Can -- or would -- the Democrats roll back the Patriot Act?

[Armstead]

Let's give the Congresional Democrats the benefit of the doubt and assume that they have gone with the excesses of teh Patriot Act because they are not in a position to block them.

And let's say that later this year, the equation changes and the Democrats take control of Congress.

Would they then be willing to seperate the wheat from the chaff and roll back the exessive intrusions of the Patrioit Act? And, in a more general sense, would they rescind the other intrusions into our privacy and freedom that have been going on?

[rzemanfl]

1. The first thing a Democratic Congress should do is re-enact the

United States Code as it existed on January 19, 2001.

[Armstead]

3. I would tend to agree with that

Then they could correct any inefficiencies while avoiding the excesses and abuses.

[KoKo]

2. NO! Like Kerry and Edwards before them...they see it as a "loser Issue."

Doesn't matter that Kerry/Edwards Won (since I think the election was stolen) the point is ...Dems will run on Repug Issues until the "crows come home to roost" because they are "sore afraid."

[sandnsea]

9. What are you talking about?

Kerry and others just introduced legislation to fix the stuff in the Patriot Act that they weren't able to get done in the reauthorization, S. 737. They do not consider it a loser issue at all. I swear I don't know where you come up with this stuff.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/D?d109:1:./temp/~bdf4p9::|/bss/d109query.html|

[mmonk]

4. No.

They may tweek it but it's a rulers' panacea.

[Armstead]

5. A ruled headache

[loyalsister]

6. These are the important questions

Many of us are losing faith. The more fascist legislation the support, the more difficult is is for me to believe that they will be willing to roll it back.
I propose a system of measurment to determine whether or not to develop strategies for "getting tough" with them. That does not necessarily mean absolute abandonment. It just means watching votes scoring, asking hard questions, and "speaking truth to power."
Here is my system to examine some votes. See where some of the votes are fitting into the "14 Characteristics" and look at how they are voting. Go from there.
They need a wake up call.

[tritsofme]

7. Sure they could,

But they would have to contend with Bush's hitherto AWOL veto pen, which I'm sure would dusted off should the Dems take back Congress.

I doubt they would anyways, IIRC they passed it by pretty broad margins.

[sandnsea]

8. They ALL agree it needs fixing

So why anybody would even post a poll about it is perplexing. None of them support repeal, I don't think anybody in the House even supports full repeal, not even Kucinich. It's been a bogus issue from the gate.

[BuyingThyme]

10. They're goin' fascist.