Kerry on filibuster of Iraq spending bill: only one-fifth would support it

[yurbud]

There’s no fancy way to say “no” and I’m not going to try. There's just not enough support to make a filibuster work. You know I’ll filibuster against steep odds – think about what we did on Alito. But a filibuster would be over in about a minute on this bill – we wouldn’t have a fifth of the votes needed for it. This isn’t a one shot deal. We get more bites at this apple. We need to shift our focus. There was very little chance that this was ever going to be the end of it, and we have many avenues available to us to continue the fight. We need to change the political dynamics before we win this, and parliamentary maneuvering can’t do that right now. If it would, I’d be doing that.

http://www.dailykos.com/comments/2007/5/24/114745/908/419#c419

[jefferson_dem]

1. R'uh R'oh. Sounds like the rubber stamping of chimpy's war will carry on

with very little objection. This place will look like hell by tomorrow morning. And well it should.

...weather the storm, i guess.

[Mass]

6. BTW, did Obama decide what he is going to do.

[jefferson_dem]

11. No decision as of yet. I've been waiting and watching.

Frankly, i have no clue at this point which way he will go. I sure as hell hope he votes "FUCK NO" but Kerry's comments do not inspire confidence that many will vote that way.

[EFerrari]

2. Well, that was helpful. n/t

[Individualist]

3. Can't win; won't fight. Lovely, just lovely.

[ProSense]

4. Direct link to Senator Kerry's

diary at Daily Kos.

[KoKo]

5. yadda.....yadda......yadda... Not dissing Kerry but how many times

have we been told this same crap over and over. Empty promises...Dog and Pony Shows...Potemkin Village Debates where Bush ALWAYS gets EXACTLY WHAT HE WANTED!

[spanone]

7. There's a good democrat. 'I'm not going to try'.

[ProSense]

8. Yes, he's one of the best! He led the Alito filibuster when no one else would!

Those who failed to support it saddle us with that RW nutjob for life.

[Democrafty]

20. Right, and what was important about that was that there were enough

"no" votes on Alito to filibuster the nomination. Unfortunately, the "no" voters wouldn't sign on.

So that was a viable opportunity for the filibuster, and the Dems still didn't rally behind Kerry. If they didn't do it then, they aren't going to start now, when the odds are even worse.

[Mass]

9. Dont blame the messenger - Blame the leadership.

Kerry is one of the few who would vote for a filibuster (actually, BTW, he said it was 12 senators they had, not 20: 1/5 of 60).

[Mass]

18. Actually 8 votes (1/5 of 40)

[MH1]

15. He wouldn't get 8 votes (1/5 of 40). At least he counted.

If he counted, he was trying.

[MonkeyFunk]

10. He happens to be right

"There was very little chance this was ever going to be the end of it....."

I knew that. He knew that. I don't understand why people are so surprised.

[quinnox]

12. Excuses

Kerry doesn't have the courage of his convictions, he needs to filibuster if he is sincere about this Iraq war.

[ProSense]

13. Isn't that a little

desperate?

Since you so sure Obama will vote no on the Iraq funding, maybe he could lead the filibuster?

[blm]

17. Why are you spreading a RW meme?

Are you trying to say the RW was honest when they characterized Kerry that way?

Did you know that ALL senators vote FOR or AGAINST one version of a bill before they vote AGAINST or FOR another version of that bill?

Kerry voted FOR funding that included ACCOUNTABILITY for the money.

Kerry then voted AGAINST funding that had NO ACCOUNTABILITY for the money, the way the WH wanted it.

How would YOU have voted on those bills?

[Mass]

19. OK. What will 8 votes for a filibuster will do differently from 8 votes against the bill.

Just tell me. Because what you and a few other here are doing is posturing. And,BTW, F*(ck Romney. The simple fact you cannot differentiate the two tells us a lot about you.

[sandnsea]

21. And that is why Kerry isn't President

One of the few people standing up against this Administration gets NO support from the people who try to paint themselves as the ones who care the most.

[blm]

22. Bingo. Stood against Bush on ToraBora - no support. Rumsfeld firing - little support.

Swifts - only Cleland and Clark. Downing Street Memos - 9 senate signatures. Alito - only Kennedy would lead filibuster with him. Iraq withdrawal - 13 votes.

[blm]

14. Please name NAMES, Senator, of who is really guiding this vote behind the scenes.

It's not like many of those voices ever showed much consideration or loyalty for you, so stop showing consideration and civility towards them.

[MH1]

16. Reid, obviously

Come on, Reid made the deal with Bush. Guaranteed, not many if any freshmen will buck Reid. The centrists wanted this anyway. Who's left?

[DUyellow]

23. WTF "We need to change the political dynamics before we win this"