Maverickiness

So if you have been paying attention to McCain on the stump he has been cranky like an old neighbor in saying that Congress shouldn't have such a long vacation and should be called back to work. Okay, let's ignore the fact that the Senate Republicans have shattered the record for cloture votes (ie the new filibuster), and the fact that most of these Congressmen would like to spend significant time with families, and they need to raise money, and they need to campaign in their district. Funny that McCain never made a big deal out of this in previous years when he could spend around a week in each of the six or seven houses that he and his wife own.

Anyway, that is not what exemplifies true maverickiness. The fact that he has missed every vote in the Senate since April 8, and has voted only once since March 14 is nearly the pinnacle of maverickiness. (The one vote he did cast, drumroll please, was a cloture vote.) That's 76 straight votes and 86 of the last 87 votes that he couldn't be bothered with. For goodness sake, Sen. Kennedy came back from cancer treatment to make one of the votes during this period. The Post is following the candidates voting here.


John McCain leading by example in classic maverickiness style.


To be fair, Obama cast only 18 of the possible 76 votes since April 8, though he isn't calling for Congress to come back early. You know, just so the Senate Republicans can filibuster some more and nothing still gets passed.

Want to know the incredible pace the Senate Republicans have been setting in using the filibuster in the 110th Congress*. I'll let Sen. Durbin tell you:

Why are we in this stall? Why do the Republicans want to slow us down? It is part of a strategy. Republican filibusters this Congress, as of today, went up to 66; 66 Republican filibusters this Congress and still counting. Is that a lot? Historically, the Senate has never had more than 57 filibusters in any 2-year period. We have had 66 in a matter of a year and 3 or 4 months. So they are about to break all records with filibusters in an attempt to slow down the Senate. They can't even come to a bipartisan agreement on a technical corrections bill. The Republicans insist on these filibuster rollcalls on a technical corrections bill. Why?

If you want to know why, read the rest here. And by my count since Sen. Durbin spoke these word the Senate Republicans have filibustered 14 more times, for a grand total of 80. They aren't just sitting on their hands in the Senate, the Republicans are bringing bills to a screeching halt in record fashion. (The 107th Congress held the record of 61 total filibusters.) McCain is still a Senate Republican, maybe he should use his vast influence among his party members and actually work to get a bill passed. I can feel the maverickiness leadership, can't you?


_John


*Quick fact: Congresses are for two years, with each year noted by the "session," either first of second. For example our current Congress is the 110th Congress, 2nd Session. The first session of this Congress lasted from January 4, 2007 – December 19, 2007, and the second session, which we are currently in, began on January 3, 2008 and does not yet have a last day assigned.

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