(Continued from last post)
Bottom line is that while everyone is looking to cut a million here or a million there, 51 senators -- i.e. the majority -- vote to hand $500 million (or so) of consumer and taxpayer money to one company. And not even a solar energy company this time.
Why would someone vote for this bill (or, technically, against the amendment that would have taken it out of patent reform)? There are lots of excuses, but in the end it almost certainly comes down to campaign contributions. I've heard the arguments against term limits, and they are unpersuasive in view of the things our representatives do to get themselves reelected. There ought to be an "anti-incumbent" party -- a new party (1) whose candidates all agree to serve only a single term, and who (2) make a special effort to get on the ballot in places where, even if they are not going to win, they can suck votes away from incumbents.
And that's another thing. Why is it that the LONGER a congressperson stays in office, the more power he gets -- including more power to pander to special interests and to funnel money to his constituencies -- which in turn makes it increasingly easier for him/to get reelected?
I'm not saying there aren't some perfectly good long term legislators out there. I'm just saying that on the whole we'd be a lot better off if our legislators didn't have to worry so much about getting reelected.
The list of 51 NAYS below -- the ones who voted FOR the dog ate my homework pharma giveaway act, are all candidates for removal in the next election. It's hard to imagine a more irresponsible vote in this time of supposed budget cutting and fiscal need.
And I see Al Franken is among the NAYS. How is that consistent with anything he campaigned on?
U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 112th Congress - 1st Session
Alphabetical by Senator Name
Grouped By Vote Position
Grouped by Home State
Bottom line is that while everyone is looking to cut a million here or a million there, 51 senators -- i.e. the majority -- vote to hand $500 million (or so) of consumer and taxpayer money to one company. And not even a solar energy company this time.
Why would someone vote for this bill (or, technically, against the amendment that would have taken it out of patent reform)? There are lots of excuses, but in the end it almost certainly comes down to campaign contributions. I've heard the arguments against term limits, and they are unpersuasive in view of the things our representatives do to get themselves reelected. There ought to be an "anti-incumbent" party -- a new party (1) whose candidates all agree to serve only a single term, and who (2) make a special effort to get on the ballot in places where, even if they are not going to win, they can suck votes away from incumbents.
And that's another thing. Why is it that the LONGER a congressperson stays in office, the more power he gets -- including more power to pander to special interests and to funnel money to his constituencies -- which in turn makes it increasingly easier for him/to get reelected?
I'm not saying there aren't some perfectly good long term legislators out there. I'm just saying that on the whole we'd be a lot better off if our legislators didn't have to worry so much about getting reelected.
The list of 51 NAYS below -- the ones who voted FOR the dog ate my homework pharma giveaway act, are all candidates for removal in the next election. It's hard to imagine a more irresponsible vote in this time of supposed budget cutting and fiscal need.
And I see Al Franken is among the NAYS. How is that consistent with anything he campaigned on?
