Claire McCaskill and the telecoms

Dodd will lead the charge and filibuster today to stop retroactive immunity for the telecom companies that were more than happy to spy on you and me at the whim of the president.

And even my Democratic senator appears to be willing to play along.

This is just embarrassing (especially when one stops to consider that the seat held by McCaskill is the same seat once held by Harry Truman!)

It is one thing to be for sale, but to be for sale at fire-sale prices is just humiliating. When she was the Jackson County prosecutor she locked up prostitutes and their johns, and put the johns on teevee.

Now she has joined their ranks.

[Keep reading...]

[Updated below the fold...]

Back here in Missouri we have been more than a little pissed off at her since August, when she put her leisure time ahead of the Fourth Amendment. And then there was her pathetically lame response to my concerns when I contacted her office to express my outrage.

This morning I called her office to let her know what I think about telecom immunity - and the staffer I spoke with couldn't - or wouldn't - tell me how she intends to vote. But I'm pretty cynical, and I think I have a pretty good idea. After all, telecoms have a lot deeper pockets than this midtown housewife and full-time Nana.

I may not have a ton of money to throw around, but I have time to visit open secrets . org

Alcatel USA

$1,000

Level 3 Communications

$2,500

Sprint Nextel

$5,000

Verizon Wireless

$2,500

AT&T Inc

$1,000

CenturyTel Inc

$2,000

Embarq Corp

$2,000

TDS Telecommunications

$2,000

Time Warner Telecom

$1,000

I couldn't (legally) contribute several thousand dollars even if I had it to give, so I'm as pissed off about the low, low price tag as I am the selling out of the Bill of Rights.

Right now, I am counting days to 2012, when I can support a primary challenger to take away the seat she so obviously does not deserve to occupy.

UPDATE I from the original post at BG,RS - by PALE RIDER

If you click those links, you'll see this nifty breakdown:


Update II - via Gadfly:

Here's the list of the 12 Democratic Senators who voted to kill the Senate Judiciary Committee's FISA renewal plan without telecommunications company immunity:

Sens. Evan Bayh (D-IN), Tom Carper (D-DE), Daniel Inouye (D-HI), Tim Johnson (D-SD), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Ben Nelson (D-NE), Mark Pryor (D-AR), Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), and Ken Salazar (D-CO).