Reid amendment adopted.
Coburn Bunning absent.
So, assuming the vote on final passage tracks this one, not a single Democrat decided to vote against the bill on the substance. I guess I’m mildly surprised. It would have been a principled stance to say that you were against the bill but in favor of letting it come to a vote. I guess I wish I were surprised that no Republican took that stance; instead, they stood shoulder-to-shoulder for obstruction, all the way.
but wasn’t there also a 60-vote threshold on the amendment’s adoption? I’m not 100% sure but I think there was an agreement that the substitute needed 60 to be adopted.
Mark: “I guess I’m mildly surprised.”
Color me soundly surprised; both for that, and for the fact that Nelson/Lieberman ceased their tag-team obstruction (at least for now; I expect them to resume with the conference bill).
It may be that the Democrats are so annoyed at the Republican obstructionism that they’ll maintain their voting block despite their normal stances. I mean, Feingold even voted for some war money the other day, just to keep the process moving.