Update on David Hamilton Vote

Update: David F. Hamilton Confirmed to Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals

Before posting the results for the Hamilton confirmation, let's attempt to understand how this judge was confirmed by the senate with only a simple majority. Only yesterday we discovered that once the cloture motion successfully passed with full majority support, only a simple majority was then needed for confirmation. Slick, huh? See, a handful of senators were able to vote for cloture, under the guise that it would be a principled vote to end debate, and then change their vote on confirmation. These turncoats come out smelling like a rose, since the only vote most people will pay attention to over time is the actual confirmation vote. Sort of like vote laundering. You know, "voted for it before I voted against it."

While not many people understand all of the complexites involved in the legislative process, our representatives know exactly what they are doing – or at least they should. Without these 10 Republican senators voting for the cloture motion, David Hamilton would never have been confirmed. Consider that when viewing the final Hamilton confirmation vote. 

Final Confirmation Vote Results: 59-39 (56 Democrats, 1 Republican, 2 Independants)

Confirmation vote results are the same as the cloture motion vote with the following changes:

10 Republican senators that voted against their party in favor of cloture, but later voted in vain against confirmation: Susan Collins, Saxby Chambliss, John Cornyn, Judd Gregg, Orrin Hatch, Lisa Murkowski, Olympia Snowe, John Thune. Kay Hutchison was absent on cloture vote, but voted against confirmation.

2 Democrats voted in favor of cloture then absent on confirmation vote: Max Baucus, Robert Byrd.

Note: Richard Lugar (R-IN) was the sole Republican voting for the confirmation of Judge David H. Hamilton.

10 Republican Senators Vote To Advance David Hamilton Nomination 

 

It looks like the filibuster hold that has successfully delayed a confirmation vote for the anti-Jesus, pro-abortion judicial appointment of David H. Hamilton of Indiana will now come to an end, and a confirmation vote will soon follow. As covered in our previous article, Judge David Hamilton would carry controversial baggage with him to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals should his confirmation vote pass. What is highly disconcerting about this vote that occurred today is that the extremist ideologies Hamilton has expressed from the bench in the past, as well as prior associations, would not bode well with the majority of American people and certainly not with conservative Republicans. It is important that Americans understand the seriousness of each judicial appointment and hold their representatives accountable for the vetting and ultimately the confirmation of those worthy and unworthy to a lifetime bench appointment.

With Cap and Trade, Healthcare, Afghanistan, Gitmo, Japanese bowing etiquette, and so many other important issues overwhelming the media, it is no wonder little time has been devoted to Judge Hamilton's confirmation. Perhaps these senators don't think the American people will even notice that on this day 70 Senators chose to advance the nomination of a judge who once used his judicial powers to rule that it was not okay to mention Jesus Christ in prayer in the Indiana House of Representatives but was okay to use the name of Allah. While that decision was overturned by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, ironically, that is the very court for which Hamilton could now sit.

If the American majority were informed of all of the controversy surrounding this judge, it is unlikely they would have voted today for a motion to invoke cloture much less for confirmation. So why did their representatives? Seven of the ten Republicans voting in favor of this motion will not face reelection until 2012. Gregg, Murkowski, and Thune are the only three who will face reelection in 2010. Chambliss's office has assured us that while he voted for the cloture motion, he would not vote for confirmation. Are other senators thinking along the same lines, intending to vote against confirmation, or could it be they assume their constituents will not remember? Perhaps that is how it has been in the past, but isn't it high time we prove them wrong?

Who Voted How on Motion to Invoke Cloture on David Hamilton Nomination

(A Nay Vote by Republicans Would Have Continued to Delay Hamilton's Confirmation.)

