# Will Mary Landrieu Sell Her Vote for $100M? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 21, 2009, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-mary-landrieu-sell-her-vote-for-100m/518375 "2009-11-21T04:22:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Carol\_Stream](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c2a13f/32.png) [@Carol\_Stream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_Stream)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-mary-landrieu-sell-her-vote-for-100m/518375/1 "2009-11-21T04:22:17Z")
> **[Landrieu leans yes in Sat. cliffhanger](https://www.politico.com/story/2009/11/landrieu-leans-yes-in-sat-cliffhanger-029778)** > > Landrieu and Lincoln hold the keys to the kingdom. I hope she doesn’t, but it doesn’t look good. Maybe Blanche Lincoln will save us all. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-mary-landrieu-sell-her-vote-for-100m/518375/2 "2009-11-21T04:30:46Z")
Word. What we really need is single payer for the whole shootin’ match. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-mary-landrieu-sell-her-vote-for-100m/518375/3 "2009-11-21T04:31:38Z")
> [@Carol\_Stream](#): > > Maybe Blanche Lincoln will save us all. Let us pray otherwise! ---
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-mary-landrieu-sell-her-vote-for-100m/518375/4 "2009-11-21T04:33:19Z")
> [@](#): > > She acknowledged that she had fought for changes to the bill to help people in her state. Reid included an extra $100 million in Medicaid funding for states hit by Hurricane Katrina, which includes Louisiana How dare she vote for a bill that has $100 million in it to help the people who elected her to office! Has she no shame? ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_Stream](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c2a13f/32.png) [@Carol\_Stream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_Stream)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-mary-landrieu-sell-her-vote-for-100m/518375/5 "2009-11-21T04:41:41Z")
> [@Frostillicus](#): > > How dare she vote for a bill that has $100 million in it to help the people who elected her to office! Has she no shame? It’s pretty much an outright bribe. ---
**Author:** ![yorick73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b5a626/32.png) [@yorick73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yorick73)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-mary-landrieu-sell-her-vote-for-100m/518375/6 "2009-11-21T04:48:31Z")
Is this really uncommon? I don’t agree with it but I’m fairly certain it is a common practice on both sides of the aisle. I do wonder if it is constitutional and, if not, what can be done about it. ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_Stream](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c2a13f/32.png) [@Carol\_Stream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_Stream)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-mary-landrieu-sell-her-vote-for-100m/518375/7 "2009-11-21T04:53:50Z")
> [@yorick73](#): > > Is this really uncommon? I don’t agree with it but I’m fairly certain it is a common practice on both sides of the aisle. I do wonder if it is constitutional and, if not, what can be done about it. I dunno about unconstitutional, but it IS corrupt government. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-mary-landrieu-sell-her-vote-for-100m/518375/8 "2009-11-21T04:58:53Z")
You’re calling Medicaire funding for states hit by Katrina a “bribe?” Are you fucking serious? What do you call it when insurance companies give Republicans money, hookers and blow to vote _against_ HCR? ---
**Author:** ![yorick73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b5a626/32.png) [@yorick73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yorick73)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-mary-landrieu-sell-her-vote-for-100m/518375/9 "2009-11-21T05:08:03Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > You’re calling Medicaire funding for states hit by Katrina a “bribe?” Are you fucking serious? > > What do you call it when insurance companies give Republicans money, hookers and blow to vote _against_ HCR? Regardless of what the money is for this is clearly a bribe for her vote. My understanding is that the language makes only LA eligible for the money. You know that this could have been handled in a separate bill if the senate really just wanted to give money to LA for Katrina. ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_Stream](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c2a13f/32.png) [@Carol\_Stream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_Stream)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-mary-landrieu-sell-her-vote-for-100m/518375/10 "2009-11-21T05:11:08Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > You’re calling Medicaire funding for states hit by Katrina a “bribe?” Are you fucking serious? Why should Medicare funding tied to Katrina??? And the bill was specifically written to only benefit one state, LA. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-mary-landrieu-sell-her-vote-for-100m/518375/11 "2009-11-21T05:37:06Z")
> [@yorick73](#): > > Regardless of what the money is for this is clearly a bribe for her vote. What is it when insurance companies pay Senators to vote against HCR? What Landrieu is getting is not for herself, but for Katrina victims. It’s also absolutely SOP in Congress to horsetrade locally favorable funding for votes. Pretending to be outraged about this is outright laughable. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-mary-landrieu-sell-her-vote-for-100m/518375/12 "2009-11-21T05:39:28Z")
