What DU thinks of the NSA scandal: Results Inside

[reformist2]

This is not a scientific poll, but I think my estimates aren't too far from the truth.

50% seem to think this is a Repuglican dirty trick, yet another "faux" scandal,
25% seem to think there's nothing wrong with massive violations of our right to privacy if it keeps us safe,
and only about 25% seem to have any actual concern that our rights are being infringed on an unprecedented scale.

[arcane1]

1. One could think it's a dirty trick AND have actual concern about infringement.

I'm not claiming to be one of them, but I'm sure they're out there.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

3. Or one could assume

...that despite Republicans under Bush doing this first, and having no problem with it, they're now trying to make political hay insofar as possible without harming themselves.
Scummy move: check
Hypocritical: it sure is
Surprising: not at all

But this is how the GOP operates, and in large part, it's how hardball national politics operate. In the end, it's the President's fault for spying. Imagine if he hadn't; imagine if he'd told the NSA to knock it off as soon as he took office. We'd be in great political shape right now, and the GOP would look like shit. But of course Democrats can't make the good guy claim anymore, now that Obama has been shown to have increased the size of what was already the largest domestic surveillance regime in history.

[wandy]

5. One thing for sure this would be an excelent republican play. Look at the other side,,,,,,,,

"imagine if he'd told the NSA to knock it off as soon as he took office."
What would the republican position have been after the Boston bombing.
Obama is week on terror!
No, they could not predicted the Boston bombing, however over an eight year time frame something was bound to happen.
Wait it did.
Benghazi.
Yes, they could have influenced the timing for a conservative news source to headline the leak of a very nasty thing that has been happening for a long time. Right at the start of scandal season.
Why bother?
Scandal season started about a year ago and will be going on until November 2016.
There would be plenty of news stories even before the 2014 relative high point.

Because of the likes of Michelle Bachmann and Ted Cruz their is a tendency to think of republicans as simply nuts. They just can't learn.
Wrong!
Karl Rove knows how to take advantage of a situation and at the moment he is laughing his ass of.

[JoePhilly]

2. Correct, definitely not a scientific poll.

[Flashmann]

4. What percentage accounts for me?

I don't necessarily think it's a Repuglican dirty trick,or another "faux" scandal,though when I first became aware of this sort of thing,Nixon was in office and it was the DEA rather than the NSA,but faux didn't exist then.

25% seem to think there's nothing wrong with massive violations of our right to privacy if it keeps us safe
Hell yes there's something wrong with the massive violations of our right to privacy,well put BTW.What I don't get is why it's suddenly outrageous now,when corporations have been spying on and tracking us for decades and SELLING the info.People who bitched about that were labeled assorted kooks,but now the big bad gov. gets caught doing what anyone with a handful of braincells ALREADY knew they were doing,it's suddenly hair on fire time...NO!...It's been an outrageous invasion for 40 years.
Keep us safe?...Maybe,maybe not.Either way I'm not concerned any phone calls I ever have will raise any flags.If the NSA sees fit to record and store phone calls between my FIL and me about tomato plants and lawn mowing news,(which I don't buy for 1 second),fuck em...Let 'em waste their time.


about 25% seem to have any actual concern that our rights are being infringed on an unprecedented scale

Oh...Well...On further review,I suppose I fall into this grouping.