Big Lizards:Blog:Entry “A New Definition of Lockstep of Which We Were Previously Unaware”

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September 20, 2007

A New Definition of Lockstep of Which We Were Previously Unaware

Hatched by Dafydd

On the amendment by Sen. James Webb (D-VA, not yet rated) to require troops to spend as much time in the United States, in between deployments, as they spend abroad during deployments -- an amendment which Webb himself cheerfully admitted was in fact intended to make our current, successful counterinsurgency strategy impossible -- I was struck by the angry, petulant complaint by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY, 100%) when the Senate failed to invoke cloture:

“The Republican leadership and the White House is [sic] getting them all to march in line,” said Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, who ranks third in the party leadership. “But it [sic] is marching further and further away from where America is. We just keep at it. It’s all we can do.”

That is, Schumer is bitter that the Republicans are marching in lockstep with the White House.

Hm. I toddled over and took a look at the roll-call vote on the Webb amendment, which failed to break the filibuster by 56 to 44 (60 were needed). As the Times notes:

There were 56 votes in favor, including 6 Republicans -- one fewer than the 7 Republicans who joined the Democrats in July, when the measure, by Senator Jim Webb, Democrat of Virginia, also fell 4 votes short.

Six Republicans voted in favor of the amendment -- therefore against the White House:

Norm Coleman (MN, 68%);

Susan Collins (ME, 48%);

Chuck Hagel (NE, 75%);

Gordon Smith (OR, 72%);

Olympia Snowe (ME, 36%);

John Sununu (NH, 88%).

So 43 out of 49 Republicans voting with the president (a rate of 87.8%) constitutes "march[ing] in line" with the White House.

And now, for comparison, here are all the Democrats who voted against the Webb amendment:

[Insert sound-effect of chirping crickets.]

The Democrats voted 49 out of 49 against the White House, for a rate of -- furiously tapping on my calculator -- approximately 100% lockstep with Harry Reid (D-Caesar's Palace, 90%), Hillary Clinton (D-Carpetbag, 95%), Barack Obama (D-IL, 95%), Chuck Schumer, Russell Feingold (D-WI, 100%), and Barbara Boxer (D-CA, 95%).

Whew, thank goodness for the open-minded, independent, free-thinking Democratic Party!

Hatched by Dafydd on this day, September 20, 2007, at the time of 11:30 AM

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Comments

The following hissed in response by: NeoconNews.com

You need to slow down with all the big math, didn't you read that recent study? You're going to lose your conservative readers since we're all so stupid compared to those liberal intellectuals. Math be hard, make brain hurt. Lower my taxes!

... relating to this, though, I think you've illustrated just how accepting the left-wing is to ideas and opinions that don't match their own. If you had any lingering doubts, just ask Joe Lieberman.

God bless the party of tolerance!

Well... not God, because he's just a tool used to control the sheeple, but you get the idea...

The above hissed in response by: NeoconNews.com at September 20, 2007 12:34 PM

The following hissed in response by: Big D

Don't you get it? Republicans are in lockstep in not agreeing to be in lockstep.

I love how agreeing with the White House is so easily morphed into you are a mindless zombie. "You weak minded fool. He's using an old Jedi mind trick!"

The above hissed in response by: Big D at September 20, 2007 12:49 PM