Nay WY Barrasso, John [R]

Nay UT Bennett, Robert [R]

Nay MO Bond, Christopher [R]

Nay KS Brownback, Samuel [R]

Nay KY Bunning, Jim [R]

Nay NC Burr, Richard [R]

Nay OK Coburn, Thomas [R]

Nay MS Cochran, Thad [R]

Nay TN Corker, Bob [R]

Nay ID Crapo, Michael [R]

Nay SC DeMint, Jim [R]

Nay NV Ensign, John [R]

Nay WY Enzi, Michael [R]

Nay SC Graham, Lindsey [R]

Nay IA Grassley, Charles [R]

Nay OK Inhofe, James [R]

Nay GA Isakson, John [R]

Nay NE Johanns, Mike [R]

Nay AZ Kyl, Jon [R]

Nay FL LeMieux, George [R]

Nay AZ McCain, John [R]

Nay KY McConnell, Mitch [R]

Nay ID Risch, James [R]

Nay KS Roberts, Pat [R]

Nay AL Sessions, Jefferson [R]

Nay AL Shelby, Richard [R]

Nay LA Vitter, David [R]

Nay OH Voinovich, George [R]

Nay MS Wicker, Roger [R]

 

(A Yea Vote by Democrats, Independents, and 10 Republicans Ended the Filibuster Hold and Will Allow a Full Vote.)

 

(10 Republicans Who Voted Against Their Party:  Lamar Alexander (TN), Saxby Chambliss – 2012 (R), Susan Collins – 2012 (R), John Cornyn – 2012 (TX), Judd Gregg – 2010 (NH), Orrin Hatch – 2012 (UT), Richard Lugar – 2012 (IN), Lisa Murkowski – 2010 (AK), Olympia Snowe – 2012 (ME), John Thune – 2010 (SD))

 

Yea HI Akaka, Daniel [D]

Yea TN Alexander, Lamar [R]

Yea MT Baucus, Max [D]

Yea IN Bayh, Evan [D]

Yea AK Begich, Mark [D]

Yea CO Bennet, Michael [D]

Yea NM Bingaman, Jeff [D]

Yea CA Boxer, Barbara [D]

Yea OH Brown, Sherrod [D]

Yea IL Burris, Roland [D]

Yea WV Byrd, Robert [D]

Yea WA Cantwell, Maria [D]

Yea MD Cardin, Benjamin [D]

Yea DE Carper, Thomas [D]

Yea PA Casey, Robert [D]

Yea GA Chambliss, Saxby [R]

Yea ME Collins, Susan [R]

Yea ND Conrad, Kent [D]

Yea TX Cornyn, John [R]

Yea CT Dodd, Christopher [D]

Yea ND Dorgan, Byron [D]

Yea IL Durbin, Richard [D]

Yea WI Feingold, Russell [D]

Yea CA Feinstein, Dianne [D]

Yea MN Franken, Al [D]

Yea NY Gillibrand, Kirsten [D]

Yea NH Gregg, Judd [R]

Yea NC Hagan, Kay [D]

Yea IA Harkin, Thomas [D]

Yea UT Hatch, Orrin [R]

Yea HI Inouye, Daniel [D]

Yea SD Johnson, Tim [D]

Yea DE Kaufman, Edward [D]

Yea MA Kerry, John [D]

Yea MA Kirk, Paul [D]

Yea MN Klobuchar, Amy [D]

Yea WI Kohl, Herbert [D]

Yea LA Landrieu, Mary [D]

Yea NJ Lautenberg, Frank [D]

Yea VT Leahy, Patrick [D]

Yea MI Levin, Carl [D]

Yea CT Lieberman, Joseph [I]

Yea AR Lincoln, Blanche [D]

Yea IN Lugar, Richard [R]

Yea MO McCaskill, Claire [D]

Yea NJ Menendez, Robert [D]

Yea OR Merkley, Jeff [D]

Yea MD Mikulski, Barbara [D]

Yea AK Murkowski, Lisa [R]

Yea WA Murray, Patty [D]

Yea NE Nelson, Ben [D]

Yea FL Nelson, Bill [D]

Yea AR Pryor, Mark [D]

Yea RI Reed, John [D]

Yea NV Reid, Harry [D]

Yea WV Rockefeller, John [D]

Yea VT Sanders, Bernard [I]

Yea NY Schumer, Charles [D]

Yea NH Shaheen, Jeanne [D]

Yea ME Snowe, Olympia [R]

Yea PA Specter, Arlen [D]

Yea MI Stabenow, Debbie Ann [D]

Yea MT Tester, Jon [D]

Yea SD Thune, John [R]

Yea CO Udall, Mark [D]

Yea NM Udall, Tom [D]

Yea VA Warner, Mark [D]

Yea VA Webb, Jim [D]

Yea RI Whitehouse, Sheldon [D]

Yea OR Wyden, Ron [D]

Not Voting TX Hutchison, Kay [R]