A Disgrace in the Senate

The Senate voted overwhelmingly against a proposed moratorium on earmarks for the 2009 budget. It wasn't even close. Seventy-one senators voted against versus twenty-nine that voted for the one-year ban.

If we cannot get the Senate to give up their pork barrel projects for even one year, what hope could we have?

The three Senators still in the running (Clinton, McCain, and Obama) for President voted for this ban. It may be politically calculated, but at this point, should we really care about such political motives so long as they support the ban?

The amendment to the bill was submitted by Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) with fifteen cosponsors. Those cosponsors are listed below:

Sen McCain, John [AZ] - 3/13/2008
Sen McCaskill, Claire [MO] - 3/13/2008
Sen Coburn, Tom [OK] - 3/13/2008
Sen Kyl, Jon [AZ] - 3/13/2008
Sen Corker, Bob [TN] - 3/13/2008
Sen Burr, Richard [NC] - 3/13/2008
Sen Graham, Lindsey [SC] - 3/13/2008
Sen Obama, Barack [IL] - 3/13/2008
Sen Clinton, Hillary Rodham [NY] - 3/13/2008
Sen Cornyn, John [TX] - 3/13/2008
Sen Bayh, Evan [IN] - 3/13/2008
Sen Martinez, Mel [FL] - 3/13/2008
Sen Enzi, Michael B. [WY] - 3/13/2008
Sen Barrasso, John [WY] - 3/13/2008
Sen Inhofe, James M. [OK] - 3/13/2008

The roll call vote shows which senators supported this effort.

YEAs ---29
Alexander (R-TN)
Allard (R-CO)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Bayh (D-IN)
Burr (R-NC)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Clinton (D-NY)
Coburn (R-OK)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
DeMint (R-SC)
Dole (R-NC)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Feingold (D-WI)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Lieberman (ID-CT)
Martinez (R-FL)
McCain (R-AZ)
McCaskill (D-MO)
McConnell (R-KY)
Obama (D-IL)
Sessions (R-AL)
Sununu (R-NH)
Thune (R-SD)

NAYs ---71
Akaka (D-HI)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bennett (R-UT)
Biden (D-DE)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Bond (R-MO)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Byrd (D-WV)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Cochran (R-MS)
Coleman (R-MN)
Collins (R-ME)
Conrad (D-ND)
Craig (R-ID)
Crapo (R-ID)
Dodd (D-CT)
Domenici (R-NM)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagel (R-NE)
Harkin (D-IA)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inouye (D-HI)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Kohl (D-WI)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Lugar (R-IN)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Roberts (R-KS)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Salazar (D-CO)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schumer (D-NY)
Shelby (R-AL)
Smith (R-OR)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (R-PA)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Stevens (R-AK)
Tester (D-MT)
Vitter (R-LA)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (R-VA)
Webb (D-VA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wicker (R-MS)
Wyden (D-OR)

What a shock it is that Ted Stevens, the king of the "Bridge to Nowhere" piece of pork is against this. Also a shock that the Senate can unite in a bipartisan fashion, against the ban that lets them take public funds to boost their own future campaigns.

Also of note is that more Republicans (23) than Democrats (6, including Joe Lieberman) voted for this moratorium. Whether it was out of individual stands (after all, more Republicans voted against than for this moratorium in the end) or because they'd like to stick it to the majority party, they should be applauded for their votes.

The 71 Senators that voted against this ban disappointed America, even though we should expect nothing more from them. Yes, this was only a proposal to ban it for one year, but it is a start. It's better than having nothing at all.