OK! So the Senate vote was only about Voter fraud in Ohio! BUT

[BrklynLiberal]

doesn't it also reflect the integrity and the courage of the Senators in general?
We KNOW this vote will not overturn the election!!!! But why is it so hard to understand that we can be disappointed that our Senators did not stand up willingly and enthusiastically to support the claims of all the disenfranchised voters of Ohio and all the other states in which we know this happened.
This vote could have been a great show of strength and unity by the Democrats. A rebuke of the intimidation by the Republicans! But no...even Feingold and Byrd bent over and kissed the Repuke asses.
Their flowery and meaningless words are a waste of time when they are not backed up with action.
All this did was give KKKarl Rove another opportunity to laugh up his sleeve in satisfaction at another job well done.
I find it disgusting and heartbreaking that even those I thought were strong and smart are weak and easily brought down.
I am very, very saddened by what I saw in the Senate today.

[BurtWorm]

1. They were playing to the tiny group of Dems they knew were watching

and they just don't know how to play to us. :shrug:

[Kolesar]

2. 20% of Americans have doubts about who really won...eom

[BurtWorm]

8. But how many of them have the modicum of faith in the system

required to have had the slightest hope that their doubts would be validated if not vindicated today and were thus paying rapt attention to today's procedings? I would say only a very tiny minority of Democrats fit that bill. They happen to be a significant demographic here at DU, but not in the population at large.

[Rockerdem]

6. This was a show for the media

Not the voters, and not the world. It was for the media. Crass politicians clambered over the top of one another, trying to show how "responsible" and "centrist" they were to CNN and Fox. The DLC is toasting one another today, bottom line.

[BurtWorm]

10. The only media watching today (as usual) was C-SPAN.

This was a C-SPAN show only. I'd be very surprised if anyone but John Stewart mentions this in the media at large.

[nickinSTL]

3. Yes, I agree

No one realistically thought that this vote would be any different in substance, but those few who voted for it were standing on principle. It's all fine to get up and say that you agree that electoral reform is necessary, but if you aren't willing to cast a symbolic vote, you don't convince me you believe it.

The majority of our Democrats in Congress lost my respect today.

[Radical Activist]

4. No. Only if you don't understand the point

The point was never to overturn the results. It was to bring more attention to the issue and set the stage for meaningful election reform. That was accomplished.

[BrklynLiberal]

5. I understand PERFECTLY that it was not to overturn the election results

That was the third sentence of my post!
That only makes it all the more hard to understand why the Democratic Senators found it so difficult to vote YES in order to show their support for the principle of voting rights!!!!!

And we will see just how much the stage was set for meaningful election reform when only 2 Senators voted "yes", which meant it showed an understand of the irregularities that occured in Ohio!!!
I am not going to hold my breath waiting for that legislation to hit the floor of the Senate!!!

[Radical Activist]

7. A Yes vote wasn't a vote for voting rights

it was a vote for not seating the electors. We will see their support for voting rights in the coming months when its time to reform the electoral system. THAT is when you can make those judgments about those who voted no.

[BrklynLiberal]

9. In principle, I believe it was.

A "no" vote was saying that they did not believe that there were irregularities in Ohio, and therefore did not endorse the reform necessary.
They pulled the rug out from under everyone trying to do something about voting reform. Look at all the others who voted "yes" on the other side of the aisle. I would have thought they would have voted "yes" just out of being embarrassed to vote "no" with them!!!