No Stimulus for You

The Senate's green stimulus package was blocked last night by a minority of Senators. Not voting was John McCain, erstwhile maverick, erstwhile environmentalist, and the sort of guy inclined to say things like "we've got to give them some stimulus" didn't bother to show up.

Other presidential candidates showed up -- Obama was there, Clinton was there. Other Arizonians showed up -- Jon Kyl was there. Other contrarians showed up -- Joe Lieberman was there. Indeed, ninety-nine senators thought it was worth taking the time out of their busy schedules to show up and vote on an important piece of legislation. But not John McCain. He's too mavericky for that.

Comments

I might be wrong about this, but I'm pretty sure he was also the only senator (besides Obama) to not show up to vote on Kyl-Lieberman. Which is funny, because besides Lieberman, McCain is arguably the most Very Serious Foreign Policy Expert in the Senate.

Posted by Ned | February 7, 2008 10:17 AM

Matt you wouldn't understand, you haven't been in the military. It's a god, honor, country, patriotism thing.

Posted by David | February 7, 2008 10:20 AM

Ned:
What, exactly, constitues McCain's foreign policy experience besides being a pilot and POW during the Vietnam War(not picking on you, but just asking since you think he is)?

Posted by Joe Klein's conscience | February 7, 2008 10:28 AM

McCain has missed 56.7% of the votes in the Senate. The only one who's missed more is Tim Johnson (who had a good excuse)

Posted by Mike | February 7, 2008 10:29 AM

Boy, that attack ad writes itself.

Posted by John | February 7, 2008 10:31 AM

McCain (56.7%) misses more votes than anyone who hasn't had a brain hemorrhage this session. (and misses more than he votes)

Biden (39%) and Obama(38%) are the top democrats (except the aforementioned Johnson).

Posted by Kolohe | February 7, 2008 10:31 AM

Good point, Klein. McCain is a war expert, not a foreign policy expert. In my opinion, even the one-term Obama is better equipped. Both Democrats run circles around all three Republicans in foreign policy.

Posted by asl | February 7, 2008 10:34 AM

McCain was the deciding vote on the question as one can see from the rollcall vote. The 41st vote against the bill was Reid's as a parliamentary maneuver. Explains why he skipped the vote.

Posted by Dan the Man | February 7, 2008 10:35 AM

Dammit. Shouldn't have been such a [citation needed] fanatic!

Posted by Kolohe | February 7, 2008 10:35 AM

Joe Klein's conscience:
Absolutely nothing. I was using "Very Serious" in the ironic, Atrios-style way. As in, he's considered a foreign policy expert even though he's never really provided any evidence that he has any particular expertise on the topic and mountains of evidence to the contrary. Just like Lieberman.

Posted by Ned | February 7, 2008 10:36 AM

Re John's "Boy, that attack ad writes itself."
------------
Yeah -- and rub the salt in by suggesting that McCain handles things by "parachuting in" at the last minute to take credit. That gets the ole vein above the eye throbbing:

http://www.nypost.com/seven/05192007/news/nationalnews/raising_mccain_nationalnews_charles_hurt.htm

Posted by Don Williams | February 7, 2008 10:38 AM

Am I missing something or is there nothing "green" about the Senate stimulus package?

Posted by peep | February 7, 2008 10:43 AM

Re peep's "is there nothing "green" about the Senate stimulus package?"
---------
Except the money?

Posted by Don Williams | February 7, 2008 10:51 AM

Green. As in money.

Posted by neil | February 7, 2008 10:53 AM

While the criticism here may be valid, I personally find it hard to fault someone for not showing up to a vote that I personally think is all about populist grandstanding and not a lick about good policy. But I suppose it's hard to say that McCain consistently avoids populist grandstanding.

Posted by JK | February 7, 2008 11:00 AM

Well, the bill didn't include amnesty for illegal aliens, so he didn't really care how it turned out. (Thank you, thank you very much. Tip your waitresses...)

That does get at something about McCain--namely, that he only cares about a very small amount of issues at any one time. Aside from immigration and Iraq, has there been any issue that he's been, you know, vocal about? He's sounding more like Bush by the second.

Posted by Lev | February 7, 2008 11:05 AM

Yes, if McCain was missing votes on the principal that on average Congress functions best when it isn't in Washington, I'd be a strong supporter of his. Alas, that sadly isn't the case. As it is, a pretty good case can be made that a United States Senator (possibly the most useless carbon-based matter in the known universe) becomes less qualified for an executive position with each year he serves in the World's Most Fatuous Deliberative Body, so no, there is little in McCain's resume that indicates he is well suited for managing a gigantic bureaucracy. Senators Obama and Clinton have little to recommend them in this regard either, of course, but at least they haven't served for a couple of decades in that august body.

Posted by Will Allen | February 7, 2008 11:20 AM

"What, exactly, constitues McCain's foreign policy experience besides being a pilot and POW during the Vietnam War(not picking on you, but just asking since you think he is)?

Posted by Joe Klein's conscience | February 7, 2008 10:28 AM"

To be fair, he worked with Kerry to help restore relations with Vietnam, but that was more Kerry's and Clinton's (IIRC) baby. McCain was also a bit saner back then on foreign policy.

