Edwards and Kerry rushing back to Washington for gun vote

[Edwards4President]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040302/ap_on_go_co/congress_guns_6

For those who beat up on them when they miss votes, how bout giving them some credit for leaving the campaign trail on Super Tuesday to make this vote?

[Debi]

1. Question...

Will Kerry actually vote this time? Or just say he did to look Presidential? More respect goes to John Edwards here. He's stayed honest.

[Edwards4President]

2. I'm sure Kerry's going to vote

[Debi]

5. He didn't vote

on prescription drug coverage. Only two Dem Senators didn't vote, Kerry and Lieberman.

BUT Kerry couldn't be at a debate in Iowa because he HAD to stay in D.C. to vote. In speeches that weekend he talked about how he voted against the bill - and I'll repeat myslef - but he didn't even vote.

I'll wait 'til his vote is actually cast before I beleive him.

[Leilani]

4. John Kerry just gave the closing argument

for the Dems on the Senate floor, C-Span2.

So not only will he be voting, he is leading the Dems.

I haven't seen Sen Edwards yet.

[Debi]

6. He was there to 'speak out'

Against the prescription drug coverage bill as well...he just couldn't find the time to vote. Let me know when his vote is cast.

[JI7]

16. he did vote

he voted where it could have made a difference in preventing the bill from getting the final vote since there was already enough to allow it to pass if it actually came down to a vote. in the end when it didn't work he left to campaign, but he had harry reid put on record and call out his(kerry's) position when kerry's name was called to vote. so he is on record as such.

[waldenx]

3. fuck both of them

they are not heroes for doing their job.
Those two jackasses spit in the face of the unemployed last week so they can rot in hell for all I care.

[Thrill]

7. Watch Zell

vote with the repugs

[redqueen]

8. Amazing, isn't it?

:eyes:

[Edwards4President]

9. So they're damned if they do and damned if they don't

And, by the way - as has been pointed out countless times - the fact that they didn't vote on the unemployment extension had absolutely no affect on the outcome. So it's extremely unfair to blame them for the fact that benefits have not been extended.

[redqueen]

14. No, they're doing their job if they do, and damned if they don't.

And by the way, if they had voted for that amendment to the gun liability bill, it might very well have been added to the bill. Can you cite a reference that it wasn't that close? From what I remember reading it was, and their votes would have meant it was included in the bill.

If an extension of unemployment benefits amendment was added to the gun liability bill, this could have a) prevented the far-right from voting for it, or b) ensured that needy families got a bone thrown their way if the noxious bill did pass.

[Edwards4President]

18. I guess i see it differently

While I don't think we should genuflect before our representatives for doing the right thing, we should at least show some appreciation - and maybe even say thank you - when they do the right thing, especially when we know that it's not always the easy route for them. I think this is particularly important when we are so willing to scream "fuck you!" at them when they don't do what we want. If an issue is crucial enough to generate this kind of anger when they don't do what we want, they at least should get more than a shoulder shrug wand a "whatever" when they step up to the plate. Giving a little credit goes a long way - and perhaps will make it a little easier for them to do the right thing in the future.

[JI7]

20. don't worry about it, the right wing would love it

if democratic politicians never went out to campaign and spoke about these issues and just stayed in the senate and voted. this is why the republicans were able to pass that bill in the house late at night. nobody watches these sessions and don't hear about these things going on in the congress itself. i would rather have them go out and let pe ople know what the right wing is doing and try to get real change than just stay in there and vote purposes of making a statement without any actual change. if the vote is as today on the gun thing then it's different since it's close and their votes could make a difference.

[HFishbine]

21. Fact Check

The missed votes on extension of unemployment benefits did indeed affect the outcome. It was a proceedural vote that needed 60 votes to carry. It failed by two votes.

[Edwards4President]

25. My facts are dead on - read my posts again and look at the record . . .

This measure failed by two votes ONLY because NINE Republicans who had previous voted against it switched to vote yes - for the express purpose of ensuring that it failed by two votes. They wanted exactly the result you are giving them - you are blaming Edwards and Kerry instead of the Republicans who had no intention of allowing this measure to pass.

