Smith sponsors successful amendment to block Medicaid cuts.

[kaitykaity]

Huh. Who knew? First the ANWR vote and now this.
(Oregonian editorial.)

http://www.oregonlive.com/editorials/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/editorial/1111143543111470.xml

Gordon Smith's personal compass
Oregon's Republican senator served his state and nation well by going against his own party on Medicaid cuts
Friday, March 18, 2005
W ho was the compassionate conservative in the U.S. Senate on Thursday?

Was it Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., who stood up to President Bush and Republican leaders by sponsoring a successful amendment to strip every nickel of proposed Medicaid cuts from next year's budget?

Or was it Senate Budget Committee Chairman Judd Gregg, R-N.H., who insulted Smith and a handful of other Republican moderates by questioning "how they get up in the morning and look in the mirror."

The senator from New Hampshire is the one who ought to be taking a look in the mirror. He and his cohorts are seeking to trim the national deficit on the backs of America's poor and disabled.

Smith led the way in blocking that approach, at least for now. He was chief sponsor of the amendment, approved 52-48 despite severe pressure from fellow Republicans, to turn back a plan to cut growth in Medicaid spending by $14 billion over the next five years. Instead, Smith's amendment creates a commission to work for a year looking for ways to cut costs by reforming the federal-state health program.

...more

[Robert Oak]

1. he voted for the bankruptcy bill

and he's up for re-election in a blue state...

still, I think this is the 1st sign of life (except for
some sort of suicide thing, directly related to his son)...
normally he is a corporate dweeb. Better than nothing.

[kaitykaity]

2. No, he's not up until '08.

I volunteered on the Bradbury campaign against
him in '02. Sad affair that.

[Robert Oak]

3. damn

and that's true, landslide but it's all corporate money.

Who the hell is voting for him?

[kaitykaity]

4. The Dems wanted Kitzhaber, were salivating

to run him against Smith. Kitz would have whomped
him.

I've always thought Kitz didn't want run because he
and Sharon were getting divorced.

Bradbury was just the fallback. Nice guy, but not
very charismatic.

[Robert Oak]

5. bummer, I feel Smith is extremely vulnerable

he's not a Republican, he's a corporate party member.

[sandnsea]

6. It's only been 2 years???

It seems alot longer than that since that election. I could have sworn he was up in 2006. Ack. 4 more years of him too. :cry:

[0rganism]

7. Days seem like Months in Bush's America

I feel like I've aged decades since that ratfucker took over in 2000.