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Earmark Ban Voted Down in The Senate (39-56)
WikiLeaks: A Feckless Obama And a Clinton in Peril
Mark Kirk (R) Sworn in to President Obama's Former Senate Seat
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Earmark Ban Voted Down in The Senate (39-56)

Posted: 30 Nov 2010 09:16 PM PST

39 votes for the ban is a rather sad best. That number should improve with the next congress.

http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/appropriations/131093-earmark-ban-voted-down-in-the-senate

"In a 39-56 vote, members defeated a temporary ban on the appropriations procedure. The moratorium was offered as an amendment to a food-safety bill that is scheduled for a final vote Tuesday morning.

Senate Republicans have already passed a voluntary ban on earmarks in their caucus, but several GOP senators have objected to it. Democrats have so far declined to ban earmarks from their members.
...
Eight GOP senators voted to preserve earmark spending, including Thad Cochran (Miss.), Susan Collins (Maine), James Inhofe (Okla.), Dick Lugar (Ind.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Richard Shelby (Ala.). Retiring Sen. George Voinovich (Ohio) and defeated Sen. Bob Bennett (Utah) also voted against it.

Two Democrats facing potentially tough reelection battles in 2012 also voted for the earmark moratorium: Sens. Claire McCaskill (Mo.) and Bill Nelson (Fla.)

Retiring Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) and defeated Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) also voted for the earmark ban, as did Colorado Sens. Michael Bennet (D) and Mark Udall (D)."

WikiLeaks: A Feckless Obama And a Clinton in Peril

Posted: 30 Nov 2010 08:41 PM PST

Video embedded below.

See also Wikileaks Completes Obama's Transformation Into Jimmy Carter

"There have been many comparisons of Barack Obama to Jimmy Carter, focused on the economy. But the continuing leak of documents by Wikileaks has become for Obama what the Iranian hostage crisis was to Carter.

The Wikileaks folks trot the globe with impunity and funnel documents to the press at will, for the purpose of damaging U.S. relations with other countries, our war efforts, and our intelligence capability. And we do almost nothing about it.
...
We are the laughingstock of the world, an impotent superpower whose response to those who aid our enemies is to write a letter asking them not to do it. Yes, Harold Koh the State Department's chief lawyer, sent a demand freakin' letter to Wikileaks."

Mark Kirk (R) Sworn in to President Obama's Former Senate Seat

Posted: 30 Nov 2010 08:37 PM PST

Republicans now have 42 Senators for the remainder of the lame duck session with the Democrats dropping to 56 (Independents still with 2).

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2010/11/mark-kirk-sworn-into-president.html

"Illinois Republican Sen. Mark Kirk was sworn into office Monday night, becoming the first of more than a dozen new Republicans to join the Senate after their party's sweeping wins earlier this month.

Kirk, a five-term congressman, bested Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias (D) to win the Senate seat once held by President Obama. His succession of appointed Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.). gives the GOP 42 seats in the Senate and, by virtue of Illinois's electoral law, enabled him to be seated six weeks ahead on the other new members of the Senate Class of 2010.

At the swearing-in, administered on the Senate floor by Vice President Biden, Kirk was accompanied by Illinois's senior senator, Richard Durbin (D), as well as Peter Fitzgerald, the last Republican to represent Illinois in the Senate."