Regarding Today's Top Ten--the Lynching Apology

[Terran]

I'd just like to point out that the list of Senators who failed to co-sponsor or vote yes on the bill that is used in Today's Top Ten Conservative Idiots is the same list originally posted by kos, which had an error. Christopher Bond (R-MO) is on that list, but the official co-sponsor list at the Congressional website shows him as a co-sponsor as of June 13th, the day before the vote.

I would also point out that there is an updated list available at americablog, as reported by kos:

Lamar Alexander (R-TN) - [phone]
Robert Bennett (R-UT) - [phone]
Thad Cochran (R-MS) - [phone]
John Cornyn (R-TX) - [phone]
Michael Crapo (R-ID) - [phone]
Michael Enzi (R-WY) - [phone]
Chuck Grassley (R-IA) - [phone]
Judd Gregg (R-NH) - [phone]
Orrin Hatch (R-UT) - [phone]
Kay Hutchison (R-TX) - [phone]
Jon Kyl (R-AZ) - [phone]
Trent Lott (R-MS) - [phone]
Richard Shelby (R-AL) - [phone]
John Sununu (R-NH) - [phone]
Craig Thomas (R-WY) - [phone]

LATEST TWO WHO NOW HAVE COSPONSORED

George Voinovich (R-OH)
Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)

While I'm not trying to defend Senator Bond particularly, who is one of my Senators, the guy isn't nearly as bad as Cornyn, Hatch and Lott & Co. I've pointed this error out before, and someone asked me which source I believed, kos or Congress. Well, in this case, since the co-sponsor list is part of the Congressional Record, I believe that. I think kos simply made a mistake or didn't check his own source carefully. If anyone can prove me wrong about this, I'll eat crow, but I don't like seeing a Missouri Senator unfairly lumped in with these other asswipes.

[bballny]

1. Kit Bond

probably isn't that bad but Missouri has a dismal record on treating minorities well. St. Louis treated Jackie Robinson the worst of any city when he joined the major leagues. Right field was the area"reserved for negroes" at Sportsman Park and my Dad who was Asian couldn't swim in the public pools in the thirties. He left in 1940 and never went back.

[Terran]

2. No argument here on Missouri racism

I'm not originally from here, I'm from California, but I've learned quite a bit of the state's history, so I know what you're saying. Even more to the point is that Missouri had its share of lynchings right up through the late 1930's, so it was very important to me that both my Senators sign on to this bill.

I would also just add that while some states lacked a formal Jim Crow system, there is no state that is free from a history of violent racism. And racism is still a huge problem here today, just as it is nationwide.

[sunnystarr]

3. So 18% of Republican Senators refused to sign

the apology for the practice of lynching black citizens of our country. Will they use that in their re-election literature? More importantly will Dems use it when running against them.

[Terran]

4. Actually, the apology was for the Senate failing to pass laws

against lynching. Repeatedly. And you have to wonder, right? How will they make note of their failure to sign on to this? Maybe some of them have ways of notifying their state's racist contingent that they still stand with them. And I hope the Dems do make something of this. It's shameful.

[AirAmFan]

5. You've still got a couple of mistakes in your list

Comparing the 87 sponsors/cosponsors (as of 6/16) of the apology (at http://www.congress.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:SE00039:@@@P ) with the list of all 100 Senators (at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm ) now yields 13 who haven't signed on:

R-AL Shelby, Richard
R-AZ Kyl, Jon
R-MS Cochran, Thad

R-MS Lott, Trent
R-NH Gregg, Judd
R-NH Sununu, John

R-OK Inhofe, James
R-TN Alexander, Lamar
R-TX Cornyn, John

R-TX Hutchison, Kay
R-UT Bennett, Robert
R-WY Enzi, Michael
R-WY Thomas, Craig

Of the 87, 45 signed on in February, 34 signed on during the week before passage June 13th, and 8 (so far) signed on after passage:
D-ND Conrad, Kent 6/14/2005
D-NM Bingaman, Jeff 6/14/2005
D-RI Reed, Jack 6/14/2005

R-AK Murkowski, Lisa 6/14/2005
R-IA Grassley, Chuck 6/15/2005
R-ID Crapo, Michael 6/15/2005

R-OH Voinovich, George 6/14/2005
R-UT Hatch, Orrin 6/16/2005

The date a Senator signed is important. Note that Grassley and Hatch are members of the Judiciary Committee (as are Cornyn and Kyl). Such membership likely played big roles in their decisions to sign on after they signaled their base that they "really" didn't support the apology. When Frist brings the "nuclear option" to the floor, now all key committee members but Cornyn and Kyl will think they're free to argue the filibuster is "racist". Politicians LOVE to figure out how to "have it both ways".

[Terran]

6. Thanks for the updated info

The list I posted is copied from kos, I think it current as of 6/14.

[sunnystarr]

7. So that makes it 23.6% of Repuke Senators .. aren't they proud. (nt)