Maria Cantwell was very much with us on the vote and the underlying bill.  Now she's making net neutrality a campaign issue against her opponent, Mike McGavick.

The Seattle Stranger's Josh Feit reported today that Mike McGavick has opposed "net neutrality" legislation that would ensure big telecom monopolies could not engage in online content discrimination. After many tortured attempts to get a straight answer from McGavick on the question of net neutrality, Feit reports McGavick opposes the Snowe-Dorgan net neutrality amendment that would prevent anti-competitive online content discrimination.

The Snowe-Dorgan net neutrality amendment failed today in the Senate Commerce Committee on a vote of 11-11.  It would have ensured all Internet traffic is treated in the same manner, regardless of its source or destination. A majority was needed for the amendment to succeed.

Senator Maria Cantwell is a member of the Commerce Committee and stood by her promise to stick up for Washington state employers and consumers against telecom monopolies that are lobbying McGavick ally Ted Stevens and the failed Republican leadership to allow marketplace discrimination.

In addition to numerous consumer advocacy groups, two of Puget Sound's Fortune 500 companies - Amazon and Microsoft - have both been vocal advocates of net neutrality as a key legislative priority, arguing the legislation is critical to continued innovation and regional job growth.

"By opposing net neutrality, McGavick again stands with non-Washington business interests and the failed Republican leadership that wants to add his vote to rubberstamp their anti-Washington state agenda," said Kelly Steele, spokesman for Washington State Democrats. "While Maria Cantwell fights for Washington state, McGavick's showing his true colors."

Cantwell is not liked among progressives for a variety of reasons, but she was absolutely with us on this vote.  Not only did she vote for net neutrality, she voted against the underlying bill.  In other words, having Democrats in the Senate really matters.  

Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John Kerry have been just great on this issue.  Kerry in particular has taken this on and become a bulldog, which was quite unexpected.

The most crafty Senators on our side are Ron Wyden and Byron Dorgan.  

More soon.  I'm proud of the Democrats for their work yesterday.  They didn't sell out to the telcos.  It is interesting how the Republicans are quiet and mumbling on the vote, just like McGavick.  George Allen was particularly red-faced and nervous yesterday, uncomfortable acting like the telco's puppet.

I've thought since the beginning that this is a voting issue, at least for a certain slice of the electorate.  Americans of all parties love their internet, and hate their phone/cable company.  It's starting to happen.  I imagine that looking at the political contributions of telco and cable execs is going to become quite routine.