Okay, I realize people may have overlooked this issue, but it is one that is vitally important: allowing imported pharmaceuticals into this country. Please go to this excellent diary for a rundown of what happened. Basically, Byron Dorgan (D-SD) introduced a bill to allow for the importation of drugs, and then Senator Cochring (R-MS) managed to pass an amendment ensuring the bill's failure.
Here are the good guys:
Akaka (D-HI) Bingaman (D-NM) Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH) Byrd (D-WV) Cardin (D-MD)
Casey (D-PA) Clinton (D-NY) Collins (R-ME)
Conrad (D-ND) Craig (R-ID) DeMint (R-SC)
Dorgan (D-ND) Durbin (D-IL) Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA) Grassley (R-IA) Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI) Klobuchar (D-MN) Kohl (D-WI)
Leahy (D-VT) Levin (D-MI) Lott (R-MS)
McCaskill (D-MO) Nelson (D-FL) Pryor (D-AR)
Reid (D-NV) Sanders (I-VT) Schumer (D-NY)
Sessions (R-AL) Shelby (R-AL) Smith (R-OR)
Snowe (R-ME) Stabenow (D-MI) Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA) Webb (D-VA) Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)
Here are the bad ones:
Alexander (R-TN) Baucus (D-MT) Bayh (D-IN)
Bennett (R-UT) Bond (R-MO) Bunning (R-KY)
Burr (R-NC) Cantwell (D-WA) Carper (D-DE)
Chambliss (R-GA) Coburn (R-OK) Cochran (R-MS)
Coleman (R-MN) Corker (R-TN) Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID) Dole (R-NC) Domenici (R-NM)
Enzi (R-WY) Graham (R-SC) Gregg (R-NH)
Hagel (R-NE) Hatch (R-UT) Hutchison (R-TX)
Isakson (R-GA) Kennedy (D-MA) Kerry (D-MA)
Kyl (R-AZ) Landrieu (D-LA) Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Lieberman (ID-CT) Lincoln (D-AR) Lugar (R-IN)
Martinez (R-FL) McConnell (R-KY) Menendez (D-NJ)
Mikulski (D-MD) Murkowski (R-AK) Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-NE) Roberts (R-KS) Rockefeller (D-WV)
Salazar (D-CO) Specter (R-PA) Stevens (R-AK)
Sununu (R-NH) Thomas (R-WY) Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (R-VA)
So, the first thing to do is give a big THANK YOU to our people-powered candidates: Senators McCaskill, Webb, Whitehouse, Klobuchar, Cardin, Brown --- and the original people-powered candidate RUSS FEINGOLD. They have made us all very proud of our support for them.
Other interesting notes:
- Kennedy and Kerry, shame on you. You voted with all those honorable folks we always supect might be a little shady, like Stevens, Cornyn, Hutchison, Cantwell, Lieberman, etc.
- I'll bet dollars to donuts that Senators from states on the Canadian border who voted for this amendment are up to their eyeballs in pharma money: Stevens, Cantwell, Murray, Murkowski, Sununu, Gregg, Coleman, Voinovich, Baucus.
- If or when Chuck Hagel makes his independent run for President, he ought to be bludgeoned over the head with this vote. We can thus show how "independent" he really is.
- Thanks to our Senate leadership for their votes: Reid and Schumer
- Hillary Clinton voted the right way - most other candidates weren't in for the vote.