Senator Rockefeller Votes With John McCain Against Obama!

Today in the United States Senate, there was a series of votes on the FISA Amendments Act. The law has a boring name that seems very technical, but the effect of the law is easy to understand, and not at all boring.

This law will allow the White House to spy on American citizens’ electronic communications without any restraint.

Does that have your attention? Good. This is important… unless you think that having your emails, telephone calls and Internet use spied on by the FBI is just fine and dandy.

West Virginia Senator Jay Rockefeller is a Democrat in name, but he votes along with the Republicans on important issues much more than he votes with the Democrats. On the important issue of protecting Americans from the abuse of big government spies, Rockefeller stands with George W. Bush – on the side of Big Brother against you.

On almost every single vote today, Senator Rockefeller voted to help George W. Bush spy against your email, listen to your cell phone calls, and watch you on the world wide web – and to conduct this spying without any justification or oversight. This new Republican law that Rockefeller supports prohibits Congress from exercising oversight to prevent abuses, and allows the FBI and Director of National Intelligence to go spy against Americans without having to even make a claim that the targeted Americans are suspected of a crime. If this law passes, the President will be able to order his government to spy on you just because they don’t like you – and no one will be able to stop them.

Barack Obama was there today in the Senate. Obama stood strong and firm against the abusive FISA Amendments Act spying regime. John McCain voted in favor of Big Brother government spying against Americans.

Where did Senator John Rockefeller come down? Senator Rockefeller betrayed all freedom-loving Americans. He voted against Obama. Rockefeller voted with John McCain and George W. Bush.

Senator Rockefeller, over and over again today, voted to unleash the electronic spies of the government against you. Rockefeller betrayed us.

Senator Rockefeller is being challenged by two Democrats for the Senate nomination this year. West Virginians, please give them your support. Senator Rockefeller deserves the support of the West Virginia Democrats no longer.

Ron Paul Gets Zilch in West Virginia

Results from the West Virginia Republican presidential caucuses are in and it looks like yucky Mike Huckabee is the victor. Yes, THE victor – the only one, because the way that the Republican Party works is that winner takes all, and minority opinions count for zilch.

Amongst the zilch of the West Virginia Republican caucuses is Ron Paul, whose supporters have been feeling an increasing intensity of angst, after Ron Paul’s predictions of a “grand showing” in the Maine Republican caucuses never came to pass.

It’s becoming increasingly difficult for Ron Paul’s supporters to maintain their belief that Ron Paul has begun a revolution that is, somehow, unstoppable.

Perhaps it was the associations with white supremacy. Perhaps it was Ron Paul’s refusal to accept the responsibility of government to provide for the “general welfare” of the American people. Somewhere along the way, the Ron Paul magic was revealed as little more than a collection of glittery dried leaves.

Is West Virginia the last stop? No, the Ron Paul train stopped a long time ago.

West Virginia Impoverished By Right Wing Agenda

In 2004, West Virginia voters chose to make theirs a red state, sending their delegates to the electoral college in support of George W. Bush. The traditional idea is that to the victor go the spoils. So, has West Virginia gotten much in the way of spoils, then? Sadly, no. All that West Virginia has gotten as thanks for its vote for the Republican presidential candidate is a spoiled economy.

The average blue state (Democratic-voting) poverty rate is just 11.06 percent. In West Virginia, however, the poverty rate is 18 percent. The child poverty rate in West Virginia, at 25.6 percent, is more than ten points higher than the blue state average.

For West Virginia, voting Republican has been a thankless habit. It’s time for that habit to change into something more economically productive.

(Source: Food Research and Action Center, State of the States Report, 2007)