Pelosi: We Need To Find A Better Solution Than SOPA

from the good-for-her dept

Ever thought there would be a policy issue that both Michele Bachmann and Nancy Pelosi agree on? Turns out it’s that SOPA is a terrible idea. Pelosi has stated on her Twitter feed that we “need to find a better solution than SOPA” in response to a question from another Twitter user.

This is pretty big. Very few people expected that Pelosi would take a direct position on SOPA at all, but the fact that she’s publicly stating it’s a bad idea is a pretty huge sign of the impact that yesterday’s widespread opposition to SOPA had. Whether you like Pelosi or not (and I recognize she brings out strong feelings in some people — similar to Bachmann, though at different extremes), having her come out against SOPA is a pretty clear sign that the bill is in trouble.

Update: And Darrell Issa responds on Twitter as well:

If even we agree…

Filed Under: , , ,

Rate this comment as insightful
Rate this comment as funny
You have rated this comment as insightful
You have rated this comment as funny
Flag this comment as abusive/trolling/spam
You have flagged this comment
The first word has already been claimed
The last word has already been claimed
Insightful Lightbulb icon Funny Laughing icon Abusive/trolling/spam Flag icon Insightful badge Lightbulb icon Funny badge Laughing icon Comments icon

Comments on “Pelosi: We Need To Find A Better Solution Than SOPA”

Subscribe: RSS Leave a comment
89 Comments
Anonymous Coward says:

Where does the committee stand?

Do we have enough to let it die in the committee?

On the good side of the Judiciary committee:
Issa
Lofgren
Chaffetz( https://twitter.com/#!/jasoninthehouse/status/137190726860673026 )

On the bad side:
(Intersecting the cosponsor list, with the committee roster)
Smith
Conyers
Berman
Amodei
Gallegly
Goodlatte
Watt
Chabot
Deutch
Griffin
Marino
Ross

I suppose there’s always a chance that cosponsors can vote against their own bill (please). Anyone know where the rest of the committee stands?

ZD (profile) says:

No no no guys. This is just Pelosi charming her knowledgeable constituents after she was side-swiped this past weekend, for unethical trading practices. It is just more theatre.

Always question why they may feel this way. For politicians such as her, there is more than likely an ulterior motive. Or maybe I’m wrong and certain key players didn’t offer enough money for her to sign the bill and she is holding out for that, and will give it an ‘aye’ with spoken intentions of ‘correcting the issues with the bill later.’

It is all bullshit, never forget this.

DannyB (profile) says:

Thanks Mike for covering this

I appreciate your work covering this story.

It’s very much like how I appreciated Groklaw’s coverage of SCO nearly a decade ago.

Similarly to Groklaw, I’m sure you are deeply hated by the dinosaurs who can’t evolve, just as Groklaw was hated by SCO who could’t evolve.

I just hope that it doesn’t affect you in your personal life. The author of Groklaw was personally stalked and harassed. You’re pissing off powerful interests.

The name calling and lack of civility often seen here by the pro-dinosaur opponents reminds me of the same venom from the SCO supporters back then.

Also very similarly with Righthaven. Their supporters argued until there was nothing left of Righthaven’s cases to argue about. Then in the most recent story they just throw out personal insults because they have nothing left.

In a way it has got to be rewarding to be on the right side of how things are changing.

Thank you for your efforts covering the kind of stories TD regularly covers.

Dark Helmet (profile) says:

Thanks Mike for covering this

Bwhahaha. Yeah, dolt, I’m horribly addicted to content I’m “pirating”. That’s why my TV almost never goes on. That’s why, in between changing my diapers of course, I’m reading and writing on my deck or in my office. That must be why I haven’t listened to music that wasn’t given away by the creator in something like ten years, and rarely at that (I’m a talk/sports radio fiend, your crap music doesn’t interest me).

But, hey, maybe you can spend all the time you’ve saved up not learning how to capitalize the beginning of your sentences and take a class on knowing what the fuck you’re talking about before you act like a class A dickhead.

Ripping off content, you’ve got to be fucking kidding me. You fucks haven’t made something in twenty years that would be worth the time and minimal effort to download. You and your kind should pat yourselves on the back; nobody knows how to generate more bad will for themselves as you idiots. So keep prancing around here, fuckhead. Keep at it. Keep frothing at the mouth and spewing your bullshit, because I promise you that people that you could have influenced with an actual fucking argument are paying attention, and they’ll remember your behavior. They’ll remember how you talked to someone who actually ISN’T doing you any harm.

