This Congressional Map shows how yesterday’s NSA vote cut across partisan divides

Conservative Intelligence Briefing ^ | David Freddoso

[JerseyanExile]

Yesterday, the House failed to pass the Amash amendment, which would have cut off funding for the NSA’s program collecting information about all Americans’ phone calls. There was quite a bit of talk about how bipartisan the vote was on both sides, with Democratic and Republican civil libertarians finding common cause on one side, and Democratic and Republican national security hawks on the other.

So here are two maps you can compare:

The first is a simple map of the U.S. by Congressional District, with Republican seats in red and Democratic ones in blue. The second map — which is homemade, so I apologize if there are any mistakes — features the same districts, colored instead based on how members voted on the Amash amendement — white is “aye,” black is “no,” and pink is “no vote.”

The results in some of the states are kind of striking. In Wisconsin, just two members voted against — Republican Paul Ryan and Democrat Ron Kind. Colorado’s entire bipartisan delegation supported it (it was cosponsored by their Democratic colleague, Jared Polis). In Tennessee, all members voted to limit NSA spying except one — Democrat Jim Cooper. In neighboring Alabama, whose congressional delegation is also dominated by Republicans, the only Democrat voted no along with all Republicans but one.

Another thing that should impress you if you know a bit about members of Congress is how there aren’t too many common threads. The issue split each party down the middle, split members of the Black and Hispanic caucuses, and pitted both conservatives and liberals against one another. The vote is also likely to spur more conversations during primaries in the 2014 election cycle. For example, in Georgia, Reps. Phil Gingrey, Paul Broun and Jack Kingston are all running for Senate next year. Gingrey voted against the amendment, whereas Kingston and Broun voted for it.

[JerseyanExile]

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2013/roll412.xml

[InterceptPoint]

This is what makes the NSA - Snowden story unique. On one side you have the libertarian 4th Amendment supporters and the anti-military Democrat doves. On the other side sit the Defense Hawks and the Defend Obama at any Cost Dems.

Talk about Strange Bedfellows. I’ve never seen anything like it.

[Texas Fossil]

Do you have any information on the alternative bill that did pass the House?

Kabuki theatre? Yes, they are playing games with us.

But I do think the GOPe was a little troubled at how close the Amash bill cam to passing.

[Son House]

What kind of idiot thinks they need to spy on all Americans? And the ones they should be spying on are on the brink of getting legal status for overstaying their VISA’s...brains(lack of...)

[OneWingedShark]

But I do think the GOPe was a little troubled at how close the Amash bill cam to passing.

The only reason they would be troubled would be because they're statists.

[hoosierham]

I am ashamed of the Indiana vote;looks like only one voted to limit the NSA.

NSA=tyranny

[Prospero]

This is, indeed, very interesting. South Carolina, for example. If I am reading the second map correctly, the entire delegation voted for the amendment. And in North Carolina I was not surprised to learn Walter Jones of the Class of '94 voted Aye, because he has been aggressively opposed to the Iraq War (though one could hardly call the man a "Dove" in the old way, nor is he anything less than a believing Christian who has no illusions about liberal Democrats), whether one agrees with him or not, or agrees with the company he's been known to keep, the vote was consistent with his opposition to the RNC's national strategies, the "Architect." He's also a long way from being a libertarian. He was among those purged by the Speaker from committee leadership at the beginning of this Congress.

Jack Kingston of Georgia voted for the amendment, and he was a very deserving up-and-comer in the Republican hierarchy not very long ago, and also no libertarian, if I remember correctly.

This is a watershed vote that deserves further analysis, and this work you bothered with is very useful.

We are the Media.

[The Old Hoosier]

The Pompeo amendment wasn’t bad in itself, but it did nothing about the real issue. I believe it was designed to give members a pass for voting against this one.

[RedMDer]

Click.

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[null and void]

Here's the analysis I want to see:

a) How many congresscritters in SAFE districts voted to fund spying on Americans?
b) How many congresscritters in CONTESTED districts were allowed to have a show vote against funding spying on Americans after enough votes were secured to guarantee passage?

Extra points:
c) Was any congresscritter in a SAFE district allowed to vote to de-fund the American Stasi?
d) Did any congresscritter whose job might actually hinge on this vote, vote to fund the American Stasi?

[Sioux-san]

Michelle Bachman comes to mind. She isn’t running for re-election and has could have done the right thing - whoever said this vote helps identify the Statists sure got that right.

[kenmcg]

The NSA is Obama’s secret police aka SS.

[Doug in CA]

Something other than ideology. More like feathering one’s own nest. http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2013/07/money-nsa-vote/

[Texas Fossil]

Agree.

[elfman2]

I agree. This is exactly how the NSA may get around Pompeo’s amendment. http://forthisworld.blogspot.com/2013/07/after-rep-amashs-amendment-to-defense.html