The debt ceiling senate vote is in, 74 to 26, a margin that belies the partisanship and brinksmanship that brought us to this point. You can see an analysis of the House vote here.
Six democrats were among the senate’s 26 NOs. They are:
- Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, who was uncompromising in the deal’s unfairness.
- Tom Harkin, which pretty much means every Dem elected at the fed level from Iowa said no to this Satan sandwich.
- Both New Jersey’s Roberto Menendez and Frank Lautenberg, who points out the debt ceiling was raised 18 times under Ronald Reagan without it being a big deal.
- Jeff Merkley of Oregon.
- Nebraska’s Ben Nelson, a frequent aisle crosser, couldn’t bring himself to do it this time.
At least two senators made a big deal of needing spiritual guidance to vote. Our own Dick Durbin, Democrat, had a chat with the senate chaplain and voted YES. Marco Rubio, the Tea Party newbie from Florida, tweeted that he went to reflect at the Lincoln Memorial and then voted NO. Because you just know that this debt deal is what Lincoln would have wanted.
