Senate Votes to Continue Earmark Favor Factory
In a disappointing turn, the Senate voted last night against the DeMint amendment for a moratorium on earmarks for the 2009 fiscal year. The good guys voting for the ban:
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) |
Among the votes to continue business as usual, the most disappointing were erstwhile conservatives and good-government types Sens. Hagel, Brownback, Crapo, Craig, Bunning, Hutchison, Lugar, Wicker, Shelby, and Vitter. Still, Sen. DeMint and his allies deserve a huge cheer for advancing the issue this far in the face of tremendous institutional opposition. Given progress in the House and within the Bush Administration, this fight isn’t over.