Bayh always was a prick. Dem Senators attack spending bill that includes their demands

[Numba6]

How are pricks like Bayh & Feingold any different from the hypocritical Republicans who did the same on the stimulus bill?

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/senators-may-punish-feingold-bayh-for-opposing-spending-bill-2009-03-05.html

Senators may punish Feingold, Bayh for opposing spending bill
By Alexander Bolton Posted: 03/05/09 07:25 PM

Senate Democrats are debating whether Sens. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) and Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) should be punished for opposing a $410 billion omnibus.

Some Senate Democrats, including members of the Appropriations Committee, are angry that Feingold and Bayh have panned the massive spending bill after legislative priorities important to both lawmakers were included in the package.

One Democratic senator familiar with the discussions said his colleagues are irked that they “bent over backwards” to include provisions important to Feingold and Bayh, only to have both lawmakers slam the omnibus.

The question of whether the two senators, both of whom are up for reelection in 2010, deserve to be punished is important because it could determine future policy within the Democratic Conference.

One Democrat said several senators want Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to make clear to members of his conference that if they ask for favors in legislation, they will then be expected to support the bill.

Reid, for his part, seems none too pleased with Bayh.

When asked about Bayh’s critique, Reid grumbled: “I have 58 members of the caucus — I don’t run the caucus for Evan Bayh.”

Reid, however, added that he did not expect lawmakers who win projects in spending bills to support those bills.

The omnibus includes a provision — requested by Feingold — that freezes lawmakers’ pay. That gives the Wisconsin senator, who is a strong opponent of congressional salary increases, a major victory to campaign about.

The package also includes 17 earmarks worth almost $15 million that Bayh requested by himself or with other lawmakers. Seventy-eight senators have sponsored or co-sponsored more earmarks in the omnibus than Bayh, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense, a group that tracks federal spending.

Feingold declared at a news conference this week that he would oppose the omnibus, and has urged President Obama to veto it.

Bayh wrote an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal criticizing the package, which he called “bloated.”

Angry lawmakers say that Democrats who win concessions in appropriations bills should vote for those bills or risk losing their gains, said a senator familiar with the grumbling.

Bayh, for one, is not apologizing.

“Sen. Bayh knows this isn’t the most popular position, but he thinks it’s the right one. He is taking this stand against Washington’s bad spending habits because he believes it’s the right thing for our economy in the long term,” said spokesman Eric Kleiman.

Kleiman noted that Bayh voted for an amendment that would have stripped all earmarks, including his own, from the bill. But Bayh’s critics note the amendment, which failed by a vote of 63-32, had no chance of passing.

Feingold’s spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

At this point, the debate is somewhat academic because the omnibus is not expected to reach conference negotiations with the House. That is because the Senate has taken up the House-passed version of the legislation and Democratic leaders are working strenuously to beat back any amendments to the bill.

If the Senate passes the omnibus without making changes, it will go straight to President Obama’s desk.

(The package was pending on the Senate floor at press time.)

Without a Senate-House conference, there would not be an opportunity to strip Bayh’s projects. It would not be politically feasible for lawmakers to vote themselves a pay raise in the midst of an economic recession just to get back at Feingold.

Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) said he was not aware of sniping at Bayh or Feingold, but added that he could understand why some of his colleagues would be upset.

Levin said there is a “reasonable expectation” that a lawmaker would vote for an appropriations bill that includes favored provision or a bunch of earmarks that he or she asked for.

Levin said the question is what to do with lawmakers who win favors in appropriations bills but do not show any gratitude during the final vote.

Levin said he thought that appropriators would likely give the projects and provisions of lawmakers who vote against them lower consideration during bicameral conference negotiations.

Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), a member of the Appropriations Committee, said Feingold and Bayh should be reminded that if the omnibus went down to defeat, many of the social programs they support would suffer funding shortages.

He also said those lawmakers should view the omnibus as part of the overall strategy to stimulate the economy.

“It has to be more clearly understood what the penalty for failure is — I don’t think that’s fully understood,” Lautenberg said of the ramifications that would ensue from defeat of the stimulus. But the senator declined to endorse what he called “retribution” against either colleague.

[uponit7771]

1. Don't understand why they're really against the bill

[Numba6]

2. Bayh wants desperately to fulfill his family's dynastic visions of the PResidency & thinks being a

reactionary twit is the way to do it

It worked for Bush

[LiberalFighter]

6. Bayh will have a difficult time running for President in this day and age.

The reason why Bush was able to get away with it was because the internet had not reached it's pinnacle and cell phones were not as prevalent. Bush would have a more difficult time becoming President now if it was the first time.

[Numba6]

9. We can definitely hope -- never too early to speculate on 2016 succession

[AllentownJake]

5. 2010

Both up for re-election, one in a normally red state that was close, another in a purple state.

If Obama is popular in November of 2010 they have no risk they'll walk to re-election.

If Obama has slipped in popularity they may have a close race. This is showing their "indepedenence"

There is no consequences for crossing the President but possible consequences if they don't. It's what killed Clinton in 93. Souther dems hedging their bets...they got thrown out of office anyway because they aided the enemy in making the President unpopular and they were still dems.

Some people don't learn.

[CreekDog]

8. of course with that attitude they forget the whole point they wanted the job in the first place

so that if Obama is not successful and they are successful by standing against him, they've set both back.

[CreekDog]

7. Understand that it's not based on anything in the bill

:eyes:

[ClarkUSA]

3. I agree. Never liked the smarmy DLC chairman/DINO bastard.

[Hieronymus]

4. Bayh is DLC ... enough said.

[AwakeAtLast]

10. Has Bayh already forgotten that Indiana turned blue?

There are now as many Hoosiers voting Dem as Repuke, so it looks like he's trying to piss us both off! :shrug:

[Mass]

11. What's new? Senators do that all the time. There are real issues with not passing this bill, but

being shocked because projects have been inserted in the bill and the senators still do not support the bill is stupid.

This said, Bayh wants to run for president, so he has to be the leader of the Democratic opposition to the president, which he does by leading this group of centrists that are already criticizing the 2010 budget without even knowing what they dislike in it.