Something about the Cloture Vote defectors

[housewolf]

This article was published before the actual vote so there's a discrepency in the names but the number is correct (3)


WHY ARE THEY CAVING? This from Congressional Quarterly:

At least three Democrats — Mary L. Landrieu of Louisiana, Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut and Ben Nelson of Nebraska — plan to support cloture on Bolton, according to Senate Democratic aides. All were parties to the bipartisan compromise on judicial filibusters struck earlier this week by seven Democrats and seven Republicans. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., was also seen as “likely” to vote “yes.”

Ohio Republican George V. Voinovich, who opposes Bolton, has also said he will support cloture. Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., another signatory to the deal on judicial nominations, remains undecided on cloture, according to his office.

At this point it’s important to remember that the chairmen and ranking members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Senate Select Committee on Intelligence have been denied full access to the NSA intercepts that John Bolton and his staff were able to see without issue. A useful way to view the administration's instransigence over the intercepts is to consider that by withholding full access to those intercepts, the Bush administration is attempting to assert an inherent superiority over the legislative branch. Thus, those who vote for cloture tonight will contribute to the establishment of a precedent whereby the executive branch can ignore Senate inquiries willy-nilly.

Now, that may be perfectly acceptable if you are a Republican and your man controls the White House, but for a Democrat to confirm one’s subservience to the executive would be insanely contrary to the party’s collective interest.

--Mark Leon Goldberg

http://www.prospect.org/weblog/archives/2005/05/index.html#006592

[jobycom]

1. The reason I don't care who caves when we win

These votes are decided long before anything makes it to the Senate floor. The leader counts up his votes. If he needs more, he puts pressure on the wafflers or the turncoats. If he has the votes, he frees those who want or need to vote against him to do so.

Landrieu, Lieberman and Nelson probably knew that their votes weren't needed, thus they could keep from stretching their compromise agreement by voting for cloture. It gives them more power later when they need it.

Now, if they had voted against us in a losing cause, that's different--maybe. Even in losses there is wheeling and dealing, and vote trading, basically, to appease constituents, or friends, or people they owe a favor to. Maybe some Democrat is a friend of Bolton's, say, so he can't vote against Bolton. But he wants to. He trades his vote with someone else, basically.

On some issues that doesn't happen, and the whole thing is up in the air. But not that often.

So I don't know how Lieberman or Landrieu would have voted if their votes had mattered. That's just the way it works.

The thing we all forget is that only one thing matters when it comes to the legislature. Party. Everything is decided by party. Even a DINO gives us the numbers we need to control the committees (or would if we had a majority), and that's where the laws are made.

Doesn't mean I like Lieberman. It just means I save my hatred for the Republicans.

[housewolf]

2. "It just means I save my hatred for the Republicans"

Wise move, many could learn from that sentiment.

Actually the author got one thing wrong - Lieberman ended up voting against cloture while Pryor voted for it. They must have worked out a switch for some reason or another.

[jobycom]

3. Yay, Joe. Thanks for the info. I didn't read the final vote.

Frankly, since we won, I didn't care about the final vote. :-)

[Andromeda]

4. Thank you, jobycom

for explaining a little bit how the process works.

It's a lot more important if the vote is close and party unity is needed for a favorable outcome. Some of the Dems in conservative districts have to walk a tightrope so they don't alienate their supporters.

In some cases, principle has to be balanced with practicality.

[cindyw]

5. Not to quibble, but Lieberman voted against cloture. It was Pryor.

n t