hate

[solarbird]

The FISA cloture vote - the vote to end debate - just passed 80-15; an overwhelming rout, and about in line with what I was expecting. (I was thinking 10ish; 15 is close.) For the record, that's not just a majority, but a veto-proof majority of Democrats alone (by percentage). If I heard the clerk correctly, and I think I did [but am told I could not have - see comments; a de facto yes on cloture, but not present rather than an active yes on cloture], Senator Obama voted for cloture, which is to say, against the filibuster, which is to say, functionally, both for retroactive immunity as well as the rest of the bill. Senator Obama's campaign promise to filibuster any bill containing retroactive immunity is accordingly broken, as expected.

Senator Reid is speaking in favour of FISA right now, but in a context of the housing/foreclosure bill, as part of an agenda to get all these things done etc. He's also promising to hold the Senate in session until various bills pass; FISA was not included in those parts of the agenda which could be allowed to slide until August.

ETA: Note that Senator Obama, if not present - tho' I thought I heard his name - is still failing to support a filibuster in any way, and still a violation of his campaign pledge.

ETA2: Senator Obama is confirmed not present - I did mishear the clerk - along with Senators Clinton, Kennedy, Byrd, and McCain. This is the first round of cloture vote; there will be either one or two more, I forget which. The votes against cloture (the good vote) were: Biden (D-DE), Boxer (D-CA), Brown (D-OH), Cantwell (D-WA), Dodd (D-CT), Durbin (D-IL), Feingold (D-WI), Harkin (D-IA), Kerry (D-MA), Lautenberg (D-NJ), Leahy (D-VT), Menendez (D-NJ), Sanders (I-VT), Schumer (D-NY), and Wyden (D-OR).

Washington State voters please note that Senator Patty Murray voted for this travesty.

ETA3: Doing the math:

(128 + 14) / (128 + 14 + 105 + 31) = 0.510791367

...means that while a majority of Democrats in Congress actually voting opposed this bill on votes when it counted, it was a very, very, very slim majority of 51.1%. Add in three of the four "not present" Democrats to the Senate, and you get 0.505338078, or 50.5%. (I exclude Kennedy since his absence is entirely involuntary.) Add in the three "not present" Democrats in the House, and you get 0.5, or 50.0% - a tie. Including Kennedy in the population of Democrats as a whole, the "good" voters were an outright minority of Congressional Democrats, at 49.8%.

Comments

FISA Cloture

[(Anonymous)]

Obama wasn't even there, which amounts to a no vote on cloture.

Re: FISA Cloture

[flashfire.livejournal.com]

Not sure I agree. By not being there, he has wiggle room to spin this whatever way benefits him most.

Re: FISA Cloture

[solarbird]

No, you need yes votes and presence for a filibuster. You have to be there.

Re: FISA Cloture

[flashfire.livejournal.com]

Ah, got it.

[avram]

For the record, that's not just a majority, but a veto-proof majority of Democrats alone.

Wait, what? How is that possible? There are only 49 Dems in the Senate.

[solarbird]

50 Dems, plus 1 "independent democrat," and I meant by percentage.

ETA: I am dum; I forgot Sanders is officially an independent participating in the Democratic caucus. So of 49 official Democrats, 45 were present; 14 voted against, 31 voted for, or 68.9% - a veto-proof percentage majority. Including independents who caucus with the Democrats, it's 15 voting against, 32 voting for, 68.1% for - still veto-proof.

[solarbird]

I've edited to clarify.

Re: FISA Cloture

[wrog]

I believe you need 60 yes votes for cloture, so, effectively, absent = no. For an actual filibuster you need at least someone there ready to read the phone book or whatever, and other folks ready to switch off when that first someone gets tired; that doesn't mean that everybody who's in opposition needs to be there (though it would sure help...)

Re: FISA Cloture

[solarbird]

I had it backwards; you are correct. (For issues cloture, it's 60% of those sworn as Senators; for rules cloture, it's percent-present.)