Even if Kerry and Edwards had voted, the Republicans would have simply pulled three more of their own back over into the no column to ensure the measure failed.

Bottom line - the bill failed because the Republicans intended it to fail. There is not a single thing that Edwards or Kerry could have done to make that measure pass.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

10. they didn't bother to show up to vote for unemployment benefits?

but they have time to vote to ban guns from the working class? Which side are these people on anyway?

[Thrill]

11. LMAO

Zell voted No. Its going to past a lot of Repugs have voted for it

[Edwards4President]

12. They won't let the working class have assault weapons

SHAME on them!!!

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

19. will they ban the Pinkertons from having assault weapons?

hmm?

[w4rma]

See post #15. (n/t)

[rucky]

13. Seriously, tho....why the GUN issue?

out of all the real issues they've seen more politically advantageous to avoid. It seems like guns would be an issue to avoid. Maybe they needed them there because the voting was tight, but didn't last weeks vote on unempolyment benefits come down to two votes as well?

I don't think they're picking their battles very wisely.

[Edwards4President]

15. Because this is a VERY serious issue

that goes beyond mere electoral politics. Yes, their votes might hurt them with gun advocates in the party, but they're doing the right thing.

And the unemployment benefit vote didn't really come down to two votes. Nine Republicans who were against extending benefits switched to vote yes in order to make the margin close so that Edwards and Kerry would be blamed for its failure. But even if Kerry and Edwards had returned for the vote, it would have failed because enough Republicans would have voted no to keep it from passing.

They didn't fall into the trap set for them by the Republicans who wanted to pull them off of their game and weaken their campaigns right before Super Tuesday. Unfortunately, many Democrats are blaming them for the measure's failure without fully understanding the strategy behind this.

[Thrill]

17. This explains why the importance

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20867-2004Mar1.html?referrer%3Demail

[Edwards4President]

23. Thanks!

from the Washington Post:

"Republicans plan to use Congress to pull Sen. John F. Kerry and vulnerable Democrats into the cultural wars over gay rights, abortion and guns, envisioning a series of debates and votes that will highlight the candidates' positions on divisive issues, according to congressional aides and GOP officials.

"The strategy will be on full display today, as Kerry (Mass.) and Sen. John Edwards (N.C.), the leading Democratic presidential candidates, plan to interrupt their Super Tuesday campaigning to fly to Washington for half a dozen votes on gun legislation, including liability protections for gun manufacturers. Both men oppose the liability bill, placing them in their party's majority even though some prominent Democrats -- including Senate Minority Leader Thomas A. Daschle (D-S.D.) -- support the bill.

"A top Edwards aide said the senator is "not thrilled" to be voting on gun control one week before southern states such as Texas hold their primaries. Kerry, who has missed every Senate vote this year --plus several key votes last year -- canceled a Florida campaign event tonight to be on hand for the gun votes, several of which are expected to be close."

. . .

GOP leaders are not specifically scheduling votes to influence the election, he said, but they are aware of the political calendar and the potential impact of congressional votes. 'We've got a lot of things to get done,' Ueland said. 'If they have resonance with the campaign, that's an added benefit.'"

DUers - DON'T FALL FOR THE OKIE DOKE!!!

[rucky]

24. I wouldn't want to be in their shoes n/t

[HFishbine]

22. "unemployment benefit vote didn't really come down to two votes."

Wrong. Get your facts straight.

[DjTj]

26. Do you dispute the fact that Republicans changed their votes?

...to get us into this very argument?

[Thrill]

28. I love

Ted Kennedy

[Edwards4President]

27. You can keep saying it over and over

But that won't change anything. The fact that it failed by two votes does not mean that it came down to two votes.

This has been explained to you repeatedly. Either you just don't understand the process or your antipathy toward Edwards and Kerry won't let you admit the truth.

This did NOT come down to two votes. The measure was not going to pass, regardless what Edwards and Kerry did. But the Republicans succeeded in keeping you so myopically focused on the "two votes" argument, you can't see the big picture and are quite eagerly making their job easier. By bashing Edwards and Kerry for missing the vote, you're helping to keep the Republicans hands clean and freeing them up to go after Dems in other ways.

You're a terrific surrogate.