make a living.

[creon]

23. maybe

We do not know who leaked the story. Nor, do we know the rationale of the leaker.

It is unlikely that we will know the answer to either question. All that we can do is speculate.

The actions of the NSA should not be a surprise. It is a logical outcome of the Patriot Act and the decisions that were made regarding national security and civil liberties.

People will have to decide for themselves how they will react. Some will be outraged; some will not. But, I do not think that they should be surprised to learn it.