Wimpy Senate soundly defeats Coburn amendment

The short version: Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) had proposed an amendment in the Senate that would require previously approved pet projects supported by his fellow Senators be cancelled and the money from those pet projects (better known as pork) to be used instead on the Hurricane Katrina restore/rebuild effort. In a stunning display of business-as-usual arrogance – especially when it comes to spending, the amendment proposal was defeated, with only 15 Senators voting in support and a whopping 82 against. Here are those who voted in favor:

Allard (R-CO)
Allen (R-VA)
Bayh (D-IN)
Burr (R-NC)
Coburn (R-OK)
Conrad (D-ND)
DeMint (R-SC)
DeWine (R-OH)
Feingold (D-WI)
Graham (R-SC)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Sessions (R-AL)
Sununu (R-NH)
Vitter (R-LA)

I’m proud to see North Carolina Senator Richard Burr on that list, as well as the two Senators from South Carolina – DeMint and Graham. Elizabeth Dole (R-NC), I’m sad to say, voted with the BAU crowd. Very disappointing, to say the least.

Mark Tapscott has the long version here here, which includes a recap of stinging rebukes made on the Senate floor towards Coburn by Democrats and Republicans alike, including Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) who threatened to leave the Senate if the amendment was passed, and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), who, in Tapscott’s words “warned that any senator supporting the Coburn amendments would find projects in his or her own state being given the evil eye by annoyed colleagues who don’t want to rock the log-rolling boat.”

Oh yes, our Senate is so very worried about where the money is going to come from to pay for the rebuilding effort on the Gulf Coast – so worried, that they don’t seem to want to do a d-mn thing about it.

If you are like me and are very disappointed in the Senate’s defeat of this amendment, and if one of your Senators was among those who voted against it, email them and let them know your thoughts.

(Cross-posted at California Conservative)