Financial Reform Report Card

What Side is Your Senator On?
By DAVID DeGRAW

The financial reform process is providing definitive proof as to what the true priorities are for each Senator. The two most important amendments thus far have been the Brown-Kaufman (Democrat) amendment to break up the big banks (Voted down 61-33), and the Vitter (Republican) amendment to audit the Federal Reserve (Voted down 62-37). The Sanders amendment to "audit" the Federal Reserve was a positive step, but a very weak measure, hence its unanimous (96-0) passing.

The results thus far reveal that 10 Senators have emerged as American heroes, voting in favor of the American people and against the banks on both measures. Here are the Senators who deserve our support:

For the People (10)

Cantwell (D-WA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Ensign (R-NV)
Feingold (D-WI)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Sanders (I-VT)
Shelby (R-AL)
Webb (D-VA)
Wyden (D-OR)

On the other side, 37 Senators have revealed themselves as puppets of the Financial Oligarchy. These Senators are paid-off shysters who should be protested against and voted out of office!

For the Banks (37)

Akaka (D-HI)
Alexander (R-TN)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Bennet (D-CO)
Bond (R-MO)
Brown (R-MA)
Carper (D-DE)
Conrad (D-ND)
Corker (R-TN)
Dodd (D-CT)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Gillibrand (D-NY)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagan (D-NC)
Inouye (D-HI)
Johanns (R-NE)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kerry (D-MA)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Kohl (D-WI)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Lieberman (ID-CT)
McCaskill (D-MO)
McConnell (R-KY)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Reed (D-RI)
Schumer (D-NY)
Shaheen (D-NH)
Tester (D-MT)
Udall (D-CO)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (D-VA)

The final group, which is the majority, represents partisan hacks who just followed the lead of their party and voted positively only on their party's amendment. We're not ready to dismiss all of these Senators, some of them could end up being swing votes down the line, but for the most part, they will just blindly follow their party leadership, which is rarely good when you have a corrupted system where both parties are run by bought off leaders.

Party First (53)

Barrasso (R-WY)
Begich (D-AK)
Bennett (R-UT) *
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY) *
Burr (R-NC)
Burris (D-IL)
Byrd (D-WV) **
Cardin (D-MD)
Casey (D-PA)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Cochran (R-MS)
Collins (R-ME)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC) *
Durbin (D-IL)
Enzi (R-WY)
Franken (D-MN)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Harkin (D-IA)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Kaufman (D-DE)
Leahy (D-VT)
LeMieux (R-FL)
Levin (D-MI)
Lugar (R-IN) *
McCain (R-AZ)
Merkley (D-OR)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Murray (D-WA)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reid (D-NV)
Risch (R-ID)
Roberts (R-KS)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Sessions (R-AL)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (D-PA)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Thune (R-SD)
Udall (D-NM)
Vitter (R-LA) *
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wicker (R-MS)

* did not vote on one amendment. Senator Byrd (D-WV) missed both votes.