Verrät Barack Obama seine treuesten Anhänger?

Nach Aussage eine Obama-Beraters hat sich der Präsidentschaftsbewerber die Entscheidung nicht leicht gemacht: “This was a deliberative process, and not something that was shooting from the hip. Obviously, there was an element of what’s possible here. But he concluded that with FISA expiring, that it was better to get a compromise than letting the law expire,” zitiert die New York Times Greg Craig.

Seither ist in der linken Blogger-Szene und bei vielen jungen Obama-Anhängern der Ärger groß. Im sozialen Netzwerk myBO auf Obamas eigenen Kampagnen-Website haben sich mehr als 15 000 Leute in der Gruppe "Please Vote NO on Telecom Immunity" zusammengefunden, die mit Abstand größte Gruppe überhaupt. "Senator Obama - we are a proud group of your supporters who believe in your call for hope and a new kind of politics. Please reject the politics of fear on national security, vote against this bill and lead other Democrats to do the same!" so ihr Aufruf.

Damit zeigt sich, wie schwer es für den Demokraten wird, sich zur Mitte hin zu öffnen und die Stammwähler von Hillary Clinton zu binden, ohne seine eigenen Anhänger zu verprellen. (Über seine anderen Positionsveränderungen hatte ich in diesem und in diesem Beitrag berichtet.)  Obama hatte seinen Vorwahlerfolg vor allem einer großen Gras-Wurzel-Bewegung zu verdanken, in der sich vor allem junge Menschen für ihn eingesetzt hatten - genau diesen stößt er mit seiner Kehrtwende vor den Kopf. Gerade auf Fragen wie die weitere Einschränkung der Bürgerrechte reagieren sie sehr sensibel.

“I don’t think there has been another instance where, in meaningful numbers, his supporters have opposed him like this. For him to suddenly turn around and endorse this proposal is really a betrayal of what so many of his supporters believed he believed in", schreibt Gleen Greenwald von salon.com.

Markos Moulitsas, der einflussreiche Blogger von Daily Kos, kündigte gar an, seine Unterstützung für Obama zurückzufahren:“I will continue to support him. But I was going to write him a check, and I decided I would rather put that money with Democrats who will uphold the constitution.”

Nach außen gibt sich die Obama-Kampagne gelassen und freut sich darüber, dass der Protest auf der eigenen Seite stattfindet - immerhin eine Zeichen für die offene Debatte innerhalb der Bewegung.

Aber das ganze ist nicht ohne Gefahr, kommentiert techPresident: "While the Obama campaign is keeping a poker face about the importance of some of its members using the master's tools to challenge his position, it is no doubt paying attention, too. The fact is, we're all entering completely new territory here. There have always been efforts to influence political candidates to take or change positions during a campaign (or afterward), but we've never before had a national campaign create an open platform for mobilizing supporters AND THEN seen a salient chunk of those supporters openly use that platform to challenge the candidate on a policy position."

Damit ist klar, dass Obama bald reagieren muss. Spannend wird dabei, welches Medium er wählen wird.

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UDPDATE: Wenige Stunden nach meinem Beitrag hat Barack Obama über sein Blog auf "Please Vote NO" reagiert und seine Haltung zu Fisa erläutert:

I want to take this opportunity to speak directly to those of you who oppose my decision to support the FISA compromise.

This was not an easy call for me. I know that the FISA bill that passed the House is far from perfect. I wouldn't have drafted the legislation like this, and it does not resolve all of the concerns that we have about President Bush's abuse of executive power. It grants retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that may have violated the law by cooperating with the Bush Administration's program of warrantless wiretapping. This potentially weakens the deterrent effect of the law and removes an important tool for the American people to demand accountability for past abuses. That's why I support striking Title II from the bill, and will work with Chris Dodd, Jeff Bingaman and others in an effort to remove this provision in the Senate.

But I also believe that the compromise bill is far better than the Protect America Act that I voted against last year. The exclusivity provision makes it clear to any President or telecommunications company that no law supersedes the authority of the FISA court. In a dangerous world, government must have the authority to collect the intelligence we need to protect the American people. But in a free society, that authority cannot be unlimited. As I've said many times, an independent monitor must watch the watchers to prevent abuses and to protect the civil liberties of the American people. This compromise law assures that the FISA court has that responsibility

The Inspectors General report also provides a real mechanism for accountability and should not be discounted. It will allow a close look at past misconduct without hurdles that would exist in federal court because of classification issues. The recent investigationuncovering the illegal politicization of Justice Department hiring sets a strong example of the accountability that can come from a tough and thorough IG report.

The ability to monitor and track individuals who want to attack the United States is a vital counter-terrorism tool, and I'm persuaded that it is necessary to keep the American people safe -- particularly since certain electronic surveillance orders will begin to expire later this summer.  Given the choice between voting for an improved yet imperfect bill, and losing important surveillance tools, I've chosen to support the current compromise. I do so with the firm intention -- once I’m sworn in as President -- to have my Attorney General conduct a comprehensive review of all our surveillance programs, and to make further recommendations on any steps needed to preserve civil liberties and to prevent executive branch abuse in the future.

Now, I understand why some of you feel differently about the current bill, and I'm happy to take my lumps on this side and elsewhere. For the truth is that your organizing, your activism and your passion is an important reason why this bill is better than previous versions. No tool has been more important in focusing peoples' attention on the abuses of executive power in this Administration than the active and sustained engagement of American citizens. That holds true -- not just on wiretapping, but on a range of issues where Washington has let the American people down.

I learned long ago, when working as an organizer on the South Side of Chicago, that when citizens join their voices together, they can hold their leaders accountable. I'm not exempt from that. I'm certainly not perfect, and expect to be held accountable too. I cannot promise to agree with you on every issue. But I do promise to listen to your concerns, take them seriously, and seek to earn your ongoing support to change the country. That is why we have built the largest grassroots campaign in the history of presidential politics, and that is the kind of White House that I intend to run as President of the United States -- a White House that takes the Constitution seriously, conducts the peoples' business out in the open, welcomes and listens to dissenting views, and asks you to play your part in shaping our country’s destiny. 

Democracy cannot exist without strong differences. And going forward, some of you may decide that my FISA position is a deal breaker. That's ok.  But I think it is worth pointing out that our agreement on the vast majority of issues that matter outweighs the differences we may have. After all, the choice in this election could not be clearer. Whether it is the economy, foreign policy, or the Supreme Court, my opponent has embraced the failed course of the last eight years, while I want to take this country in a new direction. Make no mistake: if John McCain is elected, the fundamental direction of this country that we love will not change. But if we come together, we have an historic opportunity to chart a new course, a better course. 

So I appreciate the feedback through my.barackobama.com, and I look forward to continuing the conversation in the months and years to come. Together, we have a lot of work to do.