The Senate passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 tonight by a vote of 60-38. Sen. Sherrod Brown had to fly back from his mother’s memorial service in Ohio to get the Democrats to the magic number of sixty. He will fly back to Ohio to be with his family. Apparently, no Republicans offered to cast their vote for Brown, or for Kennedy who is convalescing in Florida as he continues to fight brain cancer. That is some seriously classless bullshit.
Al Giordano has a piece on the significance of this legislation. It puts a lot of the recent bickering into some perspective.
why did they need 60 votes? It wasn’t a cloture vote, so why wouldn’t just 51 be ok?
Pursuant to the Budget Act, any piece of legislation that enlarges the budget deficit requires a 2/3rds vote from the senate.
While this is correct it bears reminding that the actual mechanism is a ‘point of order’. If no one raises a point of order the bill can pass with a majority vote. But you can always count on Jim DeMint or Tom Coburn to raise the point of order anytime a bill involves deficit spending.
Truly classless. So much for the silly idea of the Senate as a back-slapping grownups club.
Same question as AliceDem asked. One they have a vote on cloture and then begin voting yea or nay on the actual bill, they can’t go back and filibuster.
Is the 60 votes all ‘politics?’
No. I don’t know the exact details but 60 was necessary because this required expanding the budget.
I think 60 votes is required for any legislation that increases the federal budget without offsets.
Maybe BooMan will enlighten us further?
“Apparently, no Republicans offered to cast their vote for Brown, or for Kennedy who is convalescing in Florida as he continues to fight brain cancer. That is some seriously classless bullshit.”
Classless bullshit, maybe.
Chicken shits, definitely
Whatever happened to Country First?
The first country for Republicans is the land of wealth and power. Selfishness is their motto and avarice their heart and soul. No one could ever accuse them of recognizing the public good since they are so blinded by their own individual wants and needs. Let them reap the harvests of their own misdeeds.
should have told one of those ill minded republicans it was a 798 billion package for Iraq and they would have all voted for it.
Iraq War Funding–Republicans love it can’t wait to vote
Funding for Everyday Americans–Republicans hate it don’t want it, you need a job go fight in Iraq.
The Village noise and outrage machine would have been on overload if the Dems would have pulled a similar move on a Republican Senator. Brown had to leave his mom’s wake because not one of his “distinguished” gentlemen could have voted on a measure that was going to pass. It is just disgusting human behavior and another example of why the Republican party needs crushed even more.