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The people-powered campaign to hold Senator Dianne Feinstein accountable for her pro-Bush votes is just getting started. You've got her attention. Now, it's time to make sure she doesn't ignore her constituents any more.
Click here for video and the latest update.
You've got Senator Dianne Feinstein's attention.
When Senator Feinstein failed all of us by casting pivotal Judiciary Committee votes to confirm Attorney General Michael Mukasey and Judge Leslie Southwick -- in effect, condoning their deplorable stances on torture, racism and homophobia -- we asked what you thought the Courage Campaign should do in response.
Over a thousand of your brilliant ideas poured into the Courage Campaign web site with one common theme: Accountability.
When Mal Burnstein, Co-Chair of the Progressive Caucus of the California Democratic Party, authored a courageous censure resolution to hold Senator Feinstein accountable at the Executive Board meeting the following weekend, we asked if you would support it.
In less than a week, 35,212 concerned citizens like you signed on in support of censuring the Senator. MoveOn joined you. Progressive Democrats of America joined you. Over 40 Democratic Clubs and progressive organizations in California joined you.
From the New York Times editorial board and Fox News to the Huffington Post and community blogs like Daily Kos and Calitics, your grassroots and netroots movement for accountability is national news. And, just a few days ago, a surrogate of the Senator followed me in an extensive appearance on KNBC in Los Angeles to defend her record.
http://www.couragecampaign.org/ActBlue400
As your grassroots and netroots activism intensifies the spotlight, the Senator is being forced to respond, even if indirectly through surrogates. Now, with Senator Feinstein facing one of the most important decisions of her 14-year tenure in the Senate, we need your help to make sure she responds by standing up for the Constitution.
On Monday, we will email you a special video that could attract significant attention to Senator Feinstein's decision. We want as many people to see it as possible. But, quite frankly, we need the resources to pay for this Courage-produced video as well as cover the operational costs necessary to continue these kinds of time-sensitive actions.
http://www.couragecampaign.org/ActBlue400
Next week, a Senate Intelligence Committee bill re-authorizing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) will likely come to the Senate floor. This Intelligence Committee bill includes retroactive amnesty for telecom companies guilty of wiretapping Americans *without* a warrant.
As our friends at CREDO Action (from Working Assets) explain:
"Why amnesty? (President) Bush wants retroactive amnesty for the telecom companies to thwart civil liberties lawsuits that threaten to expose his own violations of the original FISA law. If these lawsuits aren't allowed to go forward, we may never know the extent of the Bush administration's illegal efforts to spy on American citizens without the required warrants."Senator Chris Dodd, Senator Russ Feingold and several other Senators have recently said they will filibuster any legislation that contains retroactive telecom immunity. However, to date, Senator Feinstein has failed to indicate that she will support such a courageous stand in defense of our Constitution.
http://www.couragecampaign.org/ActBlue400
Last week, we asked California Democratic Party Chairman Art Torres to use his "access to and influence with Senator Feinstein to oppose retroactive immunity for telecom companies." In a passionate speech defending Senator Feinstein at the CDP Executive Board meeting last week, the Chairman indicated that retroactive immunity is an issue that is "very important" to him.
Today, Online Political Director Julia Rosen is delivering 4,292 of your signatures to a letter encouraging Chairman Torres to use his political and moral capital to ask Senator Feinstein to stand strong against amnesty for telecoms. Given how important this issue is to the Chairman, we're hopeful that he will respond by Monday (we will keep you informed, as events develop).
http://www.couragecampaign.org/ActBlue400
With your financial support, we can continue to produce unique actions and compelling videos telling stories the printed word can never convey. From "What does it mean to be a Democrat?", the short film we released last week telling the story of the censure resolution, to a new as-yet untitled video in production on the battle to block Blackwater's base on the California border, we're leveraging the power of online organizing to connect you directly to the campaigns we wage.
On Monday, we'll be sending you an important Courage Campaign-produced video, directly addressing retroactive immunity for telecoms. Please watch for this special video in your in-box. To increase the impact of this action on Senator Feinstein's decision, we'll need your help to forward the video to as many of your friends, family and neighbors as possible.
From standing strong against amnesty for telecoms to "No Dirty Tricks" to blocking Blackwater, thank you for helping us build progessive infrastructure so we can build a progressive California together.
Rick Jacobs
ChairP.S. As we said a few days ago, the core organizing model of the Courage Campaign is to leverage online organizing to empower bloggers and grassroots activists in California. We are a new kind of organization, waging a new kind of campaign, practicing a new kind of politics.