The Republican War On Working Families Hits A Roadblock-- And Lilly Ledbetter Act Passes The Senate... By A Landslide

As soon as the new House got back to work, it repassed, quite overwhelmingly, the Lilly Ledbetter Equal Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act, both meant to ensure equal pay for equal work. Ledbetter passed in the House 247-171 with only 3 Republicans joining every Democrat except 5 reactionary dogs from the old slave-holding states who, basically, agree with the GOP that women belong behind a stove, not in the workplace: Allen Boyd (Blue Dog-FL), Bobby Bright (freshman wingnut-AL), Dan Boren (Blue Dog-OK), Parker Griffith (freshman wingnut-AL), Travis Childers (wingnut-MS). The Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R. 12) passed with an even wider margin, 256-163 and only three reactionary women-haters among the Democrats crossing the aisle to join the GOP on that one: Bobby Bright (AL), Parker Griffith (AL) and Walt Minnick (ID).

President Obama has already said he is eager to sign both bills. And yesterday Ledbetter moved to the Senate. Beverly Neufeld at TortDeform-- The Civil Justice Defense Blog set the stage nicely in the morning and warned against likely amendments by reactionaries that were introduced to weaken the intent of the bill. Needless to say, the GOP had no problem finding a lady-shill as their anti-woman stooge. Texas clown Kay Bailey Hutchison, who is eyeing a run for governor, offered an amendment, or actually a substitute bill, that would require women to prove "a reasonable suspicion of discrimination" before they would be allowed to proceed with claims that date beyond six months. Most senators saw right through her tactic and her efforts came to naught, with every single Democrat plus Republican Olympia Snowe voting it down, while all the other Republicans (40) voted for it. (The Senate had already killed a GOP attempt to filibuster the bill last Thursday, passing a cloture motion 72-23, all the Democrats plus 17 Republicans including even Mitch McConnell, who had sabotaged the same bill last year! Only the most radical right Neanderthals, led by DeMint and Kyl voted to filibuster equal rights in the workplace for women this time around.

Snarlin' Arlen Specter (R-PA) then tried 2 more maneuvers yesterday, amendments the Chamber of Commerce wrote for him that would, in effect, nullify any benefits of the bill. Specter was able to attract the two most reactionary Democrats-- Mary Landrieu and Ben Nelson, each a devoted shill of Big Business-- on his first try but the attempt was handily thwarted by the rest of the Democrats plus Snowe. His second shot not only lost Landrieu and Nelson, but also sent Susan Collins over to the Democratic side. It failed 55-39.

Next up was Wyoming winger Mike Enzi but his boneheaded amendment was beaten back as well, Snowe sticking with the Democrats (although Webb defected). Johnny Isakson also tried weakening the bill with an amendment which was defeated 59-38, attracting no Democrats and losing Collins, Snowe and Specter. Yesterday was a bad day for the enemies of working families in the U.S. Senate. A little bit of change has indeed come to Washington.

After all this posturing and game-playing by the Republicans over equality for women in the workplace, the GOP's arch-obstructionist and the Senate's worst enemy of working families, Jim DeMint suddenly chimed in with an amendment he and David Diapers Vitter cooked up to weaken the ability of working people to organize and bargain with business collectively. Basically it was a tactic to throw sand in the faces of supporters of the Employee Free Choice Act. It was defeated, 67-30, all the Democrats voting yes, along with 11 Republicans, especially ones who are up for re-election in 2010 like Judd Gregg, Lisa Murkowski and Arlen Specter, as well as the Republicans who have already announced they are retiring and would rather stop beating up on working families in their last days in the Senate-- Kit Bond, Mel Martinez ad George Voinovich. Vitter then offered his own anti-worker bill, which was also defeated 59-38, every Democrat standing firm against the onslaught, along with Specter, Murkowski and Voinovich, a good indication that the Employee Free Choice Act will pass when it finally comes up for a vote.

Oh, and when the actual Ledbetter Act came to a final vote last yesterday afternoon, it passed 61-36, a nice healthy margin. Every single Democrat voted yes, of course, and they were joined by the 4 Republican women Senators plus Specter. It's 2010 but 36 reactionary Republicans voted against equality for women, including John McCain and, needless to say, the Senate's biggest whoremonger, David Diapers Vitter. Overall, Republican senators say they were just happy to be able to offer their poison pill amendments and debate them and promise they won't abuse the process to hold up Obama's agenda. I like it too because it shows Americans exactly what the GOP stands for.


UPDATE: LEDBETTER NOW HEADED FOR A CONFERENCE COMMITTEE RECONCILIATION

The House version, as usual, is more progressive and encompassing than what the Senate passed yesterday, and the two bodies will appoint a conference committee to iron out the differences. This won't be problematic and it is expected that Ledbetter will be the first new law signed by President Obama.