Senate Republicans, White House Blast Rand Paul Over Surveillance Opposition

The Senate is full of career politicians who know how to tow the party line. After last night’s failure to force through an extension of Section 215 of the Patriot Act, those politicians are blind with impotent rage, shaking their fists at Sen. Rand Paul (R – KY) for not just going along to get along.

The official party line is that NSA surveillance is a good thing, and it apparently doesn’t matter to them that the polls show Americans strongly in Sen. Paul’s corner. The line is not to be challenged, and cannot possibly be wrong. That led Sen. Dan Coats (R – IN) to accuse Paul of lying to raise money for his 2016 campaign.

Sen. Coats knows Paul can’t be right, because he disagrees with the party leadership. He complained Paul didn’t attend meetings on the NSA held by the party’s leaders to tell everyone how to vote. Sen. John McCain (R – AZ) agreed, saying Paul’s opposition to the party line was a “fundraising exercise.”

Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R – KY) is so unfamiliar with internal opposition he seemed at a loss to even process it, saying Paul had his opportunity to say his peace and that “now is the time” for him and everyone else to vote the way the leadership wants.

The White House wants the bill passed too, and is likewise slamming Sen. Paul, accusing him of making America “less safe,” and blasting the Senate in general, warning them against any discussion of amendments to the extension that would make the debate take any longer, and insisting they just give the president what he wants immediately.

A vote is unavoidable, but that doesn’t mean the vote will go the way of the pro-surveillance crowd. We can still make a difference if we can convince enough Senators to vote against it.

You can find your Senator’s contact information here, and below is a list of the 10 most important Senators to focus on, along with their contact information. Others should be contacted as well, of course, to emphasize how much we, the American public, oppose the surveillance state.

Paul, Rand – (R – KY)
167 Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510
(202) 224-4343

King, Angus S., Jr. – (I – ME)
133 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510
(202) 224-5344

Enzi, Michael B. – (R – WY)
379A Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510
(202) 224-3424

Kirk, Mark – (R – IL)
524 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510
(202) 224-2854

Cassidy, Bill – (R – LA)
703 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510
(202) 224-5824

Ayotte, Kelly – (R – NH)
144 Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510
(202) 224-3324

Moran, Jerry – (R – KS)
521 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510
(202) 224-6521

Crapo, Mike – (R – ID)
239 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510
(202) 224-6142

Toomey, Patrick J. – (R – PA)
248 Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510
(202) 224-4254

Boozman, John – (R – AR)
141 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510
(202) 224-4843