Final House-Senate List of Democrats' Ultra-Disloyal Sellouts

[madfloridian]

From David Sirota's latest mailing. I tend to agree with him. I am most upset with my senator, and Florida Democrats are in the "don't criticize Nelson" mode. Not sure how beneficial it is to have someone keep voting against your interests and then be told not to criticize.

http://www.workingforchange.com/blog/index.cfm?mode=entry&entry=69095EDE-985B-CCEE-5E17D64701D57A07

The Final House-Senate List of Democrats' Ultra-Disloyal Sellouts

In the interest of getting to a final comprehensive list of both House Members and Senators who are the Democratic Party's real problem, let's take a look at which Democratic Senators are most consistently undermining their party by voting for corporate interests over middle-class interests. Then let's combine it with the list we already have amassed of the House sellouts.

Ten Senate Democrats this past week voted for the corporate-written Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) - that constitutes about a quarter of all Senate Democrats. These turncoats are:

Cantwell (D-WA)
Carper (D-DE)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Lieberman (D-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Murray (D-WA)
Bill Nelson (D-FL)
Ben Nelson (D-NE)
Pryor (D-AR)
Wyden (D-OR)

To whittle down who among these sellouts can be considered an ultra-sellout I'll use the same standard as with House Members: which of these Senators voted for the credit card industry-written Bankruptcy Bill, and the bill limiting citizens' legal rights against abusive corporations?

On the Bankruptcy Bill, the key vote was on cloture, because that was where everyone knew the bill would either be killed or not, no matter how they voted on final passage. If cloture had been voted down, there would never have been a vote on final passage and the bill would have died. There were 6 total Democrats who voted for CAFTA and who voted for cloture on the bankruptcy bill (and thus in support of the bill): Carper, Lieberman, Lincoln, Bill Nelson, Ben Nelson, and Pryor.

On the vote limiting citizens' legal rights against abusive corporations, the list gets further whittled down to 5: Carper, Feinstein, Lieberman, Lincoln and Bill Nelson.

As I have said, the idea that any of these people had to vote for these things because they represent swing states is wholly without merit - there is simply no proof that selling out to corporate interests helps politicians win elections - in fact, there is proof that the opposite is true, and that standing rejecting this extreme economic agenda wins elections, while capitulating to this agenda loses elections.

But even if you subscribe to the ridiculous "swing state Democrats must sell out" theory and take out Senators who could have potentially tough re-election races like Lincoln and Bill Nelson, you still have 3 safe Senators who are consistently undermining their party: Carper, Feinstein and Lieberman.

Combine these Senators with the House Members I discussed in a previous post, and that gets us the final comprehensive list. There are 11 Democrats from both the House and Senate who are consistently undermining their party, even though they win re-election easily, and thus have positively no excuse for their willingness to aid and abet the Republican Party/Corporate America's extreme economic agenda. They are:

Editing to highlight this final list by bolding.

Senator Tom Carper (D-DE)
Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
Senator Joe Lieberman (D-CT)
Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN)
Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX)
Rep. Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX)
Rep. Jim Matheson (D-UT)
Rep. Greg Meeks (D-NY)
Rep. Dennis Moore (D-KS)
Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA)
Rep. John Tanner (D-TN)

These are the people who should, for starters, get absolutely no money or grassroots resources from organized labor or regular working people in general. And they are the people that should be high on the list when progressives think about which Democratic lawmakers need to know there are political consequences to selling America out.

Sources:
Senate CAFTA vote:
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=1&vote=00209
Senate bankruptcy cloture vote:
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=1&vote=00029
Senate vote on limiting citizens' legal rights:
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=1&vote=00009
Previous analysis of House Democrats on core economic issues:
http://www.davidsirota.com/2005/07/which-of-15-dem-sellouts-should-start.html

[lvx35]

1. BOTH of my senators here in WA!

I'm going to be sending a nasty letter to Olympia.

[Mojambo]

6. I really hope they both face tough primary challenges

Neither one is getting a dime from me.

[Mass]

16. Yes but they are not in the Bankrupcty Bill list, I think.

Let's start to focus on those that madfloridian have boldened, though your senators certainly need a letter (sad, because I like them a lot otherwise, particularly Murray).

I wonder how they correlate with the votes on the Energy Bill.

[sundancekid]

2. thanks for your fine work/research -- pox on the houses of these 11

[madfloridian]

4. This is Sirota's research...wish I could lay claim but I can't.

:hi:

[glitch]

15. I want to know what the hell they traded for their votes.

Exactly what was so important that this was worth selling us out for?

Edit I meant this to go under the WA state post, but it can apply to the others as well.

[Southsideirish]

3. What is it with Jim Moran? I thought he was a decent guy.

[Robert Oak]

5. Corpocrats on the Republican side

I think instead of focusing in on Tancredo (which is common) we need to do the same thing on voting records of Republicans.

Whether you agree with conservative Republicans or not I think should be dropped frankly and a great focus on the corpocrats.

