Should there be a minimum number of votes a Senator must cast in order to be in the senate?

[Clintonista2]

It's getting to be a very serious problem, some senators not showing up for work. I saw one statistic showing how some senators miss 25%+ of all votes cast! Some of them are very important votes! What do you think?

[Mass]

1. You mean like the Bankruptcy Bill?

Decide - You told us this morning that the Kyl-Lieberman vote was not important and that it was why Clinton voted for it.

[ElizabethDC]

3. She missed that one because her husband was having surgery

not because she was off campaigning somewhere.

[Mass]

4. Your polling question does not have a qualifier.

Anyway, if Hillary is nominated, she will miss a lot of votes. So, I guess that we should exclude her preventively.

[flpoljunkie]

46. However, she voted for the first bankruptcy bill--which was virtually identical to the one passed.

[southerncrone]

2. But there should be a contingency clause for emergency situaions like Tim Johonson's.

Each Senator must appoint & announce for the recorda proxy voter who would vote in their absence should an emergency situation arise.

[Clintonista2]

5. Yes, of course!

Able bodied senators should have to do what they are paid to do. What would happen if your average American decided to skip work 25% of the time? Why should it be any different for a Senator?

[Mass]

7. Apparently, you agree with Romney on that. Good to know!

[Clintonista2]

8. Hitler was a vegetarian, therefore vegetarians are evil?

So Romney agrees that Senators should have to do their jobs to get paid? Good for him, I agree 100%!

[Mass]

9. Well, so I guess Hillary should not be the nominee. She would have to skip too many votes.

Stop your propaganda, please. Look at Edwards and Kerry's record in 2003 and 2004.

[Clintonista2]

10. Hillary makes a point of showing up for every important vote

She doesn't skip them because they might be too controversial.

[Capn Sunshine]

16. I can't give her props for THAT- she always votes the wrong way

I'd be more open to her if we shared more values, but she's such a damn hawk

[Clintonista2]

21. Always?

She votes with the democratic majority 93% of the time. Are you sure you belong to the right party if you think the democratic majority is wrong 93% of the time?

[ElizabethDC]

29. You know that, for the time that Obama has been in the Senate

when it comes to votes that they've both participated in, IIRC, they've differed only one time? So if Hillary is always voting the wrong way, Barack must be, too.

[Mass]

17. You told us earlier that the Iran vote was not important and it was why Hillary voted this way.

Because it had no consequences. Decide what you think once and for all, if you can.

[Name removed]

22. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Clintonista2]

33. I said the Iran vote was symbolic, and it had no *political* consequences

Not bothing to vote period was also a symbol, and it was part of a much larger emerging pattern.

[monktonman]

14. Propaganda??

How so?
Please explain

[Mass]

15. Guess yourself. She knows.

[monktonman]

I was asking you

Do you have an answer or are you just talking trash.
Just curious

[Clintonista2]

19. That particular poster has a certain obsession with me

Anything I post is immediatley assumed to be an attack on Obama. I'm sure Obama's attendance record is sufficient, otherwise this wouldnt be an "attack", would it? It would be simple fact.

[emilyg]

41. Excellent point.

[UrbScotty]

6. Yes, with certain exceptions.

i.e. health.

Sometimes you will have a Senator who cannot vote due to reasons beyond their control, i.e. Tim Johnson's hemmorhage, a death in the family, etc.

Otherwise, this sounds like a good idea.

[Honeycombe8]

11. Yes, there should be. That's their JOB!! Wedon't send 'em up there just to talk and take payola.nt

[AtomicKitten]

12. it's fascinating watching you spin your wheels on this lame point

If this is all you've got as ammo to lob at Obama, I'm thrilled.

And, as always, your faux outrage is spectacular!

[Clintonista2]

13. Where did I mention Obama?

Are you saying his attendance record leaves something to be desired? If you choose to make that assertion, that has nothing to do with me.

