With the exception of the Iraq war that the Republicans needlessly got us into, the biggest reason why Americans threw them out of Congress in November was their blatant use of those sacred halls as if they were their personal whore house, with lobbyists acting as their pimps. And now, they've shown once again that they are nothing but prostitutes when it comes to taking payoffs from lobbyists, and they are not going to give up all that bribery money without a fight.They have absolutely no shame.
A dispute with Republicans derailed ethics and lobbying legislation that Democrats had hoped would highlight their takeover of the Senate.
"I hope this is going to be just a bump in the road," said Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the Democratic whip. "We will give them another chance to think about this."
The bill would have reduced the influence of lobbyists in shaping legislation and forced lawmakers to be more open about the pet projects they slip into legislation. On Wednesday, it failed to clear a legislative hurdle calling for 65 votes.
The Senate voted 51-46 after Republicans complained that Democrats blocked an amendment that would have given the president the authority, with the approval of Congress, to single out individual spending items in legislation for elimination. Sen. Gordon Smith of Oregon was one of two Republicans who voted with the Democrats.
(By the way, I ripped off the WP headline picture from AMERICAblog)UPDATE: Republican Senators came to their senses and felt the wrath of Democrats and the American public. Pass ethics reform on second vote, 96-2!
This is clearly another benefit of the November 06 election.
