Wednesday, June 15, 2005
15 GOP Senators Can't Be Bothered To Co-Sponsor Lynching Apology...
You would think that a measure like this that is intended to take some small step toward righting a heinous wrong of the past would not only get a floor vote in the Senate but would also be co-sponsored by every single Senator...
You would be wrong on both counts...
Not only did the measure not come to a floor vote, thanks to the apparent refusal of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) to call for one, but it seems that a total of 15 Republican Senators did not choose to attach their names to this apology.
It doesn't necessarily mean they would've voted against the measure had a roll call vote come up, but think of what it does mean:
These 15 GOP Senators did not want to be on record apologizing for the Senate's inaction on an atrocious part of America's not-so-distant past.
I assume they fear the more radical elements of the electorates that gave them jobs in the first place. Let it never be said that GOP'ers don't stick to principle...
Here are the 15 Senators:
Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
Robert Bennett (R-UT)
Thad Cochran (R-MS)
John Cornyn (R-TX)
Michael Crapo (R-ID)
Michael Enzi (R-WY)
Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
Judd Gregg (R-NH)
Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
Trent Lott (R-MS)
Richard Shelby (R-AL)
John Sununu (R-NH)
Craig Thomas (R-WY)
(Big thanks to John at AmericaBlog for keeping up with this story...)
UPDATE: George Voinovich and Lisa Murkowski have signed on to the legislation, bringing the total of non-co-sponsors down to 13...
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