U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 112th Congress - 1st Session
as compiled through Senate LIS by the Senate Bill Clerk under the direction of the Secretary of the Senate
Vote Summary| Question: On the Amendment (Sessions Amdt. No. 600 ) | |||
| Vote Number: | 126 | Vote Date: | September 8, 2011, 04:05 PM |
| Required For Majority: | 1/2 | Vote Result: | Amendment Rejected |
| Amendment Number: | S.Amdt. 600 to H.R. 1249 (Leahy-Smith America Invents Act) | ||
| Statement of Purpose: | To strike the provision relating to the calculation of the 60-day period for application of patent term extension. | ||
| Vote Counts: | YEAs | 47 |
| NAYs | 51 | |
| Not Voting | 2 |
| Vote Summary | By Senator Name | By Vote Position | By Home State |
Alphabetical by Senator Name| Akaka (D-HI), Nay Alexander (R-TN), Yea Ayotte (R-NH), Yea Barrasso (R-WY), Yea Baucus (D-MT), Yea Begich (D-AK), Nay Bennet (D-CO), Nay Bingaman (D-NM), Nay Blumenthal (D-CT), Nay Blunt (R-MO), Nay Boozman (R-AR), Yea Boxer (D-CA), Yea Brown (D-OH), Nay Brown (R-MA), Nay Burr (R-NC), Nay Cantwell (D-WA), Yea Cardin (D-MD), Nay Carper (D-DE), Nay Casey (D-PA), Yea Chambliss (R-GA), Yea Coats (R-IN), Not Voting Coburn (R-OK), Yea Cochran (R-MS), Nay Collins (R-ME), Nay Conrad (D-ND), Yea Coons (D-DE), Nay Corker (R-TN), Yea Cornyn (R-TX), Yea Crapo (R-ID), Yea DeMint (R-SC), Yea Durbin (D-IL), Yea Enzi (R-WY), Yea Feinstein (D-CA), Nay Franken (D-MN), Nay | Gillibrand (D-NY), Nay Graham (R-SC), Nay Grassley (R-IA), Nay Hagan (D-NC), Nay Harkin (D-IA), Nay Hatch (R-UT), Yea Heller (R-NV), Yea Hoeven (R-ND), Yea Hutchison (R-TX), Yea Inhofe (R-OK), Yea Inouye (D-HI), Nay Isakson (R-GA), Yea Johanns (R-NE), Yea Johnson (D-SD), Nay Johnson (R-WI), Yea Kerry (D-MA), Nay Kirk (R-IL), Yea Klobuchar (D-MN), Nay Kohl (D-WI), Nay Kyl (R-AZ), Nay Landrieu (D-LA), Nay Lautenberg (D-NJ), Nay Leahy (D-VT), Nay Lee (R-UT), Yea Levin (D-MI), Nay Lieberman (ID-CT), Nay Lugar (R-IN), Nay Manchin (D-WV), Yea McCain (R-AZ), Yea McCaskill (D-MO), Yea McConnell (R-KY), Yea Menendez (D-NJ), Nay Merkley (D-OR), Nay Mikulski (D-MD), Nay | Moran (R-KS), Yea Murkowski (R-AK), Yea Murray (D-WA), Nay Nelson (D-FL), Nay Nelson (D-NE), Nay Paul (R-KY), Yea Portman (R-OH), Yea Pryor (D-AR), Nay Reed (D-RI), Nay Reid (D-NV), Nay Risch (R-ID), Yea Roberts (R-KS), Nay Rockefeller (D-WV), Not Voting Rubio (R-FL), Yea Sanders (I-VT), Nay Schumer (D-NY), Nay Sessions (R-AL), Yea Shaheen (D-NH), Nay Shelby (R-AL), Yea Snowe (R-ME), Yea Stabenow (D-MI), Yea Tester (D-MT), Yea Thune (R-SD), Yea Toomey (R-PA), Yea Udall (D-CO), Yea Udall (D-NM), Nay Vitter (R-LA), Yea Warner (D-VA), Nay Webb (D-VA), Nay Whitehouse (D-RI), Nay Wicker (R-MS), Yea Wyden (D-OR), Nay |
| Vote Summary | By Senator Name | By Vote Position | By Home State |
Grouped By Vote Position| YEAs ---47 | ||
| Alexander (R-TN) Ayotte (R-NH) Barrasso (R-WY) Baucus (D-MT) Boozman (R-AR) Boxer (D-CA) Cantwell (D-WA) Casey (D-PA) Chambliss (R-GA) Coburn (R-OK) Conrad (D-ND) Corker (R-TN) Cornyn (R-TX) Crapo (R-ID) DeMint (R-SC) Durbin (D-IL) | Enzi (R-WY) Hatch (R-UT) Heller (R-NV) Hoeven (R-ND) Hutchison (R-TX) Inhofe (R-OK) Isakson (R-GA) Johanns (R-NE) Johnson (R-WI) Kirk (R-IL) Lee (R-UT) Manchin (D-WV) McCain (R-AZ) McCaskill (D-MO) McConnell (R-KY) Moran (R-KS) | Murkowski (R-AK) Paul (R-KY) Portman (R-OH) Risch (R-ID) Rubio (R-FL) Sessions (R-AL) Shelby (R-AL) Snowe (R-ME) Stabenow (D-MI) Tester (D-MT) Thune (R-SD) Toomey (R-PA) Udall (D-CO) Vitter (R-LA) Wicker (R-MS) |
| NAYs ---51 | ||
