Over the past coupla weeks, I've posted several diaries on Richard Pombo (R-CA), his ally Jim Gibbons (R-NV) and their pernicious back-room reworking of the 1872 Mining Act to set in motion a massive sell-off of public lands thereby. Click on my username if you want to look at them. I'm too tired to do the links right now.
When the Budget Reconciliation passed at 2am, the margin was only 2 votes, with 2 abstentions. This puts the nasty bit of work one step closer to being the law of the land. The next hope will be the Conference Committee between House and Senate. The Senators assigned to that process will be the best hope there. I looked back over the last 12 hours, and no one's posted on this, so I decided to.
I'm personally sad about this, but also in denial. As in: it would be such a horrible thing to happen, I can't believe it will. But it well might.
It's self-evident to me that environmental issues should be a core value of the Democratic Party. It continues to baffle me that dKos overall, seems largely indifferent to this. I can only assume that most of the users are urban, where everything's paved over anyhow. But, where do you think your water comes from? The air you breathe? These are rhetorical questions; I just don't understand it. It's an opportunity being missed.
OK, so. Here's how the votes went. I understand it was party-line, with 12 Repubs going over. The margin was 2 votes, with 2 not voting. One vote different and it wouldn't have passed. Given that it was a wee hours vote, I assume there were careful calculations by the GOP as to who to let vote no. Which tells us something about whose seat they're worried about protecting in '06.
I don't know the Congress well enough to be able to tell the crossovers. I recognized 2 on the list: Christopher Shays (R-CT) and Heather Wilson (R-NM). I was surpised to see her name there, as she usually sticks pretty close to BushCo. Gives me confidence her seat is in jeopardy - a good thing. Since I don't know the Congress well from a list like this, a little help on ID-ing the other Republicans who voted no would be appreciated.
But I'm also horrified that Pombo passed. (Amongst so many other things.) Indulge me for a few pouts. It'll pass. Those of us who live out in the sticks, on modest means, derive much of our wealth from the simple pleasures of outdoor places. Quiet and full of the surprises that only the wild can provide. And more practical things, like firewood, and clean water. I'm really looking forward to turning over at least one chamber of the Legislative Branch next fall. This Pombo thing sucks.
Votes: AYE 217, NAY 215, Not Voting 2. Question: This adds up to 434. I thought there were 435 Representatives in the House. Is there a vacant seat?
Here's the roll call on the votes:
---- AYES 217 ---
Aderholt, Akin, Alexander, Bachus, Baker, Barrett (SC), Bartlett (MD), Barton (TX), Bass, Beauprez, Biggert, Bilirakis, Bishop (UT), Blackburn, Blunt, Boehlert, Boehner, Bonilla, Bonner, Bono, Boozman, Boustany, Bradley (NH), Brady (TX), Brown (SC), Brown-Waite, Ginny, Burgess, Burton (IN), Buyer, Calvert, Camp, Cannon, Cantor, Capito, Carter, Castle, Chabot, Chocola, Coble, Cole (OK), Conaway, Crenshaw, Cubin, Culberson, Cunningham, Davis (KY), Davis (Jo Ann), Davis (Tom), Deal (GA), DeLay, Dent, Diaz-Balart (L.), Diaz-Balart (M.), Doolittle, Drake, Dreier, Duncan, Ehlers, Emerson, English (PA), Everett, Feeney, Ferguson, Fitzpatrick (PA), Flake, Foley, Forbes, Fortenberry, Fossella, Foxx, Franks (AZ), Frelinghuysen, Gallegly, Garrett (NJ), Gibbons, Gilchrest, Gillmor, Gingrey, Gohmert, Goode, Goodlatte, Granger, Graves, Green (WI), Gutknecht, Hall, Harris, Hart, Hastert, Hastings (WA), Hayes, Hayworth, Hefley, Hensarling, Herger, Hobson, Hoekstra, Hostettler, Hulshof, Hunter, Hyde, Inglis (SC), Issa, Istook, Jenkins, Jindal, Johnson (Sam), Keller, Kelly, Kennedy (MN), King (IA), King (NY), Kingston, Kirk, Kline, Knollenberg, Kolbe, Kuhl (NY), LaHood, Latham, LaTourette, Lewis (CA), Lewis (KY), Linder, LoBiondo, Lucas, Lungren (Daniel E.), Mack, Manzullo, Marchant, McCaul (TX), McCotter, McCrery, McHenry, McKeon, McMorris, Mica, Miller (FL), Miller (MI), Miller (Gary), Moran (KS), Murphy, Musgrave, Myrick, Neugebauer, Northup, Norwood, Nunes, Nussle, Osborne, Otter, Oxley, Pearce, Pence, Peterson (PA), Petri, Pickering, Pitts, Platts, Poe, Pombo, Porter, Price (GA), Pryce (OH), Putnam, Radanovich, Regula, Rehberg, Reichert, Renzi, Reynolds, Rogers (AL), Rogers (KY), Rogers (MI), Rohrabacher, Ros-Lehtinen, Royce, Ryan (WI), Ryun (KS), Saxton, Schmidt, Schwarz (MI), Sensenbrenner, Sessions, Shadegg, Shaw, Sherwood, Shimkus, Shuster, Simpson, Smith (TX), Sodrel, Souder, Stearns, Sullivan, Tancredo, Taylor (NC), Terry, Thomas, Thornberry, Tiahrt, Tiberi, Turner, Upton, Walden (OR), Walsh, Wamp, Weldon (FL), Weldon (PA), Weller, Westmoreland, Whitfield, Wicker, Wilson (SC), Wolf, Young (AK), Young (FL)
---- NOES 215 ---
Abercrombie, Ackerman, Allen, Andrews, Baca, Baird, Baldwin, Barrow, Bean, Becerra, Berkley, Berman, Berry, Bishop (GA), Bishop (NY), Blumenauer, Boren, Boucher, Boyd, Brady (PA), Brown (OH), Brown (Corrine), Butterfield, Capps, Capuano, Cardin, Cardoza, Carnahan, Carson, Case, Chandler, Clay, Cleaver, Clyburn, Conyers, Cooper, Costa, Costello, Cramer, Crowley, Cuellar, Cummings, Davis (AL), Davis (CA), Davis (FL), Davis (IL), Davis (TN), DeFazio, DeGette, Delahunt, DeLauro, Dicks, Dingell, Doggett, Doyle, Edwards, Emanuel, Engel, Eshoo, Etheridge, Evans, Farr, Fattah, Filner, Ford, Frank (MA), Gerlach, Gonzalez, Gordon, Green (Al), Green (Gene), Grijalva, Gutierrez, Harman, Hastings (FL), Herseth, Higgins, Hinchey, Hinojosa, Holden, Holt, Honda, Hooley, Hoyer, Inslee, Israel, Jackson (IL), Jackson-Lee (TX), Jefferson, Johnson (CT), Johnson (IL), Johnson, E. B., Jones (NC), Jones (OH), Kanjorski, Kaptur, Kennedy (RI), Kildee, Kilpatrick (MI), Kind, Kucinich, Langevin, Lantos, Larsen (WA), Larson (CT), Leach, Lee, Levin, Lewis (GA), Lipinski, Lofgren (Zoe), Lowey, Lynch, Maloney, Markey, Marshall, Matheson, Matsui, McCarthy, McCollum (MN), McDermott, McGovern, McHugh, McIntyre, McKinney, McNulty, Meehan, Meek (FL), Meeks (NY), Melancon, Menendez, Michaud, Millender-McDonald, Miller (NC), Miller (George), Mollohan, Moore (KS), Moore (WI), Moran (VA), Murtha, Nadler, Napolitano, Neal (MA), Ney, Oberstar, Obey, Olver, Ortiz, Owens, Pallone, Pascrell, Pastor, Paul, Payne, Pelosi, Peterson (MN), Pomeroy, Price (NC), Rahall, Ramstad, Rangel, Reyes, Ross, Rothman, Roybal-Allard, Ruppersberger, Rush, Ryan (OH), Sabo, Salazar, Sánchez (Linda T.), Sanchez (Loretta), Sanders, Schakowsky, Schiff, Schwartz (PA), Scott (GA), Scott (VA), Serrano, Shays, Sherman, Simmons, Skelton, Slaughter, Smith (NJ), Smith (WA), Snyder, Solis, Spratt, Stark, Strickland, Stupak, Sweeney, Tanner, Tauscher, Taylor (MS), Thompson (CA), Thompson (MS), Tierney, Udall (CO), Udall (NM), Van Hollen, Velázquez, Visclosky, Wasserman Schultz, Waters, Watson, Watt, Waxman, Weiner, Wexler, Wilson (NM), Woolsey, Wu, Wynn
---- NOT VOTING 2 ---
Boswell, Towns