Below are the roll call votes for the three biggest votes in the Senate over the past few weeks and my thoughts on the outcomes of those votes.
Please take a moment to note who in the Senate voted for the Tax extension for only those under $250,000 per year. Those who voted against this were saying that those making over one quarter of a million dollars per year. They decided that the only way anyone was getting tax cuts was if the top 1.5% of earners also received one. They were willing to sacrifice cuts for 98.5% of the citizens of our country because the extreme tip top, richest people in the country didn’t want to have to pay a little bit more in taxes.
Below that are the votes for the DREAM Act and Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.
Tax extension only for those making under $250,000 per year.
Motion to Invoke Cloture on Motion to Concur in the House Amdt. to Senate Amdt. With Amdt. No. 4727 to H.R. 4853; To change the enactment date.
| YEAs —53 | ||
| Akaka (D-HI) Baucus (D-MT) Bayh (D-IN) Begich (D-AK) Bennet (D-CO) Bingaman (D-NM) Boxer (D-CA) Brown (D-OH) Cantwell (D-WA) Cardin (D-MD) Carper (D-DE) Casey (D-PA) Conrad (D-ND) Coons (D-DE) Dodd (D-CT) Dorgan (D-ND) Durbin (D-IL) Feinstein (D-CA) |
Franken (D-MN) Gillibrand (D-NY) Hagan (D-NC) Harkin (D-IA) Inouye (D-HI) Johnson (D-SD) Kerry (D-MA) Klobuchar (D-MN) Kohl (D-WI) Landrieu (D-LA) Lautenberg (D-NJ) Leahy (D-VT) Levin (D-MI) Lincoln (D-AR) McCaskill (D-MO) Menendez (D-NJ) Merkley (D-OR) Mikulski (D-MD) |
Murray (D-WA) Nelson (D-FL) Pryor (D-AR) Reed (D-RI) Reid (D-NV) Rockefeller (D-WV) Sanders (I-VT) Schumer (D-NY) Shaheen (D-NH) Specter (D-PA) Stabenow (D-MI) Tester (D-MT) Udall (D-CO) Udall (D-NM) Warner (D-VA) Whitehouse (D-RI) Wyden (D-OR) |
| NAYs —36 | ||
| Alexander (R-TN) Barrasso (R-WY) Bennett (R-UT) Bond (R-MO) Brown (R-MA) Brownback (R-KS) Coburn (R-OK) Cochran (R-MS) Collins (R-ME) Corker (R-TN) Crapo (R-ID) DeMint (R-SC) |
Ensign (R-NV) Enzi (R-WY) Feingold (D-WI) Graham (R-SC) Grassley (R-IA) Hatch (R-UT) Johanns (R-NE) Kirk (R-IL) Kyl (R-AZ) LeMieux (R-FL) Lieberman (ID-CT) Lugar (R-IN) |
Manchin (D-WV) McCain (R-AZ) McConnell (R-KY) Murkowski (R-AK) Nelson (D-NE) Risch (R-ID) Roberts (R-KS) Shelby (R-AL) Snowe (R-ME) Thune (R-SD) Webb (D-VA) Wicker (R-MS) |
| Not Voting – 11 | ||
| Bunning (R-KY) Burr (R-NC) Chambliss (R-GA) Cornyn (R-TX) |
Gregg (R-NH) Hutchison (R-TX) Inhofe (R-OK) Isakson (R-GA) |
Sessions (R-AL) Vitter (R-LA) Voinovich (R-OH) |
I highlighted the “No” votes from the Democratic caucus. I’m surprised and disappointed that Feingold voted against this – especially considering he already lost the election. However, even with these five the vote would have only been 58 for, and unfortunately in the wholly un-representative and un-democratic United States Senate, that does not constitute a win. Remember that a failure to vote on this bill is essentially a vote against. Because of this, no one from the Republican caucus voted for this bill.
I was going to post the roll call of those voting for or against the bill extending tax cuts to those with annual income under $1,000,000/yr, but it’s a bit misleading. Dick Durbin (IL), Jay Rockefeller (WV), and Tom Harkin (IA) all voted against this version after voting for the extension for only those under $250,000/yr. I imagine these were protest votes from traditionally populist Senators. Even with their support this measure would have lost by four votes.
Onto the DREAM Act, which would have allowed undocumented immigrants brought to this country as children a path to citizenship for serving in our military or attending college. The thought is these people committed no crime by coming here; their parents made the brutally difficult decision to leave their lives and move to the US. They grew up here and want to be productive, involved members of our society but are unable to because of their status.
Below is the Senate Roll Call on the DREAM Act, with those voting against from the Democratic caucus and those voting for in the Republican caucus highlighted.
