Trying to understand why the Dems lost so many cloture votes

[housewolf]

Read the whole article, it's something to think about and ponder.


From DailyKos - From a House Democratic staffer:


Why did we lose so many votes on cloture on such an awful, venal piece of legislation? It's really a structural matter in terms of who Democrats end up soliciting for campaign donations. Most Dems have a pretty solid labor-environmental-trial lawyer base that they then try to build out from to amass a large enough war chest to scare off challengers.

Groups that lack steady conflict with the labor-enviro-lawyer triumvirate offer the most attractive targets. That's why Dems end up cozied up to the technology and financial services industry--few labor issues since they're mostly not unionized/union organizer's targets, few environmental issues b/c they don't pump soot into the air, and relatively less contact with the trial lobby.

Since campaign contributions play a significant role and Dems have demonstrably fewer targets, especially on K Street, many Dems end up VERY close to the industries that pushed hardest for the bill--namely the American Banker's Association and the credit card companies, although the credit card companies lean further right in their allocation of PAC dollars.

<snip>

Lastly, once they got to 60 votes, I'm sure that opened the floodgates. Knowing that something will pass, likely won't be understood by the general public, and will matter a great deal to those with ready donations will do a great deal to motivate Reps and Senators to sign on board with bad policy.

<snip>

From the comments:
Vote for it, and your donations from the financial services sector continue to pour in, helping you stay in power. And this isn't the sort of high-profile issue that could ultimately cost you votes (and definitely not one that could spur attacks from a Republican opponent).

Vote against a bankruptcy bill destined to pass anyway (remember, the GOP has its majorities) and you get very little political benefit while losing one of your main sources of election cash. The less cash-on-hand you have heading into the election season, the more likely you are to face a well-funded opponent. So why would a House Democrat vote against the bill? They won't. And while some of you may blame them anyway, that won't jibe with the reality on the ground.

<snip>
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/3/9/185841/7193

[Selatius]

1. Damn this private cash

We should add 100% public financing for all federal elections to our legislative agenda. The only money in the system should be the taxpayers' money and no other. Outside money should be banned, and anyone caught breaking the ban should be tried for bribery. More modern representative democracies have gotten it right. They banned this stuff long ago.

[housewolf]

4. Exactly! This should be primary

The money in politics corrupts everything. Public financing of campaigns should be at the top of our reform agenda, along with voting reform. Both critical that we get fixed.

[KoKo]

2. Strong Dem Pac's and Think Tanks would bring them "inline." n/t

[cestpaspossible]

3. This anonymous staffer has one basic fact wrong

There has only been one cloture vote in the 109th Congress.

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/vote_menu_109_1.htm

These are the 14 Dems who voted for cloture:

Biden (D-DE)
Byrd (D-WV)
Carper (D-DE)
Conrad (D-ND)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kohl (D-WI)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lieberman (D-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Pryor (D-AR)
Salazar (D-CO)
Stabenow (D-MI)

[flpoljunkie]

9. And Democrats could not muster 41 votes to stop cloture which would

have killed this bill.

[madmark]

5. Its another way to say they are all MBNA Whores

You know a girl has to make a living, and we all know that these MBNA whores they will not be able to make a political living without MBNA et al contributions. Question is girls, at some point your real clients, voters, may not keep giving you want you really need to make a political living, votes, just because you can flash us cash from MBNA et al.

[cestpaspossible]

6. If by 'all' you mean the 14 Dems who voted for cloture. nt

[housewolf]

7. Good article for helping to understand the bankruptcy bill proceedings nt

[John_H]

8. That person is exactly right. Want to fix this? Only two ways

1. Stop posting on DU and start your own pac, making your donation contingent on what you want them to be contingent upon. Of course, it will take several thousand DUers with great money raising kills to make a pin-prick in the ourcome of bills.

2. An easier way: Work your ass off for campaign finance reform.

[KoKo]

10. Also making issues important to Americans High Profile. Notice the

aide said they don't take chances on issues that aren't high profile. It's up to us to pressure the media, but given the MSM we are dealing with it's very difficult to do anything. We should have run ads showing how this would hurt the average American, targeting the Best of the Amendments to put out as ads. Gotten examples of "real people" who would be harmed and bought ads on the Internet if the Media wouldn't show them over the cables.

That's what we need to do on our own. I wish Move On. would get it's act together. Somehow they come in late to issues, these days.

Our own Pacs would do alot to financing this, but we need clever ad makers and we need good lawyers to force the media to show the ads when they resist...Fox being a prime example.

We could show up the Repugs if we worked harder on Average American issues with real people in them.

[John_H]

12. Good points all.

[mdguss]

11. Because we have to pick our battles:

You can't keep everybody in line on everything. We really only have the power to stop one or two things. It looks like the party has decided to stop privitization of social security and extremist judges in that order. Stop everything, and you'll have a fillibuster proof Republican majority.

[madfloridian]

13. Wrong! The credit card companies are calling in their chips.

.