Repub Senate Stimulus Amendments: Rejected, Rejected, Rejected

[ProSense]

Repub Senate Stimulus Amendments: Rejected, Rejected, Rejected

by sdf

I share the frustration of many in the liberaloblogerospherico concerning how things are progressing with the stimulus, how we still see more Republicans on our teevees and wonder whether our Democratic congressional leaders will manage to fail us, again, somehow.

But not all of the news is bad, take heart! It's fun to watch them posted, as the Republican amendments offered today to teh stimulus get rejected one after another after another . So far they're 0 for 7. Most importantly, there appears to be a comfortable 60+ vote consensus (including, for various amendments, Specter, Snowe, Collins, and/or Voinovich) for the core of the stimulus bill, poorly written WaPo stories to the contrary:

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/vote_menu_111_1.htm

Vitter amendment LOSES 32-65
DeMint amendment LOSES 36-61
Thune amendment LOSES 35-62
McCain amendment LOSES 44-53
Inhofe amendment LOSES 38-59
Cornyn amendment LOSES 37-60
Bunning amendment LOSES 39-57
McCain (#2) amendment LOSES 31-65

Vitter, which got 65 votes against, would have stripped 25+ billion in spending from the bill. Cornyn, which was a tax cut mania provision, got 60 votes against. I know we're all nervous, but based on this, it would seem that there are 60 who could easily coalesce around the core of the bill as it now stands.

-- Stu

(9:27 Update -- added some more vote totals posted)

(10:34 Update -- to be more accurate, there were a couple relatively uncontroversial Republican sponsored amendments that were agreed to by a voice vote Isakson's on housing (co-sponsored by Lieberman) and Bond's on low-income housing (co-sponsored by four Democrats: Dodd, Kerry, Kohl, and Jack Reed.))

Rejected!

[FreakinDJ]

1. So there is still hope for America

The RATpublicans won't be happy until the Chinese take over because we failed to meet our payments

[Enrique]

2. good, the dems aren't panicking

not giving away the store in desperation to get the bill passed.

[firedupdem]

3. All Obama wants to say is he tried to work with them. They are

getting nothing.

[Cha]

12. That's right.. It's too

bad that more can't understand that.

[4lbs]

4. But... but... the Obama haters on DU say that he's screwing up big time.

n/t

[firedupdem]

5. kick

:kick:

[SpartanDem]

6. this needs a bump

[madinmaryland]

7. Did the Vitter amendment "depend" on any thing??

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

10. That's a "poopy" comment if I've ever heard one. nt

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

8. Looks like McCain's 2nd amendment got the biggest ass whooping. nt

[Terran]

9. Is there a link to the text of the two amendments that passed?

I'm working on an analysis of the bill's housing-related provisions for work and would really like to see what those consist of.

[Fleshdancer]

11. I'm pleasantly surprised

Then again, we're dealing with the same MSM that worked overtime to make the election appear to be extremely close when it wasn't.

I started laughing earlier when pundits on MSNBC were wondering why there weren't more Democrats on the news discussing this stimulus plan. Umm...you ARE the news channel so you tell ME why there aren't more Democrats on YOUR show.

[ProSense]

13. Rejected

McCain (#3) amendment LOSES 40-57
DeMint amendment LOSES 43-54
Ensign amendment LOSES 35-62

[sandnsea]

14. I care about what they changed in private

These votes aren't the changes that are going to matter.

[Better Believe It]

16. Exactly And shouldn't the details of the "bi-partisan deal" appear in public somewhere?

[sandnsea]

17. After the senate passes it

Then we will be able to see it. It will go into conference with the House, and then we'll see what we get from there. Hopefully the House will put some of the education and other important stuff back in.

[Better Believe It]

24. Senator Reid and all Senators have a copy of it.

Can't one of them release it to the media or at least post a pdf copy on their website.

[sandnsea]

30. Here

I just found a link to it.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:S.350:

[ProSense]

18. These and voice votes are going to be the bill. Do you mean during the Conference vote?

[sandnsea]

19. I mean the bill they're negotiating behind the scenes

The one they're not doing tinkering with because if they were, they'd have done a final vote already.

[ProSense]

20. They don't tinker with the package until the Conference report.

Are you saying the Amendments are being changed before they get to Conference?

[sandnsea]

21. I'm saying they aren't done with potential amendments

If they were ready to vote on a final package, they would.

[ProSense]

22. Ah, there could well be more amendments. We'll see. n/t

[Abq_Sarah]

27. I doubt they're going to release

Any specific details about that package. They want the Senate to vote without being pressured by people on either side calling in and bitching about it.

[bdamomma]

15. what wonderful news it is about effing time.

[ProSense]

23. The revealing

DeMint amendment.

[demo dutch]

25. Vitter planning revenge- asked to delay vote so he can "read" the bill

[Parker CA]

26. Translation: Puke Senators are terrified this is going to work and they need a group diaper change.

[Left Coast2020]

31. Now I know why John McBush was crossing his legs

while giving his speech. Yeah. Walking around in circles, back-and-forth. He had to relieve himself realllllllllly bad!!!! :hurts: :hurts: :hurts: :hurts:

[Abq_Sarah]

29. Well...

I'd like to read the damned thing as well.

I posted a couple of months ago that we need a rule change to make it mandatory for any spending bill to be posted online X amount of hours before any vote is taken.

[amborin]

28. but lots of cuts very unpopular with dems....

"Talk of cuts in proposed education funds triggered a counterattack from advocates of school spending as well as unhappiness among Democrats.

One, Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, told reporters he and others hoped that some of the funds on the chopping block would be restored next week when negotiations open on a House-Senate compromise. "

<http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/06/politics/100days/economy/main4781010.shtml?source=RSSattr=Politics_4781010>