The corpocrats are the ones truly destroying the United States...constantly voting for free trade, MBNA, giving subsidies to
multinational corporations for no reason, increasing tax incentives to offshore outsource jobs and so on.

Let's expose these turkeys who hide behind "christian values" or whatever propaganda they are puking out and go after them too.

Delay is the number one that comes to mind, totally corrupt SOB.

[madfloridian]

7. Our Democrats let Bush's agenda go through this week.

They could have stopped it, but they chose not to do so.

I can't do anything about the corporatists in the Republican party until I do something about the ones in mine. They don't care what I think anyway.

[Robert Oak]

12. oh, this isn't "either/or"

more trying to point out that we have corpocrats pretending to be members of a political ideology.

They aren't. I see no difference between them and politicians on the graft via the Mafia in the 1950's/1960's.

I think "corrupt" plain and simple is a universal point of disgust for all Americans and that is what they are.

[napi21]

8. The one that surprises me is Wyden!

I've listened to him many times on cspan, and he's really one of the few rational Dems I've hear. He always asks great probing questions, and doesn't accept shit answers.

I noticed his name wasn't on your second list. Did he change his vote?

[madfloridian]

9. First list is different:

Ten Senate Democrats this past week voted for the corporate-written Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) - that constitutes about a quarter of all Senate Democrats. These turncoats are:

Cantwell (D-WA)
Carper (D-DE)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Lieberman (D-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Murray (D-WA)
Bill Nelson (D-FL)
Ben Nelson (D-NE)
Pryor (D-AR)
Wyden (D-OR)

Second list is combined from previous linked mails at the bottom of Sirota's list.

Combine these Senators (above) with the House Members I discussed in a previous post, and that gets us the final comprehensive list. There are 11 Democrats from both the House and Senate who are consistently undermining their party, even though they win re-election easily, and thus have positively no excuse for their willingness to aid and abet the Republican Party/Corporate America's extreme economic agenda. They are:

Editing to highlight this final list by bolding.

Senator Tom Carper (D-DE)
Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
Senator Joe Lieberman (D-CT)
Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN)
Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX)
Rep. Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX)
Rep. Jim Matheson (D-UT)
Rep. Greg Meeks (D-NY)
Rep. Dennis Moore (D-KS)
Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA)
Rep. John Tanner (D-TN)

I think Bill Nelson is close to be included in the 2nd list. He probably just barely escaped. He also voted for the bankruptcy bill, the Schiavo fiasco, and a few other choice ones. He seldom replies to constituents at all.

[opusprime]

10. I just wrote Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell from Washington...

and it was flaming when I hit the submit button.

Nothing worse than a sellout! Except a traitor in the White House that is.

[fooj]

11. I'm through with "Judas" Feinstein.

Peace.

[Catt03]

13. Nelson (F) presents a dilimma

either Katherine Harris or Mark Foley may run against him.

Who would you vote for then?

[Pacifist Patriot]

21. In addition....

CAFTA could be good for Florida but bad for the nation. As a senator from Florida you are between a rock and a hard place.

[Totally Committed]

14. Excellent post, madfloridian!

Thanks for posting it.

[Pithy Cherub]

17. DiFi to Californias's eternal embarrassment is on your list.

:hangs head in shame: Resolves to support primary challenger. :yoiks:

[niallmac]

18. Can't we or someone ask these people why they voted the way they did?

Shouldn't these (dems?) be anxious to explain the excellent reasoning that lay behind their votes? I say ask them on an internet type forum and give these ostensible dems a chance for a fair hearing. I suggest this because I want to know what the hell is going on.

[madfloridian]

20. You can ask, but most don't answer.

I have asked Bill Nelson by email, and his office by phone on so many of his votes. They don't have to answer us.

[niallmac]

23. Wellll... Poop!

[Mass]

19. Excellent posts and Sirota is doing a great job pointing us in the right

direction.

I understand the dilemna with Nelson, but frankly, the two most unforgivable in this list are Feinstein and Lieberman. They have no excuse.

[leanin_green]

22. Matheson is my congressman, which is a wonder in its self in So. Utah!

But he's also more Republican-Lite because of being in a red state. They're so pro-business/corporate in So. Utah anyway, it's no wonder he votes the way he does. There's so much greed and profiteering among the old money families here that it's just criminal what they get away with.
Just like their fine example in Washington, I guess.

[unlawflcombatnt]

24. Republican Pryce of Ohio changed her vote

Republican House member Pryce from Ohio actually spoke against CAFTA on C-SPAN when the Congressional Democrats made their outdoor presentation. She was one Republican who was against CAFTA enough to speak out against it. But she voted FOR CAFTA. Who got to her? She seemed adamantly opposed. What did she get for changing her vote? This is VERY suspicious.

unlawflcombatnt

[magellan]

25. Thanks, MadFloridian

I'm one too (a mad Floridian) and was looking for this information earlier. I just sent Nelson a love note basically asking "Is you is or is you ain't a Democrat?" Tired of the turncoat routine from him and so many others.

Bah.