Enjoy your miserable fucking life, failure….

Anonymous Coward says:

Thanks Mike for covering this

How exactly is someone addicted to content?

Is it like being addicted to chocolate? Can your addiction only be diagnosed by a screeching housewife? I’m doubtful that anyone, anywhere, has ever gotten the shakes because they missed an episode of Gilmore Girls, but you keep on believing that MPAA and RIAA owned content is the most important thing in the world (even as their revenue is slowly eclipsed by other forms of entertainment).

Does it butthurt that no one anywhere agrees with your opinions unless you pay them (or donate to their campaign)?

Anonymous Coward says:

Pelosi's under pressure

“rom the people in the industries from her home state, California, where how many game, and electronic companies are there?
How much money is involved in that? She’d better be against it, or else she’s gonna be out of office next time.”

Pelosi on our side and voted out in the next election because of it? I believe that is the very definition of a win-win situation now isn’t?

gorehound (profile) says:

These are the traitors who would sell us out for a buck.WE the People have lived a life of freedom and you fuckers want to change that and start outright Censorship.We will show you what we think of you when it is time for your frakkenj Re-Election.If any of these schmucks are your Reps make sure to mail that nice peaceful and intelligent person a nice letter and ask them where their brain was when they agreed to a bill like SOPA.Each and every one of these should be taught that you do not open the door to outright Censorship in the USA.Not only are people in the USA waking up to SOPA but some of the latest news has the EU also supporting the freedom of the USA and the killing off of SOPA.If any of these were from Maine I would not vote for that person ever.

Cosponsors of SOPA
Mark Amodei [R-NV2]
John Barrow [D-GA12]
Karen Bass [D-CA33]
Howard Berman [D-CA28]
Marsha Blackburn [R-TN7]
Mary Bono Mack [R-CA45]

John Carter [R-TX31]
Steven Chabot [R-OH1]
John Conyers [D-MI14]
Ted Deutch [D-FL19]
Elton Gallegly [R-CA24]
Robert Goodlatte [R-VA6]

Tim Griffin [R-AR2]
Peter King [R-NY3]
Ben Luj?n [D-NM3]
Thomas Marino [R-PA10]
Alan Nunnelee [R-MS1]
William Owens [D-NY23]

Dennis Ross [R-FL12]
Steve Scalise [R-LA1]
Adam Schiff [D-CA29]
Lee Terry [R-NE2]
Debbie Wasserman Schultz [D-FL20]
Melvin Watt [D-NC12]

PrometheeFeu (profile) says:

Re:

Look at the bottom left of your keyboard. You will see a key labeled “Ctrl”. Right above should be a key called “Shift”. Right above is a key called “Caps Lock”. “Caps Lock” when toggled on makes you stupid. (Or at least it helps in that direction) Pressing it again might help make you look a bit less stupid. I suggest you press that button.

SlinkySlim (profile) says:

Thanks Mike for covering this

Is it just me or does monkey boy here truly not understand the depth of the lake he swims in?

Access to your content is not limited to what you can see.
Once digital it can be wrapped and stacked. This is the part we’ve been trying to tell you. It’s cooked man. You need to find a way to serve the meal.. otherwise the world will grow their own.

Christ, how can you not get that?

qkslvrwolf (user link) says:

similar to bachmann, mike?

Ok, so I’ll grant that there are people who really hate Pelosi. Got it. But saying “similar to Bachmann”, you seem to be saying “Pelosi is kinda crazy, Bachmann is kinda crazy, and no one likes a crazy lady who disagrees with their own brand of crazy, right”?

The difference here is that Pelosi, for all her flaws, is not crazy. She’s moderately liberal, she’s effective, and she’s a strong woman. THAT’S why people hate her.

We hate Bachmann because she’s fucking crazy.

qkslvrwolf (user link) says:

@The incoherent one

There’s a difference?

Republicans: Old white people
Tea Party: Old white people

Republicans: get angry about stupid shit, but take a pass on the important things
Tea Party: get angry about stupid shit, but take a pass on the important things

Republicans: got theirs, so fuck you
tea party: got theirs, so fuck you

Nope..pretty sure that’s the same people.

