Okie dokie.
Sometimes, I hate being an idealist.
In that case, soup , stay out of the Pit–they cook the idealists first!
bare, just because they asked how so-and-so was going to vote on the particular issue didn’t necessarily mean that they owed him/her a favor. A lot of times they will follow the lead of a representative or senator who is considered an expert in the area and who generally agrees with their positions. For instance, if you were going around trying to lobby for some health care thingie, a liberal Democratic senator may ask how Ted Kennedy is voting on it, recognizing that Kennedy is pretty knowledgeable on health issues and is a fellow liberal Democrat.
Don’t be so discouraged. After having worked on the Hill for a while, I can tell you that almost all of the representatives have a firm grasp of their communities’ needs and wants, and try to do what they think is best for them as much as possible. The ones that are out of touch get replaced. The system generally works (maybe not smoothly).
That said, this particular vote is going to be ‘cloaked’ by being buried in a bunch of procedural bills. Things that generally get passed without debate. It’s a standard rider tactic. People will start putting riders on things like budgets and such, knowing they have to be passed, and so will their rider. It’s not so much an attempt to have their people get away with concealing their votes, but with just having the immigration bill passed in the first place.
Yeah, that crazy Clinton. Nominating all those Republicans to his cabinet.
I believe the Democrats have been caught with their hand in this particular cookie jar a number of times themselves. I’d drop the righteousness were I you.
Ugh. That I hate.
Personally, I think there should be a law that prohibits any amendment to a particular bill that is in any way not relevant to that bill.
And, to hijack slightly while I’m opinionizing, despite the fact that I admire Jefford’s decision to break from a party that did all it could to marginalize him, I don’t think that Congresspersons (or Senators) should be permitted to switch parties mid-term. The people elected them to be a Democrat or Republican (or Libertarian or Socialist or whatever), and they should remain that way. Both parties have liberal, moderate and conservative branches (the size of any particular branch may vary by party, but they’re there), so it’s not as if a particular ideology is required to “fit in” to either party.
jayjay