It’s past 8PM on Saturday evening on November 21, 2009, and the United States Senate just voted — weirdly enough — on one of the most critical votes of the year, if not perhaps a generation, that of proceeding with debate on Healthcare Reform.
I say ‘weirdly enough’ because it’s actually a really simple procedural vote that has since become perhaps THE most contentious vote of the year. Simply put, NO Republican wants to even talk about Healthcare Reform. And that’s embarrassing to us as a Nation and to the Republican Party, in particular.
Again, NO Republican actually wanted to formally talk about actually doing anything about the problem represented by Healthcare Reform on the floor of the Senate.
But it doesn’t end there. There are a few Democrats (plus Senator Joe Lieberman) that — if it weren’t for steadfast Republican roadblocking — are consistently skating the thin ice of providing just enough drag that any and all Healthcare Reform could fail.
Well, if LittleDEM has any ability to say something about it, we’re launching a #PledgeNow campaign that — for starters — pledges $10 or more against any United States Senator seeking reelection that voted against debate on Healthcare Reform. If it’s of any help, every Republican in the United States Senate voted against debating Healthcare Reform.
To recap, the #PledgeNow campaign is simple — Anyone reTweeting #PledgeNow commits $10 to the opposing campaign of whichever candidate they specify in their reTweet (or all of the Republican Senators seeking reelection if their pockets are deep enough). It’s both a promise and an immediate signal of a future commitment to getting people elected that are determined to make Healthcare Reform a reality.
For the record, here’s the vote as recorded on Senate.gov.
Question: On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to H.R. 3590)
Grouped By Vote Position
YEAs —60
Akaka (D-HI)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Begich (D-AK)
Bennet (D-CO)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Burris (D-IL)
Byrd (D-WV)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Conrad (D-ND)
Dodd (D-CT)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Franken (D-MN)
Gillibrand (D-NY)
Hagan (D-NC)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kaufman (D-DE)
Kerry (D-MA)
Kirk (D-MA)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Kohl (D-WI)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (ID-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
McCaskill (D-MO)
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)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schumer (D-NY)
Shaheen (D-NH)
Specter (D-PA)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Tester (D-MT)
Udall (D-CO)
Udall (D-NM)
Warner (D-VA)
Webb (D-VA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)
NAYs —39
Alexander (R-TN)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bond (R-MO)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burr (R-NC)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Collins (R-ME)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johanns (R-NE)
Kyl (R-AZ)
LeMieux (R-FL)
Lugar (R-IN)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Risch (R-ID)
Roberts (R-KS)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Snowe (R-ME)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Wicker (R-MS)
Not Voting – 1
Voinovich (R-OH)