Biden, Obama helped keep 'Bridge to Nowhere' alive

[JonLP24]

Source: CNN

DEWEY BEACH, Delaware (CNN) -- Although Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden routinely mocks his Republican counterpart, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, for her onetime support of the infamous "Bridge to Nowhere," Biden and his running mate voted to keep the project alive twice.

Both Biden and Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama voted to kill a Senate amendment that would have diverted federal funding for the bridge to repair a Louisiana span badly damaged by Hurricane Katrina, Senate records show.

And both voted for the final transportation bill that included the $223 million earmark for the Alaska project.

An amendment offered by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Oklahoma, would have stripped the money appropriated to connect the Alaskan coastal city of Ketchikan to its airport on sparsely populated Gravina Island and diverted the money to Louisiana.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/23/biden.earmarks/

[firedupdem]

1. Not reading it because their vote has nothing to do with her lies! n/t

[Eric J in MN]

2. I have a feeling there is something we're not being told in that article.

Did 82 Senators vote for a "Bridge to Nowehere" over aid to Lousisiana just for the Hell of it?

[Pete2069]

8. Source CNN.....

Does this say anything.  Lou Dodds 

[silverojo]

15. It's Lou DOBBS.

And please don't change your default font...it's harder than hell to read. Thanks.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

18. The font is code.

:think:

[Miss Chybil]

3. Did they get up at a national convention and say they didn't vote for it?

And did they then repeat, endlessly, that they didn't when many, many people had proved they did? Don't think so. A liar is a liar.

[lapfog_1]

4. Of course, the article fails to mention the "agreement"

that makes earmarks, uh earmarks.

That is to say, if one Senator (Ted Stevens) puts in an earmark into an appropriations bill, all of the Senators "agree" to vote for it... and then Stevens will vote for YOUR earmarks.

If every appropriation was voted on their merits, it wouldn't be an EARMARK.

Yes the system is corrupt. But the voters back home (that would be US) want their Senators to bring home the bacon. If you don't, your career in the Senate will be a short one.

[The Shadow]

5. The Senate Vote Has Nothing To Do With It

It's all about "her" lies about being a reformer and being against earmarks such as the bridge. And, surely there is more to the bill than what the articles implies. She is the liar and hypocrite not Obama and Biden for trying to do their job in the senate. Smoke and Mirrors people, it's all an illusion.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

6. This article is a giant loveletter to McCain. It suggests he is anti-earmark.

"As he embarked on his presidential bid in 2007, Obama said he would no longer ask for earmark projects. McCain, who has been a longtime critic of the process, does not seek any for his home state of Arizona."

But of course, he supports earmarks for other people's states. More "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours" politics that mccain is so fond of. Also, he's for earmarks, as long as it isn't technically called an earmark.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

7. Also, it's just a straight up lie that McCain has never sought earmarks for Arizona.

McCain’s claim is false. In 2006, the senator teamed up with fellow Arizona senator Jon Kyl (R) to funnel $10 million toward the University of Arizona for an academic center named after the late Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist. Even Arizona lawmaker, Rep. Jeff Flake (R), said he was planning to “lean against the measure.” The National Taxpayers Union, another traditional McCain ally, questioned why the senator was making federal taxpayers foot the bill for the center.

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/01/06/mccain-earmark/

[uppityperson]

9. Did they lie about it? Did they take money intended for it and keep it?

[bronco214]

10. CNN

Hah, they don't tell you what else was in the bill that was
really voted against. Bastards are almost Fox.

[DeltaLitProf]

11. New York Times article from Oct 21, 05

Senate Retains Money for Disputed Alaska Bridges and Other Pet Initiatives

By CARL HULSE
Published: October 21, 2005

WASHINGTON, Oct. 20 - The growing Congressional fight over spending spilled over to the sensitive subject of lawmakers' home-state projects as the Senate rejected efforts on Thursday to block money for two widely criticized Alaskan bridges, as well as other pet initiatives.

Senator Tom Coburn, a freshman Republican from Oklahoma, forced the issue by trying to use a transportation and housing spending bill to eliminate $450 million for two bridges in Alaska, one of which has been called "the bridge to nowhere."

Mr. Coburn took aim at other allocations, as well, including $950,000 for a museum parking lot in Nebraska, $500,000 for a sculpture park in Seattle and $200,000 for an animal shelter in Rhode Island, all favorites of individual senators.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/21/politics/21congress.html?scp=1&sq=bridge%20to%20nowhere%20Coburn&st=cse

Apparently there were two amendments from Coburn. One targeted the Bridge to Nowhere, the other included all those earmarks listed.

Looks to me like Biden and Obama made a mistake here, unless they were sure that Coburn's amendment was such a poison pill it would have resulted in the bill not being passed at all.

[Pete2069]

12. Shows the stupid of American voters

Bush with his 90% support from McSame has destroy our country
, citizens and help Bin Laden make his wishes come true.
Bush with his 90% support has destroy our:
Democracy -- social programs -- our constitution --- freedom
--- military and has destroy our economy.
Anyone would have to be any idiot not to see this and if this
current destruction of our economy with the complete failure
of our financial institution doesn't show you , then you have
no hope. 
Bush wants to drive the final stake into the American
citizen's heart with his welfare check of our tax money to his
wealthy financial friends which might include Carlyle Group
which has Bush Sr. as a  partner..
The longer it goes the more republicans look as if they came
from the same type of Bin Laden training camp..
Bush without being a fighter for our country has destroy it
without him lifting a gun all he needed was his
dictatorship...
Now we have his Son McSame which has hugged and supported his
policies with a 90 % approval rate.

[McCamy Taylor]

13. DU Is Testing their new rating system which is still bad. This story should not be on the front page

What if I decide to give it a big "must read"? Just to be ornery?

I object to being manipulated by the staff of Democratic Underground in this way.

:grr:

The placement of this article on the front page of DU is an affront to our Democratic Ticket. For shame.

[farmboxer]

14. CNN want McCain to be their President. They mislead

with that report.

[Ramius]

16. Whatever, It's about Palin's pathetic lying. They didn't claim "Thanks but, No Thanks".

[feyangel]

17. Missing the point

As usual, I think somehow the POINT of what Obama (and Biden)
is saying is being missed.  To me, the point is that Palin and
McCain are LYING about her stance on the Bridge to Nowhere--
or, at least, misrepresenting it.

Has Obama (or Biden) ever said they voted AGAINST the Bridge??
 If so, then they have no right to comment on Palin and
McCain's lies on this topic.  But I think all they or anyone
associated with them is saying-- is that Palin is lying
AGAIN-- and McCain is backing her lies.

It is about INTEGRITY.

No one in public office will make every decision, every
judgment call, every vote perfectly the way any one of us
might think they should.  BUT-- I should think that after
EIGHT YEARS of being totally LIED to and conned by the people
holding the highest public offices and public TRUST in the
land-- we would want people in office who at, the very least,
are honest with us.

[karynnj]

19. I found this and the amendment was overwhelmingly rejected

I think the problem was that without the support of the powerful Stevens, the transportation bill would have failed. McCain didn't vote - which was very likely political. But you have people like Kennedy and very conservative Republicans voting for it. On the other side you have very conservative Republicans and Russ Feingold!