So which of our fine, loyal Democratic senators defected last night to Big Phrama?

[Tesha]

Last night, by a 49-40 vote, the U.S. Senate effectively
killed legislation that was going to allow us to buy
presecription drugs from Canada and other lower-cost
places.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0705080110may08,1,5591207.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed

'Poison pill' kills drug import plan

What I'd like to know this morning is which of our fine,
loyal, stalwart, hard-working Democratic senators defected
last night to Big Phrama, either by directly voting for
the poison pill or for not bothering to vote at all?

And will they, come their next election cycle, play the
incredibly cyncical game of telling us that they voted
for the Dorgan Amendment (which would have helped us
get lower-cost drugs) while also voting for the
Cochran amendment-amendment (which cut the balls off
the Dorgan amendment).

Another interesting question is when we, the people
who actually cast the votes for and pay the salaries
of these traitors will have had enough and find some
actual small-d democrats to represent us.

Tesha

[Tesha]

1. Ahh, here's a useless Senator now...

> Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) did not vote.

So Obama is too busy running for a promotion to bother
actually doing his current job and representing his
constituents in Illinois.

Tesha

[salin]

3. same with a slew of folks running for pres

Biden, Dodd, McCain and Brownback.

The list was interesting of the votes - haven't seen such a 'non partyline' vote in a long time. Lots of Rs and Ds in both the Ayes and Nays column. All i can guess is that the current tainted food story (pet food spread to human food) might be making some folks squeemish at the moment.

[Telly Savalas]

6. If only that fucker Obama had showed up, the measure would have passed 49-41

instead of 49-40.

Kick him out of the party!

[Tesha]

8. Ha-ha. Yeah, let's give him a promotion.

> If only that fucker Obama had showed up, the measure
> would have passed 49-41

But that's *EXACTLY* the point -- If *ALL* of the
Democrats actually voted against this poison pill,
we'd have real pills at a reasonable price.

BUT EACH OF THOSE FUCKERS PUT THEIR OWN SELF INTEREST
AHEAD OF OUR COLLECTIVE (AND NATIONAL) INTERESTS.

And they want us to vote them promotions to even higher
positions.

Tesha

[Telly Savalas]

14. If all of the absent Democrats had voted for it, it still would have required 4 of the missing R's

[Skidmore]

2. The winnowing will begin next cycle. We just need to let the

chaff know they will be blown away by the winds of change.

[wakeme2008]

4. Well one who did not vote is Sen. Johnson and he has not voted

on many issues because of his illness. :cry: Hopefully he will be back soon.

[Oilwellian]

5. I posted recent photos of him a few weeks ago

He looked wonderful. :D

[Tesha]

9. At least *HE* has a good excuse! (NT)

[papau]

7. senators approved a provision requiring the government to certify that imports are safe" kills only

because Bush will not start any certification process.

Can we say impeach now?

[WePurrsevere]

10. Links to the U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes on this issue...

On the ammendment (YEAs 49 - NEAs 40 - Not Voting 11):
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00151

On the Bill itself (YEAs 82 - NAYs 8 - Not Voting 10):
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00152

From the OP's article, this part seems to sum up the difficult position Dems faced on this and perhaps explains some of their "odd" votes: :shrug:
The drug import measure, tacked onto the larger bill, was opposed by the pharmaceutical industry, which argues that pharmacies risk being flooded with counterfeit drugs. And the White House, which also opposes importation, had threatened a veto of the drug safety bill if it eased restrictions.

That put the Senate's Democratic majority in a bind: Many favor direct drug importation, but the amendment threatened to stymie a reform of the Food and Drug Administration that is considered must-pass legislation. So some Democrats straddled the issue by voting for the drug-import amendment but also for a proviso requiring the government to certify that imports are safe.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

11. Based on your link...

Dems Voting Nay:

Baucus
Cantwell
Carper
Kennedy
Kerry
Landrieu
Lautenberg
Lieberman
Lincoln
Memendez
Mikulski
Murray
Nelson (NE)
Rockefeller
Salazar

If they had voted with the people and not with the corporate patrons, the measure would have passed 55-34. Thanks for nothing, asswipes!

[Tesha]

12. Here's the vote on the Cochran Amendment (The "poison pill")

YEAs ---49
Alexander (R-TN)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bond (R-MO)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burr (R-NC)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Carper (D-DE)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Coleman (R-MN)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)
Dole (R-NC)
Domenici (R-NM)
Enzi (R-WY)
Graham (R-SC)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagel (R-NE)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Isakson (R-GA)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Lieberman (ID-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Lugar (R-IN)
Martinez (R-FL)
McConnell (R-KY)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-NE)
Roberts (R-KS)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Salazar (D-CO)
Specter (R-PA)
Stevens (R-AK)
Sununu (R-NH)
Thomas (R-WY)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (R-VA)

NAYs ---40
Akaka (D-HI)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Byrd (D-WV)
Cardin (D-MD)
Casey (D-PA)
Clinton (D-NY)
Collins (R-ME)
Conrad (D-ND)
Craig (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Grassley (R-IA)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Kohl (D-WI)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lott (R-MS)
McCaskill (D-MO)
Nelson (D-FL)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reid (D-NV)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schumer (D-NY)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Smith (R-OR)
Snowe (R-ME)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Webb (D-VA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)

Not Voting - 11
Allard (R-CO)
Biden (D-DE)
Brownback (R-KS)
Dodd (D-CT)
Ensign (R-NV)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Johnson (D-SD) (But let's give him a "pass")
McCain (R-AZ)
Obama (D-IL)
Reed (D-RI)
Tester (D-MT)

[WePurrsevere]

13. Thanks for doing that, Tesha.

:)

While I was mid-post I had to hit send quicker then I was going to since I had to go see what was setting the dogs off. (2 cats were exchanging "words" so the dogs were basically yelling "Fight! Fight!" like kids at a playground tussle.:eyes:)