ACTION: 8 Dem Senators have NOT signed on to Webb's G.I. Bill

In Devilstower's story about John McCain not having signed on to Jim Webb's G.I. Bill, it's mentioned that there are 51 co-sponsors.  (Actually, there are now 52.)  At first, I thought it must have been the 49 Democrats and two Independents, but then I saw that John Warner (R-VA) had also signed on.  In fact, ten Republicans have signed on as co-sponsors.  Which makes it all the more inexcusable for ANY Democrat NOT to have signed on yet.

I was a bit shocked to see which Democrats have NOT signed on yet.  I name names after the fold.

Update: Sen. Feingold's office's response at the end.

BTW, the official name of the bill is S. 22: Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2007.  The full list of the bill's co-sponsors can be found here.  (Republican co-sponsors in italics.)

Sen Baucus, Max [MT] - 6/12/2007
Sen Bayh, Evan [IN] - 12/4/2007
Sen Biden, Joseph R., Jr. [DE] - 12/3/2007
Sen Bingaman, Jeff [NM] - 2/26/2007
Sen Bond, Christopher S. [MO] - 4/7/2008
Sen Boxer, Barbara [CA] - 2/26/2007
Sen Brown, Sherrod [OH] - 5/9/2007
Sen Byrd, Robert C. [WV] - 3/10/2008
Sen Cardin, Benjamin L. [MD] - 3/6/2008
Sen Casey, Robert P., Jr. [PA] - 5/10/2007
Sen Clinton, Hillary Rodham [NY] - 5/14/2007
Sen Coleman, Norm [MN] - 3/11/2008
Sen Collins, Susan M. [ME] - 9/24/2007
Sen Dodd, Christopher J. [CT] - 3/11/2008
Sen Domenici, Pete V. [NM] - 2/29/2008
Sen Dorgan, Byron L. [ND] - 12/3/2007
Sen Durbin, Richard [IL] - 3/13/2007
Sen Feinstein, Dianne [CA] - 11/15/2007
Sen Hagel, Chuck [NE] - 10/24/2007
Sen Harkin, Tom [IA] - 6/12/2007
Sen Inhofe, James M. [OK] - 2/29/2008
Sen Inouye, Daniel K. [HI] - 9/11/2007
Sen Johnson, Tim [SD] - 12/18/2007
Sen Kennedy, Edward M. [MA] - 2/28/2008
Sen Kerry, John F. [MA] - 3/1/2007
Sen Klobuchar, Amy [MN] - 3/6/2008
Sen Kohl, Herb [WI] - 3/13/2008
Sen Landrieu, Mary L. [LA] - 5/23/2007
Sen Lautenberg, Frank R. [NJ] - 6/13/2007
Sen Leahy, Patrick J. [VT] - 3/3/2008
Sen Lieberman, Joseph I. [CT] - 4/3/2008
Sen Lincoln, Blanche L. [AR] - 1/29/2008
Sen Lugar, Richard G. [IN] - 2/28/2008
Sen McCaskill, Claire [MO] - 2/26/2007
Sen Menendez, Robert [NJ] - 6/27/2007
Sen Mikulski, Barbara A. [MD] - 2/16/2007
Sen Murray, Patty [WA] - 3/5/2008
Sen Nelson, Bill [FL] - 3/5/2008
Sen Obama, Barack [IL] - 11/14/2007
Sen Pryor, Mark L. [AR] - 1/22/2008
Sen Reid, Harry [NV] - 10/22/2007
Sen Rockefeller, John D., IV [WV] - 2/25/2008
Sen Salazar, Ken [CO] - 2/28/2008
Sen Sanders, Bernard [VT] - 2/16/2007
Sen Schumer, Charles E. [NY] - 2/28/2008
Sen Smith, Gordon H. [OR] - 3/5/2008
Sen Snowe, Olympia J. [ME] - 9/12/2007
Sen Stabenow, Debbie [MI] - 4/16/2007
Sen Tester, Jon [MT] - 3/22/2007
Sen Warner, John [VA] - 2/29/2008
Sen Whitehouse, Sheldon [RI] - 6/27/2007
Sen Wyden, Ron [OR] - 3/19/2007

This means the following Democrats have NOT signed on yet.

Daniel Akaka (HI)
Maria Cantwell (WA)
Tom Carper (DE)
Kent Conrad (ND)
Russ Feingold (WI)
Carl Levin (MI)
Ben Nelson (NE)
Jack Reed (RI)

Um, what's up with Feingold?  This bill is over a year old, please don't tell me he hasn't had the time to read up on it by now.  And Levin & Reed haven't signed on either??  That's really surprising, given their usual stances on military-related matters.

So, I say it's time to give these Senators a phone call and ask them to co-sponsor Webb's G.I. Bill.  Here are the Senators' D.C. phone numbers.

Daniel Akaka: [phone]
Maria Cantwell: [phone]
Tom Carper: [phone]
Kent Conrad: [phone]
Russ Feingold: [phone]
Carl Levin: [phone]
Ben Nelson: [phone]
Jack Reed: [phone]

Be cordial, but firm.  There's no reason for these Senators not to have signed on yet by now.

