Dumb Democrats

Specifically Daniel Inouye (HI), Daniel Akaka (HI), Mary Landrieu (LA), and Jon "Not former Bulls center Dave" Corzine (NJ).

So the Senate has a big budget bill they're working on, and the GOP is trying to sneak through a section about drilling in ANWR. They can't get it through normally, because the Democrats have been filibustering it, but the budget isn't subject to filibuster. Now, drilling in ANWR won't have any useful effect on the economy, your wallet, or national security, not to mention the environment and the future of energy usage - the best estimates I've seen have oil costs dropping by 5% sometime aroun 2025. If that happened today, gas in Chicago wouldn't be $3, it would be $2.85, at least for a few minutes. Whoo.

Anyway, Maria Cantwell (WA) proposed an amendment to kill that provision in the budget, which failed 51-48. Two things to note about that - 1) 51+48 does not equal 100, because Corzine isn't there - he's off campaigning, and 2) Landrieu, Akaka, and Inouye voted against the amendment. So, despite getting 7 republicans to cross lines and vote with their brains (namely Lincoln Chaffee, Norm Coleman, Susan Collins, Mike DeWine, John McCain, Gordon Smith, and Olympia Snowe), we lose again. Thanks guys.