| Akaka (D-HI) Begich (D-AK) Bennet (D-CO) Bingaman (D-NM) Blumenthal (D-CT) Blunt (R-MO) Brown (D-OH) Brown (R-MA) Burr (R-NC) Cardin (D-MD) Carper (D-DE) Cochran (R-MS) Collins (R-ME) Coons (D-DE) Feinstein (D-CA) Franken (D-MN) Gillibrand (D-NY) | Graham (R-SC) Grassley (R-IA) Hagan (D-NC) Harkin (D-IA) Inouye (D-HI) Johnson (D-SD) Kerry (D-MA) Klobuchar (D-MN) Kohl (D-WI) Kyl (R-AZ) Landrieu (D-LA) Lautenberg (D-NJ) Leahy (D-VT) Levin (D-MI) Lieberman (ID-CT) Lugar (R-IN) Menendez (D-NJ) | Merkley (D-OR) Mikulski (D-MD) Murray (D-WA) Nelson (D-FL) Nelson (D-NE) Pryor (D-AR) Reed (D-RI) Reid (D-NV) Roberts (R-KS) Sanders (I-VT) Schumer (D-NY) Shaheen (D-NH) Udall (D-NM) Warner (D-VA) Webb (D-VA) Whitehouse (D-RI) Wyden (D-OR) |
| Not Voting - 2 | ||
| Coats (R-IN) | Rockefeller (D-WV) | |
| Vote Summary | By Senator Name | By Vote Position | By Home State |
Grouped by Home State| Alabama: | Sessions (R-AL), Yea | Shelby (R-AL), Yea |
| Alaska: | Begich (D-AK), Nay | Murkowski (R-AK), Yea |
| Arizona: | Kyl (R-AZ), Nay | McCain (R-AZ), Yea |
| Arkansas: | Boozman (R-AR), Yea | Pryor (D-AR), Nay |
| California: | Boxer (D-CA), Yea | Feinstein (D-CA), Nay |
| Colorado: | Bennet (D-CO), Nay | Udall (D-CO), Yea |
| Connecticut: | Blumenthal (D-CT), Nay | Lieberman (ID-CT), Nay |
| Delaware: | Carper (D-DE), Nay | Coons (D-DE), Nay |
| Florida: | Nelson (D-FL), Nay | Rubio (R-FL), Yea |
| Georgia: | Chambliss (R-GA), Yea | Isakson (R-GA), Yea |
| Hawaii: | Akaka (D-HI), Nay | Inouye (D-HI), Nay |
| Idaho: | Crapo (R-ID), Yea | Risch (R-ID), Yea |
| Illinois: | Durbin (D-IL), Yea | Kirk (R-IL), Yea |
| Indiana: | Coats (R-IN), Not Voting | Lugar (R-IN), Nay |
| Iowa: | Grassley (R-IA), Nay | Harkin (D-IA), Nay |
| Kansas: | Moran (R-KS), Yea | Roberts (R-KS), Nay |
| Kentucky: | McConnell (R-KY), Yea | Paul (R-KY), Yea |
| Louisiana: | Landrieu (D-LA), Nay | Vitter (R-LA), Yea |
| Maine: | Collins (R-ME), Nay | Snowe (R-ME), Yea |
| Maryland: | Cardin (D-MD), Nay | Mikulski (D-MD), Nay |
| Massachusetts: | Brown (R-MA), Nay | Kerry (D-MA), Nay |
| Michigan: | Levin (D-MI), Nay | Stabenow (D-MI), Yea |
| Minnesota: | Franken (D-MN), Nay | Klobuchar (D-MN), Nay |
| Mississippi: | Cochran (R-MS), Nay | Wicker (R-MS), Yea |
| Missouri: | Blunt (R-MO), Nay | McCaskill (D-MO), Yea |
| Montana: | Baucus (D-MT), Yea | Tester (D-MT), Yea |
| Nebraska: | Johanns (R-NE), Yea | Nelson (D-NE), Nay |
| Nevada: | Heller (R-NV), Yea | Reid (D-NV), Nay |
| New Hampshire: | Ayotte (R-NH), Yea | Shaheen (D-NH), Nay |
| New Jersey: | Lautenberg (D-NJ), Nay | Menendez (D-NJ), Nay |
| New Mexico: | Bingaman (D-NM), Nay | Udall (D-NM), Nay |
| New York: | Gillibrand (D-NY), Nay | Schumer (D-NY), Nay |
| North Carolina: | Burr (R-NC), Nay | Hagan (D-NC), Nay |
| North Dakota: | Conrad (D-ND), Yea | Hoeven (R-ND), Yea |
| Ohio: | Brown (D-OH), Nay | Portman (R-OH), Yea |
| Oklahoma: | Coburn (R-OK), Yea | Inhofe (R-OK), Yea |
| Oregon: | Merkley (D-OR), Nay | Wyden (D-OR), Nay |
| Pennsylvania: | Casey (D-PA), Yea | Toomey (R-PA), Yea |
| Rhode Island: | Reed (D-RI), Nay | Whitehouse (D-RI), Nay |
| South Carolina: | DeMint (R-SC), Yea | Graham (R-SC), Nay |
| South Dakota: | Johnson (D-SD), Nay | Thune (R-SD), Yea |
| Tennessee: | Alexander (R-TN), Yea | Corker (R-TN), Yea |
| Texas: | Cornyn (R-TX), Yea | Hutchison (R-TX), Yea |
| Utah: | Hatch (R-UT), Yea | Lee (R-UT), Yea |
| Vermont: | Leahy (D-VT), Nay | Sanders (I-VT), Nay |
| Virginia: | Warner (D-VA), Nay | Webb (D-VA), Nay |
| Washington: | Cantwell (D-WA), Yea | Murray (D-WA), Nay |
| West Virginia: | Manchin (D-WV), Yea | Rockefeller (D-WV), Not Voting |
| Wisconsin: | Johnson (R-WI), Yea | Kohl (D-WI), Nay |
| Wyoming: | Barrasso (R-WY), Yea | Enzi (R-WY), Yea |
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