Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked a measure intended to overturn a Supreme Court decision limiting pay discrimination suits in a politically charged vote certain to be replayed in the presidential and Congressional campaigns.
The Republicans were worried that the measure's language to ease lawsuit-restricting time limits might result in some companies actually being held responsible for their discriminatory practices.
Can't have that, can we??
The bill is H.R. 2831, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2007; today's Senate vote was a procedural vote to invoke cloture, or to limit debate, on the bill. 56 Senators voted in favor, but 60 votes are needed to pass a cloture motion.
As would be expected by anyone familiar with their voting records, Arizona's own Jon Kyl (R-Big Pharma) voted against cloture, and John McCain (R-Cindy. What State Are We In Today?) missed the vote, though he did say that he would have opposed H.R. 2831 if he could be bothered to show up to work.
I supposed I could criticize them for failing to represent the interests of Arizona's working women, but since it's been years since they actually represented the interests of Arizona, none of today's proceedings were unexpected.
It should be noted that McCain's Democratic counterparts in the race for the White House, Senators Clinton and Obama, somehow found ways to take time out of their very active campaign schedules to show up and vote while the unopposed McCain declined to do so.
The New Republic's take on today's vote here.
An ACLU press release on the vote here.
Later!
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