> [@Carol\_Stream](#): > > Why should Medicare funding tied to Katrina??? Because they need it. > [@](#): > > And the bill was specifically written to only benefit one state, LA. So? Do you think there’s anything new about this? For your next thread, why don’t you blow the lid off the rampant gambling going on in casinos. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-mary-landrieu-sell-her-vote-for-100m/518375/13 "2009-11-21T06:08:27Z")
> [@yorick73](#): > > Regardless of what the money is for this is clearly a bribe for her vote. Calling this change in the bill a “bribe” makes it sound as though it originated with the sponsors of the bill. On the contrary, AFAICT from the article, Landrieu sought the change on her own initiative: > [@OP's link](#): > > She acknowledged that she had fought for changes to the bill to help people in her state. Reid included an extra $100 million in Medicaid funding for states hit by Hurricane Katrina, which includes Louisiana. > [@Carol Stream](#): > > And the [addition of the $100M in Medicaid funding to the] bill was specifically written to only benefit one state, LA. Not according the article you cited: it claims that the Medicaid funding also applies to other states hit by Katrina. I don’t dispute that the lion’s share of the funding may well go to Louisiana, but let’s try not to be gratuitously inaccurate about the details. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-mary-landrieu-sell-her-vote-for-100m/518375/14 "2009-11-21T06:12:38Z")
> [@Frostillicus](#): > > How dare she vote for a bill that has $100 million in it to help the people who elected her to office! Has she no shame? Uh, yes, the fact that people bribe other people with handouts and pork and bad riders in order to get an unrelated bill passed is one of the biggest structural flaws in our governmental system. Robbing the public treasury to try to get your constituents more of a share than anyone else’s constituents is not noble. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-mary-landrieu-sell-her-vote-for-100m/518375/15 "2009-11-21T07:00:51Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Uh, yes, the fact that people bribe other people with handouts and pork and bad riders in order to get an unrelated bill passed is one of the biggest structural flaws in our governmental system. Robbing the public treasury to try to get your constituents more of a share than anyone else’s constituents is not noble. No argument there, but it’s also nothing out of the ordinary. Politicians at all points on the political spectrum make these kinds of deals all the time. Which is why it seems rather, shall we say, arbitrary to highlight this kind of deal-making as a lamentable betrayal of political conscience on this one particular vote, considering that it’s such a commonplace feature of legislative politics in general. Clearly, what’s chapping **Carol Stream** ’s hide about Landrieu’s actions in this specific instance is not that Landrieu pushed for some changes to this bill that would favor her constituents, but rather that Landrieu is considering voting in a way that **Carol Stream** doesn’t want her to vote. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-mary-landrieu-sell-her-vote-for-100m/518375/16 "2009-11-21T08:34:23Z")
We’ve all seen deals so disgusting they would make a cockroach puke its guts out. If this woman has to be bribed to help people by helping people, well, Lord knows I’ve seen worse. My guess is she’s covering the bases, if she gets shit for her vote, she can say she sacrificed her otherwise invincible principles (that’s invincible…not invisible!) for the people of Louisiana! And so it goes… ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-mary-landrieu-sell-her-vote-for-100m/518375/17 "2009-11-21T15:56:01Z")
The vote she’s “selling” isn’t for the Senate health care bill, it’s just for whether they should start the debate about the Senate health care bill. If that passes, then they’ll argue for weeks, hash out amendments, and, at some point, actually call for a vote on the bill. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-mary-landrieu-sell-her-vote-for-100m/518375/18 "2009-11-21T18:15:53Z")
Oh, look! **Carol Stream** , a known and vocal conservative, wants to screw poor people again! Whoda thunk? ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_Stream](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c2a13f/32.png) [@Carol\_Stream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_Stream)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-mary-landrieu-sell-her-vote-for-100m/518375/19 "2009-11-21T18:20:24Z")
Well, she just did it, live on CSPAN2. And she helpfully pointed out that it’s not a $100M giveaway, it’s actually $300M. :rolleyes: Ah well, she’s not up for re-election until 2014, so she can take a chance with this vote. Not so for Mrs. Lincoln, who’s up in less than a year. We’ll see… ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2009, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-mary-landrieu-sell-her-vote-for-100m/518375/20 "2009-11-21T18:20:46Z")
This is just politics. I hope this is not new to you. That is why so many bills get long. They are horse traders, trying to maximize their power. She is like the last homeowner who refuses to sell to a huge developer. Her value is maximized. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-mary-landrieu-sell-her-vote-for-100m/518375.md?page=2)