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Sen. Mark Udall 
Sun Dec 05, 2010 at 09:51:55 AM MST
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In the past couple of years, Sens. Mark Udall and Michael Bennet of Colorado have touted their intent and ability to "work across the aisle to get things done". Instead of standing firm on Democratic principles and working overtime to secure the policies their base wants enacted, they have yielded time and again to the more disciplined but less principled Republican Teabaggers who are under no such illusions to work with the other side. I've met and talked with with the staff of Sen. Udall many times since he was elected, trying to convince him to fight for what Colorado majorities and not corporate majorities want. Each and every time, I was told by his staff that Sen. Udall values my opinion but feels it is important to represent everybody. I have never received a sufficient explanation why it is more important to pay attention to what a minority of Coloradans want than what the majority wants. A similar story emerged with Sen. Bennet. So I have changed the way I evaluate the Senators' performance. If they want to be judged based on their ability to work with the other side, I'm happy to do that.
The issue of whether or not to continue or let expire the 2001 and 2003 Bush Regime tax cuts has been in the news recently. Yesterday, Senators worked a rare Saturday session into their schedule to vote on those cuts. Faced with the opportunity to extend tax cuts for earners of less than $250,000 permanently but allow tax cuts to expire on those making more than that, Sens. Udall and Bennet had the chance to demonstrate their acumen in bringing bipartisanship to the table. If you look at this issue from the vantage point that Democrats hold the majority and a majority of Americans wanted the first $250,000 of every Americans' income subject to continued tax breaks, Sens. Udall and Bennet failed. Only 51 other Senators voted with them.
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Thu Sep 30, 2010 at 09:48:35 AM MST
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Another freshman Senator has introduced a plan to limit the Republican-Teabagger Party's ability to abuse the filibuster.
There are good and bad parts to this news, in my opinion.
Starting with the good: Sen. Udall is at least somewhat engaged on this issue. The Republican Teabaggers' abuse of Senate rules has become the leading issue of our day. Given the very real harm that global warming is exerting and threatens in the future to our civilization, that's saying something. But I think most of you will agree - nothing gets done without Republican Teabagger approval in the Senate today. Not global warming, not immigration, not education, not health care, etc. That's a disgusting situation and it needs to end now. Not next January, but now.
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Sat May 15, 2010 at 15:50:13 PM MST
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A $59 Billion supplemental spending package passed the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee Thursday. The package includes $33.5 Billion for the wars occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq.
When the health care insurance legislation was being unnecessarily delayed due to hypocritical ConservaDems' refusal to consider it without demanding that it reduce the national deficit, a number of folks, especially in the blogosphere, wondered where this rekindled interest in the deficit had come from. Nobody remembered those same deficit peacocks braying about the unfunded occupations of two countries; no evidence that I'm aware of has been found to contradict that observation.
Now that more occupation funding is coming up for a vote in the full Senate, now would be a prime time for those deficit peacocks to focus their supposedly righteous ire on billions of taxpayer dollars being tossed around.
Indeed, the Senate's climate and energy legislation unveiled earlier this week not only includes PAYGO language, but up to 25% of proceeds from pollution allowances sold in out-year auctions are being designated to paying the deficit down!!
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