My Dozen Senate Heroes

Over the past years I have been so disappointed by so many Democrats especially in the Senate. I was talking to a friend the other day and made the statement there is really only a handful of them that have a spine. Was trying to figure out exactly who that handful was - so I put together the never_get_over_it Senate voting record and what I got was my dozen Senate heroes.

Here they are in order of my admiration:

Feingold (D-WI)
Boxer (D-CA)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Durbin (D-IL)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Wyden (D-OR)
Dayton (D-MN)
Harkin (D-IA)
Levin (D-MI)
Kerry (D-MA)


Here is my personal Senate voting record and how I chose my dozen Senate Heroes. Votes in order of importance were:

No vote on Iraq War Resolution
No vote on Alito cloiture (filibuster)
No vote on Bankruptcy Bill
Yes vote on Kerry/Feingold bring them home
No vote on Hayden to head CIA

Perfect Scores:

Boxer (D-CA)* (not voting - Hayden - but I have to think she would have voted NO)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Menendez (D-NJ)** (not in Senate for IWR but I have to think he would have voted NO)

80% Score

Lautenberg (D-NJ) voted for Hayden - wasn't in Senate for IWR - pretty sure he would have voted no
Leahy (D-VT) voted for Hayden
Wyden (D-OR) voted for Hayden
Dayton (D-MN) didn't support Kerry/Feingold get out of Iraq - wondering if he was there to vote

80% but a lesser 80% because the BAD vote was IWR

Harkin (D-IA)
Kerry (D-MA)

70% maybe?

Levin (D-MI) voted for Hayden and did not support Kerry/Feingold Get out of Iraq but had one of his own - (which was lame)

Boxer and Harkin get extra credit for supporting Feingold when he wanted to censure the freak in chief over the NSA spying. But the extra extra credit goes to Feingold who has voted correctly on everything important to me and is the ONLY Senator to vote against the original Patriot Act.

Oh I had to edit to give Boxer extra extra credit for protesting the 2004 Ohio vote - I LOVE HER!

Some of you may know that I am not really a big John Kerry fan, HE BROKE MY HEART with his IWR vote, more so than many of the others because of his history. I believe he ONLY voted that way because of his run for the Presidency and I find that shameful. I also did not like that he conceded so quickly - It was very hard for me to include him on this list but I will let his voting record and actions speak for themselves. I am very proud of his recent actions - I only wish he had come to his senses in the fall of 2002.

Most underrated, unappreciated, and awesome Senator!

For Feingold, Boxer, Kennedy and Durbin - I've loved them all for a LONG TIME Checking the votes just proved my feelings.

He wanted to highlight that Bush has screwed up Iraq as he has screwed up everything else. He wanted to make his vote count so he made it do so by gaining attention thta he put to good use by making the following statement about the vote:

http://www.startribune.com/587/story/510212.html

"I want to make sure that our troops who are over there ... have what they need, including enough of one another to protect them from the insurgent forces," said Dayton, who voted against the resolution authorizing the war in 2002.

Dayton said his vote was not any sort of vote of confidence for the administration's conduct of the war.

"This is certainly a continuation of my criticism of the misconduct of the war by the Bush administration," he said. "The fact that we can't foresee whether troop reductions are going to be possible beginning in six months, or completed in a year, that uncertainty is evidence of the failure of the Bush administration's policies and failure to secure the country."

He added: "We can wish it were otherwise, but it isn't. We're in the war there, we have to win the war there."

I'm sorry he is not seeking another term - Dayton is a good guy!!!

He must have a pretty clean past and bank account, cause he is taking them on.. Knowing they will dig any dirt they can to discredit.

I will support Feingold and do everything I can to see him win....

Menendez Voted Against The 2002 Use Of Force Resolution Authorizing The Iraq War. (H. J. Res. 114, CQ Vote #455: Passed 296-133: R 215-6; D 81-126; I 0-1, October 10, 2002, Menendez voted Nay)

and he seems to be an EXCELLENT replacement for former Senator and now Governor Corzine (who would most certainly be on this list if still in the Senate) Geez you guys from NJ are so lucky - kind of like the lucky guys from MA

Thanks for the info.