[AtomicKitten]

18. You are transparent in your desperation and Media Matters agrees

http://mediamatters.org/items/200709240004

[Clintonista2]

20. Media matters doesn't deny the statistics

It simply compares his record to Republicans.

[AtomicKitten]

23. Media Matters called BS on this lame avenue of derision that

you've been riding all day here at DU, which pretty much means your cheesy tactics are strikingly similar to GOP gutter politics. And if you think for a nanosecond mimicking the GOP Wrecking Machine in this primary does your candidate any favors, think again because you will have a rude awakening in that regard. Ugh.

[Clintonista2]

24. But does MediaMatters deny the statistics?

No, they don't. If missing 25% of all votes doesn't seem like a lot to you, then what's the big deal? Why so angry?

[AtomicKitten]

28. You've mistaken anger for disgust with your gutter politics.

But, I have no doubt in my mind that that attitude will most certainly come back to bite you/your candidate in the ass. So, it's all good.

[Clintonista2]

31. "Gutter politics" LOLOL!

Give.Me.A.Break. You're one of those people who push and push and push, and then whine when they get nudged back.

[AtomicKitten]

34. you aspire to "nudge back"

Instead you work here 24/7 throwing sh*t at the wall to see if it sticks. You are transparent; we've seen your type every election cycle crawling out of the woodwork. And the beauty of it is that you are sewing the seeds of a very different result than I'm sure you intended; people are lining up to boycott your candidate. You've done such a marvelous job of selling her here by walking all over the other candidates, but particularly Obama because you are clearly terrified that the fat lady hasn't actually sung yet after all. Ha.

[Clintonista2]

36. Yep, just another case of a "can dish it out but can't take it" personality.

[AtomicKitten]

37. Your unpleasantness in this political cycle is not a secret here.

I'd ask you to make an effort to try to confine your input to discussing issues, but you seem to have no interest in anything of substance, instead choosing to split hairs and worse in your quest to trash other candidates in an effort to elevate yours.

I take issue with all things surrounding the Iraq War, and I'm entitled to base my vote on that and I am entitled to not support your candidate because of that. Get over it.

[Clintonista2]

38. I'm also entitled to base my vote on senate attendance.

Get over it.

[AtomicKitten]

39. So "senate attendance" trumps the war as an issue?

Christ on a cracker those are some f*cked up priorities!
:scared:

[Clintonista2]

40. I can vote however I choose

Get over it.

[Forkboy]

43. LOL...uh huh.

We're all sure you never had Obama in mind at all.It's just us.

Disingenuous much?

[Clintonista2]

48. What makes you think I had Obama in mind?

[illinoisprogressive]

25. what about those who show up but, do nothing much like Hillary.

[Clintonista2]

26. Obama has missed three times as many votes as Hillary

Talk about doing nothing...

[AtomicKitten]

30. here's a cookie for her

[Clintonista2]

32. Thanks but that bottom chocolate chip looks poisoned

So Mrs.Clinton will refrain, thanks.

[saltpoint]

27. Voted 'no' because it wouldn't be fair to Republicans.

Most of them can't even count.

[Milo_Bloom]

35. Missed vote should equal docked pay.

[killbotfactory]

42. It's not really a problem

Senate leadership generally knows which votes will be close, and which votes won't be. If Senators are urgently needed for one, they can rush back to DC. If it's going to be no contest, there is not much point in hurrying back to DC. Very little serious debate is actually engaged in on the Senate floor. Putting a requirement for votes in will just cause one party or another to schedule a bunch of votes whenever most of the other side is out of town.

[riqster]

44. Plus, there is a practice called 'pairing'

,,,where, if a dem will miss a vote, a reep will miss the same vote. Pretty common for routine, non-controversial matters.

[THUNDER HANDS]

45. you should be able to vote outside the sentate chamber

really, someone just can't make a call and tell them what their vote is?

[Clintonista2]

47. how would anyone verify it was really you?