By now, everyone knows about the US Senate vote on Friday that stripped anti-Obamacare provisions from a bill to keep the federal government operating in the absence of a full budget (aka - "continuing resolution", or "CR").
The bill now goes back to the US House, where the Republicans have issued a laundry list of demands as their price for passing a CR.
Prediction: Government shutdown, with GOPers/tea party types dancing in the streets as national parks close and military veterans and service members go without benefits and pay. However, I digress...
It was a bit of news here in AZ when news broke that AZ's junior senator, Republican Jeff Flake would miss the vote in order to attend the wedding of one of his sons (not the budding bigot, another one).
While there are some who have criticized Flake for choosing to attend a significant family event (interestingly, most of the criticisms have come from the right), I don't have problem with it -
His vote would not have made a difference in the outcome, and the wedding of one of his children is truly significant. Most people would take time away from their jobs for such an occasion; it would be hypocritical to expect different from him.
Of course, if he had been in DC and voted, as he stated that he would have if he had been present in DC, to deny health insurance to millions of Americans, that would have been worthy of criticism.
Serious criticism.
However, this post is about some needling (minor criticism) over some sloppiness.
While he was enjoying is son's nuptials in Mesa, he sent out an email (OK, it was probably sent by one of his staffers, but it was over Flake's name, so that makes it Flake's).
From the email -
"Update From Washington" during a week where the biggest Flake news is that he *isn't* in Washington?
Somebody isn't paying attention or is just completely tone deaf..
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