Becker vote on the senate floor now

[Mass]

Not going well.

Not only does every GOPer vote in lockstep, but Lincoln voted NO (what use is she?), as, I imagine, Nelson of NE (he already said he would).

[Gman]

1. You know what?

Screw her. I hope she gets beat in the primary. She's just another Republican. She pissed off the fuck out of me for what she was saying in the Dem Senate last week with Obama.

[Jennicut]

2. Yup. Why would any Dems come out to vote for her?

[Mass]

3. Lost 52 to 33. Many senators did not show up because of the snow.

[flpoljunkie]

5. It looks like there will be a recess appointment for Becker. Thank you, Conservadems!

[Jennicut]

6. Reid will actually allow this?

Edit, never mind, so that Obama said during the press conference they will do recess appts if necessary. Good.

[AlinPA]

7. I doubt that Reid would help. It would make the republicans angry.

[karynnj]

15. Which makes sense given that it was a cloture vote

Most of the non-voting were Republicans - so "not voting" and "NO" are really equivalent. There were 5 Democrats. Two were Byrd, who is infirm and who likely should not be asked to come out in the snow for a losing vote. (It was known that Nelson was a no and no Republican said they would vote yes - so it was already down two.

[flpoljunkie]

4. R's vote in lockstep when the have the majority or not. That is their strength and our weakness.

[Mass]

8. I'm lost. I thought Becker needed 3/5 of the votes.

Why did he lose?

[bbinacan]

9. He needed 60 votes. n/t

[hlthe2b]

10. I'm guessing this was a cloture vote to end the fillibuster?

I'm not watching, but that's the only thing that makes sense to me

[flpoljunkie]

11. Yes, it was a cloture vote. Link to roll call below.

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=2&vote=00022

[karynnj]

16. He needs 3/5 of the 100 votes, even if not cast

[peaches2003]

12. Is there anything now that doesn't need 60 votes????

This is ludicrous! I am old enough to remember when a majority vote of 51 was the norm and only very rarely did anything need 60 votes with the threat of a filibuster. And they made them actually filibuster! The Senate has become a useless body.

[flpoljunkie]

14. Apparently not. The Republicans are breaking all filibuster records.

[IndianaGreen]

13. The Party of No Says No to Worker Protections

Pathetic that Becker's nomination has been sabotaged. I received this e-mail alert earlier in the day:

The Party of No Says No to Worker Protections

For more than a year, Republican delay tactics have kept three nominees from taking positions on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the federal agency charged with cracking down on companies engaging in unfair labor practices. America's workers need a fully staffed NLRB. It's time for Republican obstructionism to come to an end.

On Tuesday the Senate will vote on whether to end the Republican filibuster and allow a vote on one of President Obama's nominees to the NLRB: Craig Becker. Becker was nominated in July and has answered hundreds of questions from senators on both sides of the aisle, both in person and in written form. He is a highly respected and experienced labor law practitioner and scholar with an impressive 27-year record of advocating for and representing workers, especially low-wage workers.

Call your senators today and tell them to stop obstructing President Obama's nominees, starting with Craig Becker.

Becker has wide support from the legal community, including a letter signed by 66 law professors from our top law schools. Last October, Becker received bipartisan support in a Senate committee vote, but now the Party of No has decided to obstruct his nomination.

Enough is enough. Becker has answered enough questions. It is time for the full Senate to vote on his nomination.

Call your senators today and and tell them to stop obstructing President Obama's nominees, starting with Craig Becker.

Thank you for everything you do,

Marc Laitin
AFL-CIO Online Mobilization Coordinator

If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for Working Families e-Activist Network:

http://www.unionvoice.org/wfean/join.html