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« Now It's Happening at Work | Main | The invisible hand of the market is probably doing something unseemly » Temporarily Free!I had major mixed feelings about Rand Paul's sort-of filibuster that led to the temporary expiration of the bulk data collection provisions of Patriot Act. First of all, i have major mixed feelings about Rand Paul in general. Second of all, i don't support the filibuster or the exploitation of other procedural nonsense. The vote should be the vote. Finally, it is temporary; all this accomplished is a few days where the programs are halted (although not in cases where investigations are already ongoing, which given the way the program works probably gives investigators a lot of leeway, plus who is supervising them?). But you use the tools you have (if the Senate won't reform themselves, then it's their own damn fault when the filibuster is used), and you take allies where you can get them. If nothing else, this was a good symbolic victory. It's good that there's been some very public opposition to the NSA's activities. Sometimes that is enough to change public opinion (more people say now that they've always opposed the Iraq invasion than polls showed at the time, for example). And Paul's actions did cause Mitch McConnell to do a 180 on the "USA Freedom Act" (did you know it's an acronym?) that at least has some minor reforms in it. One thing i laugh at, and i've seen this from both liberal commentators as well as Republican politicians like John McCain, is that what Paul did is "just" because of his presidential ambitions, a fundraising stunt. Well... isn't that how this democracy thing is supposed to work? There are constituents out there who don't support the NSA spying. Rand Paul would like to be president, and so he fights for the things they want, and these individual supporters send him money, usually in small increments. Isn't that better than holding $500 plate fundraising dinners? Seems like it to me. By fnord12 | June 1, 2015, 8:48 AM | Liberal Outrage CommentsGood thoughts here. I wish you could just star a post you like. But since i have to make a comment anyway, there's actually a word for post-hoc acronyms: backronym http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backronym |