"That does get at something about McCain--namely, that he only cares about a very small amount of issues at any one time. Aside from immigration and Iraq, has there been any issue that he's been, you know, vocal about? He's sounding more like Bush by the second.

Posted by Lev | February 7, 2008 11:05 AM"

Very true. Is there a single economic issue he actually cares about instead of just going with the GOP status quo and CW because he doesn't care either way? Is there an economic reason that he is a conservative Republican? I doubt it.

Posted by Reality Man | February 7, 2008 11:20 AM

Ned:
Thanks for the clarification. It's easy to figure out with Atrios because you get used to his style. Here, I haven't seen enough of your comments to know your style.

Posted by Joe Klein's conscience | February 7, 2008 11:22 AM

"I personally find it hard to fault someone for not showing up to a vote that I personally think is all about populist grandstanding..."

A good point - & I would agree with you if McCain hasn't said on the campaign trail (more than once) how important the stimulus package was and even pledged to vote for it at the Boca Raton debate. He caved again.

Posted by louchelfie | February 7, 2008 11:22 AM

So "green" stands for money not enviromentalism here?

Then why does Matt refer to McCain being an "erstwhile environmentalist"?

Posted by peep | February 7, 2008 11:27 AM

AFAIK, green tax cuts and investments were included in the stimulus package.

http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/2/2/13125/84179

"Support became so strong that instead of offering the incentives as an amendment, a bipartisan deal was struck to simply incorporate them into the package prior to Wednesday's markup. In the end, it was approved by the Finance Committee 14-7."

Posted by Alex | February 7, 2008 11:34 AM

McCain was in town too, he didn't just miss the vote, he actively decided to skip it.

Posted by tom.a | February 7, 2008 11:36 AM

Don't you mean ersatz and not erstwhile, Matt.

Posted by Richard | February 7, 2008 11:38 AM

I think we need to start saying that McCain misses votes because he is tremendously, tremendously old.

Posted by Delicious Pundit | February 7, 2008 11:42 AM

McCain was in town too, he didn't just miss the vote, he actively decided to skip it.

McCain should have showed up... and voted "Present", like some other Senators are known to do from time to time.

Posted by Al | February 7, 2008 12:02 PM

Well, McCain did admit that he doesn't know anything about the economy. Maybe he's confused?

Or maybe it was his nap time?
.

Posted by Grand Moff Texan | February 7, 2008 12:05 PM

Texan, to be fair, I'd rather have someone who says he knows nothing about economics that someone who tells me she knows that freezing interest rates for five years is sound economics.

Posted by Will Allen | February 7, 2008 12:17 PM

Will, McCain indeed has said he knows nothing about economics but that hasn't stopped him from running his mouth about economics. He has said interest rates should be zero percent and the Bush tax cuts should be made permanent because tax cuts increase revenue. And indeed he has backtracked off that know-nothing comment.

Posted by Joshua | February 7, 2008 1:12 PM

I guess my point, Joshua, is that when to comes to Senators spewing nonsense, which really is the default position for the vast majority of Senators, it's better when thay have admitted that they don't know anything.

Posted by Will Allen | February 7, 2008 1:32 PM

There are several things one can do if they admit they know nothing on something:

1. The person can stop talking about it forever; after all, that person knows nothing and more importantly everyone else knows they know nothing.

2. The person can try to get educated on the topic, and come back when they know more.

3. They can keep running their mouth, spouting nonsense and foolishness, projecting themselves as some sort of truthspeaker on the topic they previously admitted to ignorance.

Obviously, McCain has chosen #3. Honestly, it doesn't matter if he admitted he was a moron already.

Posted by Joshua | February 7, 2008 1:42 PM

While I was waiting for a prescription to be filled at CVS last week I read a great article in Harper's, about our "bubble economy". The author wrote about how the bubble cycle had replaced the business cycle, with the real estate bubble following the dot-com bubble. He even predicted the next bubble: the "green" bubble. Makes even more sense now that Washington is trying to lard this big deficit-expander with green initiatives.

Posted by Fred | February 7, 2008 2:08 PM

The Senate's green stimulus package was blocked last night by a minority of Senators.

The "green" stimulus package probably included "carbon offsets." Someone needs to tell the Democrats that "carbon offsets" are an obvious scam as is most of what's described as "green."

Indeed, ninety-nine senators thought it was worth taking the time out of their busy schedules to show up and vote on an important piece of legislation. But not John McCain. He's too mavericky for that.

McCain should have given this nation its hope back by voting present.

Posted by Shinyk | February 7, 2008 2:23 PM

Still preferable to the moron who hasn't admitted that she is a moron, Joshua.

Now, as it happens, I really don't think that Senator Clinton is as stupid as her propopsal indicates. It is more likely she has simply decided that a very large chunk of her fellow party members are morons. Like I've stated before, if it's Clinton vs. McCain, rarely will the electorate have had a choice of two major candidates who fundamentally hold their fellow citizens in such contempt.

Posted by Will Allen | February 7, 2008 2:23 PM

McCain was also IN WASHINGTON AT THE TIME. He reached Dulles airport in plenty of time to make the vote but skipped it anyway b/c he "had some meetings" or whatever BS.

I think I read it in WaPo.

Posted by john doe | February 7, 2008 4:07 PM