Thursday, April 02, 2009

McCain Leads Off Today's Budget Debate With A Retread Of Failed Republican Ideas

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You probably heard McCain barking on TV this morning about his own personal budget-- put together for him by his favorite lobbyists-- and how every Republican in the Senate would follow his leadership and vote for it. I would guess that almost every Republican hates his guts and doesn't see any need to put up with his egocentric showboating any longer. When the McCain budget came up-- more tax cuts for the rich, coupled with the destruction of Medicare and Social Security-- it was soundly defeated 60-38.

Not only couldn't McCain get his best buddy Lieberman (I-CT) to vote for his harebrained scheme, not even ritual aisle crosser Ben Nelson (D-NE) would lower himself to be part of this kabuki silliness. As for "every Republican," Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Susan Collins (R-ME) and even Bob Corker (R-TN) looked it over, laughed and voted "no," along with every single Democrat. Specter is too scared to stray from partisan orthodoxy and he's letting John Cornyn and Jim DeMint determine his votes from now until primary day, 2010.

After the Senate voted down McCain's budgetary version of 4 more years, two serious amendments did pass, one from Chris Dodd and one from Bernie Sanders. Once burned, Dodd wanted to make certain that there would be enhanced oversight of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System concerning the use of emergency economic assistance. It passed 96-2, only bitter obstructionist fanatics Judd Gregg (R-NH) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) voting "no." Sander's amendment was more controversial since it requires more information than the Federal Reserve likes sharing with Congress. But is passed 59-39, in a very hard to read bipartisan vote, although I noticed that many of the more corrupt Democrats who are in Evan Bayh's anti-Obama bloc voted against it, along with die-hard obstructionists like Chambliss, Shelby, Miss McConnell, Gregg, Isakson, Kyl, etc.

Mike Johanns (R-NE) then offered the ritual Republican motion to recommit (kill) the budget. That failed, of course, 55-43, sickeningly Ben Nelson and Evan Bayh voting with the GOP. David Diapers Vitter followed up on that with a frivolous amendment to pull the plug on Bush's TARP program and he was joined by 26 Republicans plus Ben Nelson as the amendment went down to a 70-28 defeat. Jack Reed had a much better idea-- to spend the rest of the TARP money to benefit consumers rather than banksters. Vitter and his hypocritical Republican cronies were unwilling to vote for that, but it passed 56-42, with George Voinovich crossing the aisle in one direction while Nelson crossed in the other. And then the budget passed, every Republican voting obstructionism, joined by reactionary Democrats Evan Bayh and Ben Nelson.

Meanwhile, over on the House side, when a procedural vote was taken to consider the budget, every single Republican voted no-- presumably still preferring Paul Ryan's Never-Neverland term-paper. It passed 242-182, 6 of the slimiest and most corrupt Blue Dogs slinking across the aisle to, once again, show utter contempt for working families-- worst of the worst: John Barrow (GA), Chris Carney (PA), Travis Childers (MS), Frank Kratovil (MD), Charlie Melancon (LA) and Gene Taylor (MS). If you're wondering where Heath Shuler's name is, he chose not to vote and hid in the cloakroom, sure to rush back to the floor in time to vote against the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, one of only 8 Democrats to do so.

Finally at 7:16 this evening the House passed the budget, 233-196, every Republican voting no. They were joined by 20 Democrats, John Barrow (Blue Dog-GA), Dan Boren (Blue Dog-OK), Bobby Bright (Blue Dog-AL), Travis Childers (Blue Dog-MS), Bill Foster (Blue Dogish-IL), Parker Griffith (Blue Dog-AL), Suzanne Kosmas (FL), Frank Kratovil (Blue Dog-MD), Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), Betsy Markey (CO), Jim Marshall (Blue Dog-GA), Jim Matheson (Blue Dog-UT), Mike McIntyre (Blue Dog-NC), Walt Minnick (Blue Dog-ID), Harry Mitchell (Blue Dog-AZ), Glenn Nye (Blue Dog-VA), Tom Perriello (D-VA), Gene Taylor (Blue Dog-MS) and Harry Teague (NM). At least none of the filthy Blue Dogs voted for Paul Ryan's ridiculous budget "alternative," although 38 Republicans didn't have the stomach to vote for that garbage either.

Will corporate media persuade voters that suddenly Republicans will protect taxpayers from overspending and break with their past of running up gigantic deficits while mouthing off about responsibility? And what's the chance that knuckleheaded Republican House Whip Eric Cantor is correct when he predicts that the Party of No will retake the House in 2010? Well... even if Newt Gingrich is wrong about a breakaway third party of disgruntled rightists, unless grassroots Repugs follow Mike Huckabee's suggestion to cheat, there is no chance. Would a man of Gawd, like Rev Huck for example, suggest to Republicans that they steal elections? Watch for yourself as he gave Virginia Republicans their marching orders today:

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