The “tea party” was kicked off by a bunch of rich people who sponsored a bunch of poor stupid white people to sit around in lawn chairs wearing stupid costumes while the tradmed gave them more air time than half a million people on the national lawn. It’s an astroturf front for the crazier republicans, not a movement.

Planespotter (profile) says:

Thanks Mike for covering this

lmao… you just don’t get it, you cannot stop “Piracy”, like you cannot stop Drug Use, you cannot stop Terrorism, Under Age Pregnancy… should I go on?

What you need to do is spend all the energies you exhaust on pointless laws in innovating, embracing and providing a 21st Century service to your customers… we want to pay you, you just aren’t listening to us. We couldn’t shout what we want any louder, you just think we wan’t free.

Anonymous Coward says:

Thanks Mike for covering this

If you weren’t addicted to content, then you wouldn’t care about enforcement of piracy.

I’m not addicted to content (as you mean it), but I care very very deeply about the enforcement of piracy. The efforts in that direction are so broad and heavy-handed that I’m likely to be collateral damage of them, even though I don’t engage in or support copyright infringement. My fighting this stuff is nothing but self-defense.

himey says:

Thanks Mike for covering this

If you weren’t addicted to content, then you wouldn’t care about enforcement of piracy.

You really think no one notices that?

Plenty of people Congress do, believe me 😉

This is my first post on the subject. I just want to say that I am not trying to insult you or call you names. Just want HONEST discussion.

The concern from just about everyone who opposes this legislation is not about wanting to get your content for free or drastically cutting your revenues to send everyone in your industry to the poor house.

This bill is terrible due to the unintended consequences that we foresee and how it will be used to stifle legitimate innovation in your industry. We don’t want content for free. We just want things to be convenient and easy. We have the tools to make a great new digital world, but the content industry stands in the way at every step demanding new license fees that make getting their media to a wider audience. Make it about volume. I would rather sell a million copies of a piece of media for $1 than trying to sell the same thing for $20 and only selling 1,000 copies. It gives me a much wider audience for my next project and made me more money. Seems very simple to me.

The other horrible part about this bill is that the scope it too wide and it will kill innovative sites and businesses before they get off the ground. Being able to shut a site down over a mere accusation without oversight or a court order is a recipe for disaster. I don’t know if anyone has gone on record to say this, but let’s say for the sake of argument that the movie / music industries have said “We do not ever intend to use this law to shut down a business that we perceive as competition to us.” Fine. Let’s even take that at face value and believe it. It would be great.

The problem lies in the fact that the law applies across the board and anyone could shut down anyone else for just about everything. If I were to start a website to sell t-shirts with witty sayings on they. Things start to go well and I am able to eek a living out of this site. In good faith and unknowingly, I start to produce a t-shirt with some silly catch phrase on that is the catch phrase of an auto dealer on the other side of the country that I have never heard of. With a few taps on a keyboard, he cuts off my source of income and I am shut down. It will take me MONTHS to get this innocent mistake cleared up and in the meantime I have lost all of my customers and business. That sort of thing WILL happen. Probably A LOT.

Now please, Anonymous Coward from posting #68 (and anyone else who is on the side of SOPA), tell me why this bill as it is written and proposed is a good bill? No name calling or accusations. I have not used any towards you. Please do not use them towards me either. Just explain why this law is good for the whole of America.

Karl (profile) says:

@The incoherent one

There’s a difference?

There certainly is. McCain running for President in 2002 was not a Tea Party candidate. McCain running nowadays is (forced to be) a Tea Party candidate. This is incredibly unfortunate.

Please don’t make the mistake of thinking that the Tea Party represents anyone other than themselves. They certainly do not represent your average mainstream Republican. They just have more press coverage.

Add Your Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Have a Techdirt Account? Sign in now. Want one? Register here

Comment Options:

Make this the or (get credits or sign in to see balance) what's this?

What's this?

Techdirt community members with Techdirt Credits can spotlight a comment as either the "First Word" or "Last Word" on a particular comment thread. Credits can be purchased at the Techdirt Insider Shop »

Follow Techdirt

Techdirt Daily Newsletter

Ctrl-Alt-Speech

A weekly news podcast from
Mike Masnick & Ben Whitelaw

Subscribe now to Ctrl-Alt-Speech »
Techdirt Deals
Techdirt Insider Discord
The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...
Loading...