On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment No. 3 to H.R. 5281 )
| YEAs —55 | ||
| Akaka (D-HI) Bayh (D-IN) Begich (D-AK) Bennet (D-CO) Bennett (R-UT) Bingaman (D-NM) Boxer (D-CA) Brown (D-OH) Cantwell (D-WA) Cardin (D-MD) Carper (D-DE) Casey (D-PA) Conrad (D-ND) Coons (D-DE) Dodd (D-CT) Dorgan (D-ND) Durbin (D-IL) Feingold (D-WI) Feinstein (D-CA) |
Franken (D-MN) Gillibrand (D-NY) Harkin (D-IA) Inouye (D-HI) Johnson (D-SD) Kerry (D-MA) Klobuchar (D-MN) Kohl (D-WI) Landrieu (D-LA) Lautenberg (D-NJ) Leahy (D-VT) Levin (D-MI) Lieberman (ID-CT) Lincoln (D-AR) Lugar (R-IN) McCaskill (D-MO) Menendez (D-NJ) Merkley (D-OR) Mikulski (D-MD) |
Murkowski (R-AK) Murray (D-WA) Nelson (D-FL) Reed (D-RI) Reid (D-NV) Rockefeller (D-WV) Sanders (I-VT) Schumer (D-NY) Shaheen (D-NH) Specter (D-PA) Stabenow (D-MI) Udall (D-CO) Udall (D-NM) Warner (D-VA) Webb (D-VA) Whitehouse (D-RI) Wyden (D-OR) |
| NAYs —41 | ||
| Alexander (R-TN) Barrasso (R-WY) Baucus (D-MT) Bond (R-MO) Brown (R-MA) Brownback (R-KS) Burr (R-NC) Chambliss (R-GA) Coburn (R-OK) Cochran (R-MS) Collins (R-ME) Corker (R-TN) Cornyn (R-TX) Crapo (R-ID) |
DeMint (R-SC) Ensign (R-NV) Enzi (R-WY) Graham (R-SC) Grassley (R-IA) Hagan (D-NC) Hutchison (R-TX) Inhofe (R-OK) Isakson (R-GA) Johanns (R-NE) Kirk (R-IL) Kyl (R-AZ) LeMieux (R-FL) McCain (R-AZ) |
McConnell (R-KY) Nelson (D-NE) Pryor (D-AR) Risch (R-ID) Roberts (R-KS) Sessions (R-AL) Shelby (R-AL) Snowe (R-ME) Tester (D-MT) Thune (R-SD) Vitter (R-LA) Voinovich (R-OH) Wicker (R-MS) |
| Not Voting – 4 | ||
| Bunning (R-KY) Gregg (R-NH) |
Hatch (R-UT) Manchin (D-WV) |
|
I’m tremendously disappointed that so many Democrats voted against this. Again, an abstention is a vote against. Manchin (WV) is no surprise. He’s from my home state, and I knew he would be next Ben Nelson. He has not let me down. From what I heard, Hagan (NC) would have voted in favor had she been the 60th vote. Most disappointing is that unlike the tax extension, if the five Democrats who voted against and Manchin had supported the DREAM Act it would have passed.
Lugar (IN), a Republican, has championed this for some time, and deserves a lot of credit for consistently going against his party. It’s also interesting that Murkowski (AK) and Bennett (UT) bucked the party line. They were both challenged by Tea Partiers this past election. I hope their independence from the party was created by the push to the right by the Tea Party. I’m not generally a fan of either Senator, but I applaud them for voting for a just bill. It also confirms the ever so slight feeling of happiness I felt when radical Tea Partier Joe Miller lost to Murkowski this past election. I’d also like to point out that Orrin Hatch (UT) sponsored this bill in 2001. Sam Brownback (KS) and Chuck Grassley (IA) were cosponsors. I wonder what changed since then.
The good news is the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell repeal passed. I couldn’t be happier for the movement. It’s disappointing, however, that the human rights movement has to use fighting in our military to gain legitimacy and respect in our culture. If that’s what has to happen though I support it. What’s disappointing is DADT has less overall impact on the minority in question’s lives than the DREAM Act would. While a homosexual can now serve in the military, they did not face the fear of deportation if it had the repeal not passed.
Below is the Senate Roll Call on the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, with those voting against from the Democratic caucus and those voting for in the Republican caucus highlighted.
