Retiring Republican Voinovich of Ohio to back small-business incentives in Senate bill

[babylonsister]

Republican Voinovich of Ohio to back small-business incentives in Senate bill


In an interview, Voinovich said he could no longer support Republican efforts to delay the measure in hopes of winning the right to offer additional amendments. Most of the proposed GOP amendments "didn't have anything to do with the bill" anyway, Voinovich said, and amounted merely to partisan "messaging."

"We don't have time for messaging," Voinovich said. "We don't have time anymore. This country is really hurting."

Voinovich said he told Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) that, if a single amendment to reduce paperwork for business owners is considered on the floor, he would add his vote to that of the 59 senators who caucus with Democrats. That would give the majority party the 60 votes needed to overcome a possible GOP filibuster and approve the package when Congress returns to Washington next week.

With Voinovich's help, a top aide to Reid said, Senate leaders expect to approve the package by the end of next week. It would then go to the House for final passage.

more...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/09/AR2010090903599.html

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. I thought responsible Republicans were extinct.

I'm glad to see I was wrong.

[Faygo Kid]

5. He's retiring this year.

Doing the right thing at the end. This is certainly great news. We still have hurdles to get to 60, though. Ben Nelson votes against us at every turn. We'll need Collins, Snowe and/or Brown yet, I bet.

[blm]

6. He's only doing it because the GOP establishment can't control his vote anymore.

His heart has always leaned towards working class Ohio, but, GOP owned his ass and used him like a cheap rubber for almost his entire career. There was always a small part of this scumbag that was decent, but (maybe because of his eye for young women) he would live his days under the control of the fascists who bought his senate seat.

He OWES Ohio for decades of his scumbag moves against working men and women....bigtime.

[zbdent]

7. too little, too late.

the man has a "reputation" for being a, *gasp*, "moderate Republican". Unearned, with his voting record. The phrase "voting was along party lines" applied far too many times.

[theothersnippywshrub]

2. There are not many Republicans left who love their country more than their party. Sad. n/t

[napi21]

3. Voinovich is one of the few Pub moderates left. When he's gone, it's

the 2 Senators from Maine and a bunch of nutjobs in the Pub Party.

[BrklynLiberal]

4. I guess when you do not have to worry about being re-elected, you can rediscover

your principles. Of course, that only applies to those that ever had some to begin with.