Update: I just got off the phone with Sen. Feingold's office, and the staffer told me the reason Sen. Feingold hasn't signed on is because he's a firm believer in the pay-go rules, and this bill wouldn't follow it.  Same reason Feingold didn't co-sponsor a merchant marine bill that his office also gets a lot of calls about.

OK, I guess that's a valid reason.  And if it came to a floor vote, the staffer said Sen. Feingold would most certainly vote in favor of it.  Still, that leaves seven other Democratic Senators who have yet to sign on (or make their stances public about the pay-go issue being the reason why they haven't).

This does make me wonder, though, if all eight Democrats would vote for it, combined with the 10 Republican co-sponsors and the two Independent co-sponsors (can't be mad at Lieberman on this issue), the filibuster concerns others have raised shouldn't matter at all.  We'd HAVE the 60 votes necessary to stop a filibuster.

Anyone know why this bill hasn't been moved to the floor then?  The only thing I can think of is that we don't have enough votes to override a Presidential veto, and Bush would most assuredly veto this, because he doesn't really give a rat's ass about the troops' well-being once they come home.

•  Tip jar (n/t)

  by BruinKid on Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 11:26:31 AM PDT

•  Thanks for this

  I went on the Senate's website to see if the Senators from my home state of Maine had signed on -- they're both repubs and, surprisingly, they both did (Collins probably didn't want this coming up in her re-election campaign).

  I was going to do some tedious back-and-forth to figure out the MIA Dem senators -- thanks muchly for saving me the time!

  BTB, what is up with both Feingold and Levin not signing on? As Webb said, this should be a no-brainer.

  by billssha on Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 11:30:56 AM PDT

  •  As for Feingold...

    see my update to the diary.  It's pay-go, basically.

    by BruinKid on Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 11:46:38 AM PDT

•  I'd bet McCain thinks retention would suffer

  Considering the length of time he's planning to be in this war, the lure of education benefits on the civilian side of life threatens his agenda. Bush has flat come out and said so.

  by MKSinSA on Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 11:35:14 AM PDT

  •  McCain has said

    something along the lines that he wants it to be in some kind of graduated form. Someone with 8 yrs in to get more benefits than someone with 5 or 6 yrs. That is not the way the old GI bill worked if my memory serves me.

    by SmileySam on Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 12:57:48 PM PDT

    •  As one who dodged the Mongomery GI Bill bullet

      SmileySam, you are absolutely right!!

      by MKSinSA on Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 01:14:22 PM PDT

  •  From what I heard on NPR interview

    with Webb, that's DOD's position. Running from Occupation to go to College. Imagine that.

    by emmasnacker on Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 03:06:59 PM PDT

•  Why the qualifier "once they come home"? N/T

  by oldoregonlib on Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 11:49:08 AM PDT

•  Good work - good follow up

  thanks for keeping up on this issue.

  by CeeusBeeus on Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 11:52:34 AM PDT

•  Thanks for the 'headsup"

  I just contacted Levin's office and urged he sign on too.

  by moose67 on Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 11:57:57 AM PDT

•  related bill in the house

  HR 2702 -- the only Dems in the House from SC haven't signed on either: Clyburn and Spratt

  go figure  

  by sc kitty on Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 12:04:03 PM PDT

•  nice work

  i was wondering who they were myself--thanks

  cantwell is on of my critters

  bs

  thanks for the number too!

  by ToxicTidepool on Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 12:16:55 PM PDT

•  I called Sen Cantwell's office

  I got the "I don't know why" treatment.

  I asked for more and a legislative aide said they are working on co-sponsoring the legislation. I told them I live in Wa state and my spouse is in Iraq and it is exptremely important to me.

  Thanks BruinKid--you got me to do what I should've done months ago.

  Kos-roots in action!

  by ToxicTidepool on Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 12:42:15 PM PDT

  •  Jesus. Read it. Sign or not. Hard work. n/t

    by emmasnacker on Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 03:08:25 PM PDT

•  BruinKid, how would you pay-go the entitlement?

  Just curious.

  by MKSinSA on Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 01:16:32 PM PDT

•  This is WH?

  Just got your email through MyBO.com. Good stuff!

  by MKSinSA on Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 01:24:37 PM PDT

•  Pay-go

  Can someone explain the pay-go rules?  What is that?

  by SheLawyer on Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 01:48:57 PM PDT

  •  it's when they pass new legislation

    they have to arrange funding for it at the same time - a new tax or fee somewhere.

    it's kind of the opposite of how w has finances his war, and the "economic stimulus" and other stuff.  

    by jlms qkw on Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 03:09:39 PM PDT

    •  Thank you

      Fiscal responsibility, huh?  

      by SheLawyer on Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 06:27:25 PM PDT

  •  Program must be funded with money, not debt.

    Unlike Occupation.

    by emmasnacker on Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 03:10:27 PM PDT