11 March 2005 - 10:04am
Talking the talk and walking the walk
Let's look again at who voted for the Bend over, America bill (aka bankruptcy "reform"):
Alexander (R-TN), Allard (R-CO), Allen (R-VA), Baucus (D-MT), Bayh (D-IN), Bennett (R-UT), Biden (D-DE), Bingaman (D-NM), Bond (R-MO), Brownback (R-KS), Bunning (R-KY), Burns (R-MT), Burr (R-NC), Byrd (D-WV), Carper (D-DE), Chafee (R-RI), Chambliss (R-GA), Coburn (R-OK), Cochran (R-MS), Coleman (R-MN), Collins (R-ME), Conrad (D-ND), Cornyn (R-TX), Craig (R-ID), Crapo (R-ID), DeMint (R-SC), DeWine (R-OH), Dole (R-NC), Domenici (R-NM), Ensign (R-NV), Enzi (R-WY), Frist (R-TN), Graham (R-SC), Grassley (R-IA), Gregg (R-NH), Hagel (R-NE), Hatch (R-UT), Hutchison (R-TX), Inhofe (R-OK), Inouye (D-HI), Isakson (R-GA), Jeffords (I-VT), Johnson (D-SD), Kohl (D-WI), Kyl (R-AZ), Landrieu (D-LA), Lincoln (D-AR), Lott (R-MS), Lugar (R-IN), Martinez (R-FL), McCain (R-AZ), McConnell (R-KY), Murkowski (R-AK), Nelson (D-FL), Nelson (D-NE), Pryor (D-AR), Reid (D-NV), Roberts (R-KS), Salazar (D-CO), Santorum (R-PA), Sessions (R-AL), Shelby (R-AL), Smith (R-OR), Snowe (R-ME), Specter (R-PA), Stabenow (D-MI), Stevens (R-AK), Sununu (R-NH), Talent (R-MO), Thomas (R-WY), Thune (R-SD), Vitter (R-LA), Voinovich (R-OH), Warner (R-VA)
Not surprising: the Republicans supporting their corporatist base; "Coors Lite" Salazar; Delaware's credit card industry crony Biden....
Surprising: Senator Ried (!) on the list (who loves to talk tough); Senator Lieberman (!) not on the list (he must've gotten confused).
We now get another illustration why it doesn't matter what a politician says. Ried has been big and tough on talk, but let's face it, he does not walk the walk.
I am reminded yet once again why I am not a registered Democrat. The Democrats disgust me with their hypocrisy. (The Republicans rarely surprise me - they consistently manage to live down to my expectations.)
Why the hell are we sticking with the Dems?
I don’t know about you, but I invested time, energy, and money into the Democratic Party during the last election, and I’m not getting much of a return on my investment. In fact, lately I’ve been feeling like the party to whom I’ve been loyal for my entire life is giving me the finger.
The confirmations of Condi Rice, Alberto Gonzales, and Michael Chertoff … the slow response to broaching voting accountability legislation … the passage of a measure to limit class-action lawsuits … the bankruptcy bill … the constant move toward the center … and on and on and on. I complain about the idiocy of the Dems almost as much as I do the Republicans, and I’m starting to get more than a little pissed off.
I once wrote about how the red-staters who vote against their own best interests don’t seem to understand their leadership, but that we on the Left seem to suffer from the opposite problem—our leadership doesn’t understand its base. The problem is only getting worse; I feel increasingly alienated from the Democratic leadership in Washington, and by the looks of things across the Lefty blogosphere, I’m not alone.
Damn right you're not alone. I've felt the same way for a while. Back in November, I wrote:
Why are the Dems so wimpy? Today, “equal rights for all� is not ever discussed as the moral issue it is. Graft in government is not considered a moral question. In our current political climate, lying is considered “spin� and the press signs off on it. Educating our children is not considered a moral issue. Executing innocent people is not considered a moral issue. Killing 100,000 people in Iraq is not considered a moral issue. Economic justice and relief for the growing poor population in this country is not considered a moral issue. Preserving the fiscal integrity of our government is not considered a moral issue. Preserving liberty in our own land is not considered a moral issue. None of these things are considered moral issues.
No, what passes for morality today is intolerance, greed, bigotry, divisiveness—all expressed in loud voices of outraged victims. The Democrats need to realize that they cannot roll over on these issues any more. They can't respond to these hammer blows to our society with sandpaper and duct tape.
Everyone wants sensible government. What “sensible� means, reasonable minds can disagree. But the Dems have lost touch with how to communicate with the heart of America.
Dean knew it. Even Kucinich knew it. John Kerry seemed to realize it... kinda sorta ... too little, too late.
It’s time the Democrats focus not on what’s expedient or what's safe, but on what’s right.
They still don't get it -- not when 2/3 of Democratic Senators vote to screw over citizens. Make no mistake: This is an immoral bill! These people sold out. Whom did they sell out?
Us!
As a final note, I remind you, dear reader, that Matsu's Tarot for the Democrats predicted this turn of events. FWIW....
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Comments
Good stuff. Glad to know I'm not alone. :-)
Never alone. We're just ignored.
Never alone. We're just ignored.
We'll change that. Girls can circle jerk, ahem, I mean, link to each other often, as well as boys can.
Senate Vote -- Bankruptcy Bill
Wasn't the cloture vote the significant one?
I would think a list of who voted to end the filibuster would be more meaningful than listing votes on a done deal.
Let me be a little less enigmatic.
Senate Republicans always had enough votes to beat back offered amendments and to pass the bill if and when it came to a vote.
Thus, only a filibuster by the Democrats could halt its adoption. The Democrats did in fact mount a filibuster; however, that filibuster was terminated by what's called a "cloture vote." A cloture requires 60 votes in favor (it received 69 this time). Failing cloture, a filibuster continues.
A vote against cloture was, therefore, a vote against the Bankruptcy Bill.
Red state Democrats were right to vote for the Bankruptcy Bill once the final voting was called, because the bill couldn't be defeated. There was no reason to give a Republican an issue in a later campaign [voters don't know what cloture is, so voting against cloture wouldn't generate an issue).
Lieberman's Vote
Lieberman voted for cloture which ensured the passage of the Bankruptcy Bill.
He voted against the Bill when it came up for final vote. Why? In order to deflect criticism in a primary fight if one is mounted against him.
He'll say he voted against the Bankruptcy Bill (a meaningless gesture) and assume primary voters won't understand that the vote which counted was his vote for cloture (actually, a meaningless vote, also, but useful as a signal to campaign contributors such as Citibank, etc. that he's still one of the boys).
Note: The corporate pros will forgive him for voting against their bill; they'll recognize the vote as merely a tactic to fool the rubes.
Don't be so hard on Reid
On the vote that counted -- cloture -- Sen. Reid voted true blue Democratic.
So did Baucus, Bayh, Bingaman, and others who voted later for the Bankruptcy Bill. Hillary voted against cloture but didn't show for the final vote (who knows how she would have voted).