On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 2965 )
| YEAs —63 | ||
| Akaka (D-HI) Baucus (D-MT) Bayh (D-IN) Begich (D-AK) Bennet (D-CO) Bingaman (D-NM) Boxer (D-CA) Brown (D-OH) Brown (R-MA) Cantwell (D-WA) Cardin (D-MD) Carper (D-DE) Casey (D-PA) Collins (R-ME) Conrad (D-ND) Coons (D-DE) Dodd (D-CT) Dorgan (D-ND) Durbin (D-IL) Feingold (D-WI) Feinstein (D-CA) |
Franken (D-MN) Gillibrand (D-NY) Hagan (D-NC) Harkin (D-IA) Inouye (D-HI) Johnson (D-SD) Kerry (D-MA) Kirk (R-IL) Klobuchar (D-MN) Kohl (D-WI) Landrieu (D-LA) Lautenberg (D-NJ) Leahy (D-VT) Levin (D-MI) Lieberman (ID-CT) Lincoln (D-AR) McCaskill (D-MO) Menendez (D-NJ) Merkley (D-OR) Mikulski (D-MD) Murkowski (R-AK) |
Murray (D-WA) Nelson (D-FL) Nelson (D-NE) Pryor (D-AR) Reed (D-RI) Reid (D-NV) Rockefeller (D-WV) Sanders (I-VT) Schumer (D-NY) Shaheen (D-NH) Snowe (R-ME) Specter (D-PA) Stabenow (D-MI) Tester (D-MT) Udall (D-CO) Udall (D-NM) Voinovich (R-OH) Warner (D-VA) Webb (D-VA) Whitehouse (D-RI) Wyden (D-OR) |
| NAYs —33 | ||
| Alexander (R-TN) Barrasso (R-WY) Bennett (R-UT) Bond (R-MO) Brownback (R-KS) Burr (R-NC) Chambliss (R-GA) Coburn (R-OK) Cochran (R-MS) Corker (R-TN) Cornyn (R-TX) |
Crapo (R-ID) DeMint (R-SC) Ensign (R-NV) Enzi (R-WY) Graham (R-SC) Grassley (R-IA) Hutchison (R-TX) Inhofe (R-OK) Isakson (R-GA) Johanns (R-NE) Kyl (R-AZ) |
LeMieux (R-FL) Lugar (R-IN) McCain (R-AZ) McConnell (R-KY) Risch (R-ID) Roberts (R-KS) Sessions (R-AL) Shelby (R-AL) Thune (R-SD) Vitter (R-LA) Wicker (R-MS) |
| Not Voting – 4 | ||
| Bunning (R-KY) Gregg (R-NH) |
Hatch (R-UT) Manchin (D-WV) |
|
Six Republicans broke ranks. The three most notable “centrist Republicans” – Snowe, Collins and Brown – apparently decided to go against bigotry for this one. Mark Kirk, my Senator and someone who may join those three in the middle, also voted for the repeal. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Kirk ends up voting more often with the democratic caucus on key issues than Joe Manchin, who once again did not vote, basically voting against the measure. Also notably, Murkowski supported the repeal. She may be moving more towards the center. We’ll see.
Peanut Shells 
Manchin is a scumbag. I felt dirty and immoral when I voted for him. I’m sorry I did. We might as well have had that right wing whack job Raese in there. At least he’s honest about where he stands.
Wrong. See Murkowski, Lisa and Miller, Joe. Lesser of two evils. Think of it this way: you had a choice between centrist Republican or an extremist free market capitalist conservative.
I can sympathize that you felt dirty voting for him though. When he ran for governor back in ’04 I didn’t vote for him – I wrote in Lloyd Jackson’s name. And I was working for the Democratic Party at the time. Difference was, there was no way he was going to lose to Warner. If John Raese were your Senator right now I guarantee you would be regretting not voting for Manchin if you’d voted for Johnson. Same as when people voted for Nader on 2000 in Florida.
I voted for Manchin in the special election for one reason – to keep Reese out. I knew he would be terrible Looking back I should have voted for the Mountain Party candidate – at least I wouldn’t have felt dirty like I did voting for Joe.
I don’t live in WV anymore, but I strongly encouraged my family to vote for Manchin. My dad said the same thing when I talked to him – that he wanted to vote for Jesse Johnson. And this is what I told him: I know Manchin’s not supportive of unions, women’s rights, gay rights, environmental rights, or pretty much anything else I believe in. However, if the Dems lose the Senate the Republicans gain the ability to control what happens in the Senate for at least two more years. Ultimately, it didn’t really matter that Manchin won because we won a few really tight Senate races we didn’t expect to. However, I still think it was the right decision. Raese would have been far worse than Manchin. Instead of having another Ben Nelson (or Olympia Snowe or Scott Brown for that matter), we would have had another Demint or McConnell. I can’t stand Joe Manchin – I never have been able to – but reality is WV is moving right due to the decline of unions and the rise of the social conservative voter. Odds are we’re not getting another Robert C. Byrd or Jay Rockefeller.