Debate is now finished, the Senate is starting a projected 9 straight hours of voting on GOP Amendments into the night. I'll try to chronicle the votes in the diary as long as this is the current shuttle pod.
Previous diaries:
Mothership II by NDakotaDem - REC the mothership, not my diary
Shuttlepod #1 by kirbybruno
Shuttlepod #2 by papicek
Also, please don't post pictures and videos directly in your comments. They eat bandwidth.
You can watch online at CSPAN 2: http://www.cspan.org/...
Each amendment will get 1 minute of debate on each side.
Note: The Senate site says that roll call votes are posted approx. an hour after the vote, but I'll try to update as they're posted.
Amendment #1: Gregg Amendment "To prevent Medicare from being used for new entitlements and to use Medicare savings to save Medicare."
This vote is to table the amendment, so we want the motion to pass.
Results: Aye 56, Nay 42.
Roll Call Vote - Nelson (NE) and Webb voted against tabling. Byrd and Isakson were the absent voters.
Reid re-iterates that votes should only last for 10 minutes.
Amendment #2: McCain Amendment "To eliminate the sweetheart deals for Tennessee, Hawaii, Louisiana, Montana, Connecticut, and frontier States." Again the vote is to table.
Results: Aye 54, Nays 43, and the amendment is tabled
Roll Call Vote - Bayh, Lincoln, and Nelson (NE) voted against. Begich was the additional NV.
Amendment #3: Crapo motion to Commit with instructions to remove any taxes for those making less than $250,000. Vote is to table.
Results: Ayes: 56, Nays 43. Motion to table agreed to.
Roll Call Vote - Cantwell, Lincoln, and Nelson (NE) were the nays on this one
Amendment #4: Enzi Motion to Commit with instructions to remove the employer mandate. Vote, once again, is to table the motion.
Result: Aye: 58, Nay: 41. Motion is tabled.
Roll Call Vote - Lincoln was the only crossover this time.
Amendment #5: Barrasso Amendment "To ensure that Americans can keep the coverage they have by keeping premiums affordable."
Result: Ayes: 57, Nays: 41. Motion is tabled.
Roll Call Vote - Bayh was the only switch. Kaufman was the additional NV>
Amendment #6: Grassley Amendment "To make sure the President, Cabinet Members, all White House Senior staff and Congressional Committee and Leadership Staff are purchasing health insurance through the health insurance exchanges established by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act."
Some additional action on this one. Baucus made a point of order that this amendment violates some rule or law, Grassley wants a vote to waive that rule, so in this vote, Democrats should vote no if I understand correctly. (I believe Baucus invoked the Byrd rule)
Result: Ayes: 43, Nays: 56, motion to waive the rule is rejected.
Roll Call Vote - Bayh, Lincoln, and Nelson (NE) are once again the offending Democrats.
Amendment #7: Alexander Motion to Commit with instructions to lower the interest rate charged to students for student loans. And we're back to the vote to table.
Result: Ayes: 58, Nays: 41. Motion is Tabled.
Roll Call Vote - Nelson (NE) once again a no.
Amendment #8: LeMieux Amendment "To enroll Members of Congress in the Medicaid program."
Once again, I believe the Byrd Rule was invoked on this amendment, so the vote is to waive the rule, which takes 60 votes to do. Dems should vote no.
Result: Ayes: 40, Nays: 59 - Hey! All the Dems voted together for once!
Roll Call Vote
Amendment #9: Hatch Motion to Commit with instructions to remove Medicare Advantage cuts from the bill. Vote is to table, so Dems back to voting Aye.
Result: Ayes: 56, Nays: 42, motion is tabled.
Roll Call Vote - Nelson and Webb were the Nays this time
Amendment #10: Coburn Amendment "To reduce the cost of providing federally funded prescription drugs by eliminating fraudulent payments and prohibiting coverage of Viagra for child molesters and rapists and for drugs intended to induce abortion."
Here it is...the amendment to prevent pedio-files from getting Viagra!
Result: Ayes: 57, Nays: 42. The Amendment is tabled.
Roll Call Vote - Bayh and Nelson (NE) once again the offenders.
Amendment #11: Hutchison Amendment "To protect the right of States to opt out of a Federal health care takeover."
Result: Ayes: 58, Nays: 41. The Amendment is tabled.
Roll Call Vote - Nelson, again, is the only offender
Amendment #12: Collins Amendment "To improve the bill by waiving the $40,000 penalty on hiring previously unemployed individuals."
Yup. Nelson (NE) is a no again.
Result: Ayes: 58, Nays: 41. The Amendment is tabled.
Amendment #13: Thune Amendment To require the Secretary of Education to certify that no state shall have a net job loss due to the new student loan program. Vote is to table.
Bayh and Nelson (NE) are once again offenders.Someone else too, but I missed who (best guess is Lincoln)
Result: Ayes: 55, Nays: 43. The Amendment is tabled.
Amendment #14: Thune Amendment To strike the Class Act from the reconciliation bill. Amendment is being subject to the Byrd rule, so vote is to waive the rule, which means Dems should vote no.
Bayh and Nelson (NE) are offenders once again. Lieberman is also an offender for the first time on this one.
Result: Ayes: 43, Nays: 55 - Motion to suspend the rule fails.
Amendment #15: Cornyn Motion to Commit with instructions to remove tax on investment and savings. Vote is to table.
And the new shuttlepod is here: http://www.dailykos.com/...