The Senate just finished voting on the Paul Ryan/House Republican budget resolution, as well as the budget put forward by President Obama in February. Both, as expected, were voted down, but only Ryan’s received any votes.
Indeed, the Obama budget failed by the astounding final count of 0 to 97. Not even Bernie Sanders (S., Vt.) could bring himself to support the president’s plan, raising the question, as one observer in the Senate gallery put it: “Are Democrats actually for anything?”
The Ryan budget, on the other hand, was voted down 40 to 57, with five Republicans — Sens. Brown, Collins, Murkowski, Paul and Snowe — voting ‘no,’ along with every Democrat.
Votes on the budget proposals put forward by Sens. Pat Toomey (R., Pa.) and Rand Paul (R., Ky.) are expected shortly.
UPDATE: The Toomey budget also fails — but gets more votes that Ryan’s — 42 to 55. Sens. Murkowski and Paul are the two who switched their votes.
Paul’s budget fails as well, 7 to 90, but still gets more votes than Obama’s. Sens. Coburn, DeMint, Hatch (!), Lee, Paul, Vitter and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (!!) voted ‘yes.’
UPDATE II: The Senate Democratic budget f… oh wait, nevermind.
Final score: Republican budgets 89, Democratic “budgets” 0
Obama himself has already abandoned that budget, so I don't think he really cares if no one else voted for it.
He obviously just used that budget to get the GOP to move first on entitlement reform. And boy did they ever move first.
I would say Obama 1, Ryan 0 in this game of political chess.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI... I'm moved.
This brings a tear to my eye.
Our President has truly brought the whole country, Republicans and Democrats, together in the spirit of unity and bipartisanship!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSniff, sniff - here Ben I have an extra Kleenex I can share.
Let's understand this - most of the Republicans hung tough on the Ryan budget and all the Dems and the Socialist all voted against the One's budget.
OHMY, when the One gets home, before he flies to MO for a photo shoot, will be really POd. Several Dems standing tall with Israel and now all of them kick his budget to the curb.
I raise my glass and toast the One - oh never mind, he would think I was making fun of him for botching his toast to the Queen. Wonder if Michelle hugged the Queen this time?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseRepublicans forced a procedural vote today on the President's plan from 4 months ago with Democrats agreeing beforehand it was outdated. This isn't a shock or surprise to anyone that it was not passed (and certainly doesn't warrant a comparison).
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Do tell how the Republicans managed to get a Senate vote on Obama's budget.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWow, not ONE vote for Obama's?
Interesting
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse+5, Ben S!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWhat about the Toomey plan could possibly have brought Sens. Murkowski and Paul together? Paul found the Ryan plan insufficiently bold, which I imagine was not Murkowski's problem.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseLOL, what a pathetic show of support for Obama's budget. I would have at least expected a single vote of recognition by Obama's fellow socialist traveler Bernie Saunders.
Not that surprised by Hatch's vote. He is living on borrowed Tea Party time, and will vote that way from now until Primary Day.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseHow does the minority party "force" anything?
I guess it doesn't matter -- in power, out of power, the Republicans call the shots. At least when it's convenient, anyway.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse57 Dems voted to destroy our economic future. How nice of them.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseRand Paul is pretty decent at this political game. He, the libertarian candidate for small government, votes against the Ryan budget for "not going far enough." Then, he votes for the Toomey budget that doesn't go as far as the Ryan budget. He now plays both sides of the fence flawlessly.
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Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseMurkowski is a piece of work. Never mind the Maine ladies and Brown, who are little more than Democrats. I guess Paul stood tough because his vote was meaningless.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI can't wait for the Politico headline "Obama Unanimously Repudiated in Democrat Controlled Senate" and the breathless reportage that Barry has "lost his mojo."
I will wait, breathlessly.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abusehughman : of course it warrants a comparison. it shows that the budget plan Obama put forth wasn't serious, in fact a joke. That the Dems were forced to vote on it when they knew it was trash just highlights Obama's stinkbomb.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI'm a fan of Rand Paul, but what was the point of him voting no on Ryan's plan? I agree we ought to be cutting more, but it will be a miracle to get the Ryan budget through intact. Seems like showboating from Rand Paul to me.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAnd you have to love hughman's dismissal of the budget as being merely "outdated."
Really, hughman? What's changed on the ground in the past three months to make it "outdated"? Keep in mind, it's a budget proposal for a fiscal year which hasn't even begun yet, so if it's indeed "outdated," then it just plain sucked from the outset.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI like following this forum because the comments are usually pretty thoughtful. But then there was hughman's ...
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI wonder why we even worry about a budget. Our hallowed government employees (representatives?) will only ignore it. Isn't that why we have a debt ceiling crisis?
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