obama, fisa, and the assault on joe the plumber
By American Girl in Italy on October 18, 2008 at 6:35 PM in 1st Amendment, Barack Obama, FISA, Flip Flopping, Joe The Plumber, John McCain, Media Bias, Media Handling of Story
As I watched the assault on Joe the Plumber the last couple of days, launched by Obama, Biden, the media, and Obama supporters made me think about Obama and his vote on the FISA bill.
Does everyone remember the outrage by Obama supporters, when Obama pulled a massive flip flop and voted for the FISA bill?
Well, he missed the first vote:
“Obama (conveniently?) missed the February vote on that FISA bill as he campaigned in the “Potomac Primaries,” but issued a statement that day declaring “I am proud to stand with Senator Dodd, Senator Feingold and a grassroots movement of Americans who are refusing to let President Bush put protections for special interests ahead of our security and our liberty.”
And then he promised to filibuster, but he didn’t:
“He broke faith,” said Matt Stoller, a political consultant and blogger at OpenLeft.com. “Obama pledged to filibuster, and he is part of that old politics, in this case, that he said he wasn’t. It will spur us to challenge him.”
Many Obama supporters, those who weren’t pissed at him, suddenly jumped on the FISA bandwagon:
“What had been a vicious assault on our Constitution, and corrupt complicity to conceal Bush lawbreaking, magically and instantaneously transformed into a perfectly understandable position, even a shrewd and commendable decision, that we should not only accept, but be grateful for as undertaken by Obama for our Own Good. … it’s our duty to refrain from voicing any criticism of him, because the Only Thing That Matters is that Barack Obama be put in the Oval Office, and we must do anything and everything — including remain silent when he embraces a full-scale assault on the Fourth Amendment and the rule of law — because every goal is now subordinate to electing Barack Obama our new Leader.
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The bill legalizes many of the warrantless eavesdropping activities George Bush secretly and illegally ordered in 2001. Those warrantless eavesdropping powers violate core Fourth Amendment protections. And Barack Obama now supports all of it, and will vote it into law. Those are just facts.
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Sen. Russ Feingold condemned the bill on the ground that it “fails to protect the privacy of law-abiding Americans at home…”
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Obama’s statement warns us that we face what he calls “grave threats,” and that therefore, we must accept that our Leader needs more unlimited power, and the best we can do is trust that he will use it for our Good.”
Commenter Hume’s Ghost wrote:
What really rubbed me the wrong way was how Obama in his statement says essentially trust me with these powers, I’ll use them responsibly. Nope.
So, what does this have to do with Joe the plumber and FISA?
Amendment IV
(Privacy of the Person and Possessions)
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Digging dirt on Joe is a bad idea, Lee Cary:
This afternoon ABC’s Charlie Gibson reported on his hourly radio news report the results of his network diggin’ dirt on Joe the Plumber. Gibson reported that Joe has a “lien” for failing to “pay his property tax.” The lead-in, stated by a co-reporter, was “Oh, by the way, Joe…”
Here’s a guy who’s just an average citizen, approached by a campaigning Obama, who expresses his opinion. It’s his right as a citizen. Problem is, what Joe said isn’t consistent with the ABC party line. So Joe is now in the crosshairs, and they’ll stay on Joe the Plumber in an effort to ruin his life and destroy his credibility.
This is just a taste of the “Thugocracy” that Michael Barone wrote about. Criticize Obama and the old big media will work hard to ruin you. This is extremely dangerous for this democracy.
Operation Destroy Joe the Plumber- Michelle Malkin:
My syndicated column today reports on Team Obama and the Obamedia’s mission to tear down Joe the Plumber. Yes, we are in the midst of a new contagion: Joe The Plumber Derangement Syndrome. JTPDS.
Now, pay close attention to how the MSM rushes to uncover every last bit of gossip and dirt about Joe Wurzelbacher’s life. Some of it is relevant to the public policy questions he posed to Obama. Much of it is not. More here.
L.A. Times: Joe the Plumber Has Liens!!!!
The Los Angeles Times reports:
According to court records, creditors have secured at least two liens against [Joe the Plumber] Wurzelbacher, whose legal name is Samuel. Ohio has a $1,182 lien for owed taxes and St. Charles Mercy Hospital has filed a 2007 lien for $1,261.
I think we can all agree that this is critical information. Not because it says anything about Joe the Plumber, mind you. But it does serve a useful function: it warns any future citizen who might dare question Barack Obama that his life will be closely scrutinized for any irrelevant but embarrassing information.
So, you know. Critical in that sense.
Democratic Underground launches a full on assault, exposing all of his personal information, rummaging through his divorce papers, and financial records, and more.
Now, I am sure you are wondering how I can blame Obama and Biden for the actions of their supporters? Well, for starters, the same way the Obama camp can blame McCain and Palin for their supporters yelling out *kill him* wrt Obama, at their rallies, even when it never even happened.
And also because Biden and Obama have gone on TV and repeatedly mocked, and insulted, and misconstrued what Joe said.
Joe: “I’m looking at buying a business” So, he doesn’t own a business now, he doesn’t make $250K now, and he won’t make $250K if he buys it, his business will earn $250K.
And here, Obama MOCKS the plumber, and then he MOCKS that McCain is *fighting for the plumber*. And then he scoffs that a plumber doesn’t make $250K a year. So, is Obama mocking the fact that McCain is fighting for the small business owner, who make less then $250K a year? Or is he mocking plumbers, in general, and that it is impossible that a plumber can make $250K a year, because they didn’t go to Harvard? I am confused on what point Obama is making…
So, back to my point. Obama has *enflamed the hatred* on Joe the Plumber. He has mocked him, humiliated him, and not spoken out to stop the insanity that has been launched by his supporters on Joe the Plumber.
Which, now thinking about how Obama voted to support FISA, a bill that “fails to protect the privacy of law-abiding Americans at home…” it doesn’t surprise me.
Obama has allowed, and enflamed a full on violation and assault onto a private citizen, who just happened to be in his own home, when Obama ascended on his neighborhood. Joe the Plumber dared to ask a question of *The One*.
Barack Obama Mocks Joe The Plumber and Joe Loses His Job!
And Obama has failed to protect, or speak out for, the privacy of a law abiding American at home, by mocking him, and not speaking out.
Watch out… you know what’s next.
Amendment I
(Privacy of Beliefs)
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.






















