FISA Amendments Act

The Senate's passage of H.R. 6304, the FISA Amendments Act, has been a source of heated controversy and debate among liberals and conservatives alike, with the Democratic party split down the middle on the issue. The major political news story this morning is about Obama's vote in favor of the bill and whether this will cause him to lose support from his base. So often with the proliferation of pundits, and yes, blogs, we lose site of the issue in the midst of all the spin. I've decided to link to GovTrack's site on H.R. 6304 so we can see the full text of the bill for ourselves, to come to our own informed decisions about the benefits and ramifications of its passage.

Our congressional representatives, Casey, Specter, and Platts, also voted in favor of the bill. GovTrack's website has a feature that allows you to monitor members of Congress, sending you notifications of their votes. This is an incredibly beneficial resource for voters, as we can let the candidates' records speak for themselves and see through the spin and attack ads. I highly recommend that everyone signs up for this service--it's quick and free. I'm also going to add a feed on the right side of the blog that will display how our representatives vote, as well as a feed on Senators Obama and McCain.

In less controversial news, Senator Obama voted in favor of passing the new Medicare bill that halted a cut in funding for physician reimbursement, and I'm pleased to announce that it went through with unanimous consent.

Related Link: Senator Obama's talking points on why he supported the FISA Amendments Act