The House shot down a bid Tuesday to pass a nine-month extension of the Patriot Act. The Patriot Act, which was passed by Congress as a response to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, gives the government greater authority in tracking and intercepting communications. It establishes new crimes, new penalties and new procedural techniques for use against international terrorists.
The vote, 277 to 148, fell short of the two-thirds majority needed. But instead of looking at the 26 members of their own party who voted against the bill, Republicans were quick to blame Democrats who didn’t play along as expected. Thirty-four Democrats, who had supported an extension in 2005, voted against one Tuesday.
But before we jump the gun and label the Democrats as the bullies on the playground, let’s look at the reasons why those 34 decided to oppose the extension this time. Representative Robert E. Andrews, D-Nj., said Republicans made a mistake in rushing the bill to the floor without hearings or amendments; which is something Speaker of the House John Boehner claimed he wouldn’t do.
Yet Boehner has done this on both of the major pieces of legislation brought to vote in the House, the other being to repeal the healthcare law. When asked why the initial vote was rushed and avoided the amendment and rule-making process, Mr. Boehner gave the groundbreaking response of: “It was.”
Democrats also opposed the piece of legislation based on both a provision easing access to business records and the “lone wolf” provision. Previously, the government could only use surveillance against those who had known ties to terrorist organizations. But under the lone wolf provision, the government only needs suspicion that someone is involved with a terrorist organization, which leaves a lot of grey area.
Despite Democrats pointing out their reasoning, Republicans accused Democrats who voted against the extension of trying to make the majority look foolish. I feel if Democrats wanted to make the Republicans look foolish, they would have just mentioned former Rep. Christopher Lee, who resigned from Congress on Wednesday because of evidence he sent shirtless photographs and “flirtatious e-mail” to a woman who wasn’t his wife.
While the Republicans are correct in saying the Patriot Act has made significant strides in national security, these provisions cross the line when it comes to our civil liberties. President Barack Obama has stated he is in favor of extending the Patriot Act without said provisions.
Another cause of concern for Republicans comes in the form of the Tea Party members who voted against the extension. In combination with Representative Michele Bachmann, R-Mn., giving the Tea Party’s response after the State of the Union address, it seems tea-party Republicans are willing to stand up for their own principles instead of blindly following the Republicans as some have speculated.
Republicans had an opportunity to continue their hot streak but couldn’t capitalize. And while I don’t think it is a catastrophic setback, it certainly takes away some of the momentum they started with.