He may vote for the flag burning amendment, having voted for it several times in the House.

I called Hillary's office the other day - and although she has voted for some flag burning banning legislation they claim she isn't going to vote for the amendment because she doesn't feel you should mess with the Constitution over something so freaking STUPID - this of course was my interpretation of what I was told.

I asked the guy exactly when was the last FREAKING TIME someone burned a flag in protest?! And even if they did it every freaking day isn't that what the flag stands for FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION. IDIOTS

a Senator who's served for all of 6 months. My Senator, Leahy has served for 32 years. How on earth can you compare a 6 month record with a 32 year record???

after all it is my list. Leahy is on the list and I happen to like him A LOT and have for years. The order doesn't really matter all that much except maybe for Feingold and Boxer but that's just a personal choice and really doesn't have to matter to anyone but me. I was not snubbing anyone by placing them in order I said they were ALL HEROES. You can disagree with my list, you can disagree with the order I placed them - but you can't say I invalidated my own damn list....geeeez take a chill - I LOVE LEAHY TOO!

all I was trying to say is I think it's a tad silly to have a Senator on that list who's been in office less than 6 months, let alone comparing him to Senators who've been there for upward of 30 years, like Kennedy and Leahy. And I certainly wasn't saying that you should like Leahy more than x,y or z Senator. BTW, can't you check Menendez' Congressional record for whether or not he voted for the war?

of the Democratic party - but we all have our priorities - and yours is steeped in how people vote and your JUDGEMENT as to why they voted.

I would no sooner call Kerry's vote for IWR (which was a perfectly reasonable resolution if it had been administered honestly) as a shameful political move any more than I would describe Feingold's vote for Roberts and Rice as a shameful political move - you would understand both if you understood their HISTORY of their votes - neither is swayed by POLITICS when they make their decisions.

Any politician with presidential ambitions is swayed by politics. There are no exemptions. Period. Exclamation mark. And so on.

as UNPOPULAR ones that harmed him careerwise. He was ostracized in DC for years by many in his own party even.

Having connectivity issues and this entry appeared three times for some reason sorry about that!

you have no idea what a HUGE step it was for me to include Kerry after he disappointed ms so deeply. I am trying very hard to give him, from my point of view a second chance - and instead of embracing that for the really good step that is - you as one of his ardent supporters accuse me of not understanding the HISTORY of their votes - I understand completely that Kerry came back from Viet Nam and led the effort against the war - I understand that given his record over the years he should have NEVER voted for IWR - I understand completely that other Senators didn't buy into the bull shit that the administration was pushing to get us into this invasions and I understand completely that Kerry knew he was going to run for President and was afraid to vote against the war would hurt his chances. This is my understanding - your understanding is different. But here is a small suggestion - I was trying to be open minded and forgiving towards John Kerry - I added him to a list of my heroes - I said I was proud of him - so instead of responding with an attack that I don't understand the HISTORY of their votes how about saying geez thanks for giving Kerry a second chance after he broke your heart.

Such negativity....

person because of it and not as if Kerry earned any place. I doubt very much that most of DU would even know half the stuff they know about BushInc if it weren't for Kerry's unmatched record of investigating government corruption.

And, basically, all I'm saying in my post above is that you made a judgement based on YOUR analysis of Kerry's vote which doesn't even take into account where he stood on getting weapon inspectors into Iraq since 1998 - or the fact that he NEVER made moves based on political expediency. And if you were MORE familiar with his actual record in the Senate - far beyond anything he took on reVietnam - you would kNOW that he doesn't take stands based on political calculus. Most of his stands have cost him politically and careerwise at some point.

Exhibit A
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1498870

I'll say it again. Feingold, Feingold, Feingold. :patriot: