| SPECIAL PNTR UPDATE: FILIBUSTER CRUSHED ON SENATE FLOOR We now have an idea how tough the battle is in the Senate. Senators voted to invoke cloture, i.e. limit debate and ensure an up or down vote on passage, on Permanent Normal Trade Relations with Communist China yesterday by a vote of 85-12. Then they went home. They�ll take it up again in the fall. While the measure may pass, amendments are still possible: the two Senators cosponsoring the most contentious amendment to date, Fred Thompson (R �Tennessee) and Robert Torricelli (D � New Jersey), voted for cloture. Senator Jesse Helms (R � North Carolin) had earlier pledge many amendments. �We are going to have votes � perhaps uncomfortable votes � on a range of issues related to China,� said Helms. �In the end, China's tyrants may or may not get the package Mr. Clinton has prepared for them.� On the Democratic side, Paul Wellstone of Minnesota is also preparing �a dozen� amendment. Both voted for against cloture yesterday. Seven of the 12 who voted �no� on cloture were Republicans; five were Democrats. The list of how the Senate voted follows, with party and state initials after every name: VOTING AGAINST CLOTURE: Bunning (R-KY), Byrd (D-WV), Campbell (R-CO), Helms (R-NC), Hollings (D-SC), Inhofe (R-OK), Mikulski (D-MD), Sarbanes (D-MD), Smith (R-NH), Specter (R-PA), Thurmond (R-SC), Wellstone (D-MN) VOTING FOR CLOTURE: Abraham (R-MI), Akaka (D-HI), Allard (R-CO), Ashcroft (R-MO), Baucus (D-MT), Bayh (D-IN), Bennett (R-UT), Biden (D-DE), Bingaman (D-NM), Bond (R-MO), Boxer (D-CA), Breaux (D-LA), Brownback (R-KS), Bryan (D-NV), Burns (R-MT), Chafee (R-RI), Cleland (D-GA), Cochrane (R-MS), Collins (R-ME), Conrad (D-ND), Craig (R-ID), Crapo (R-ID), Daschle (D-SD), DeWine (R-OH), Dodd (D-CT), Dorgan (D-ND) Durbin (D-IL), Edwards (D-NC), Enzi (R-WY), Feingold (D-WI), Feinstein (D-CA), Fitzgerald (R-IL), Gorton (R-WA), Graham (D-FL), Grams (R-MN), Gramm (R-TX), Grassley (R-IA), Gregg (R-NH), Hagel (R-NE), Harkin (D-IA), Hatch (R-UT), Hutchinson (R-TX), Hutchison (R-AR), Inouye (D-HI), Jeffords (R-VT), Johnson (D-SD), Kennedy (D-MA), Kerrey (D-NE), Kerry (D-MA), Kohl (D-WI), Kyl (R-AZ), Landrieu (D-LA), Lautenberg (D-NJ), Leahy (D-VT), Levin (D-MI), Lieberman (D-CT), Lincoln (D-AR), Lott (R-MS), Lugar (R-IN), Mack (R-FL), McCain (R-AZ), McConnell (R-KY), Moynihan (D-NY), Murkowski (R-AK), Murray (D-WA), Nickles (R-OK), Reed (D-RI), Reid (D-NV), Robb (D-VA), Roberts (R-KS), Rockefeller (D-WV), Roth (R-DE), Santorum (R-PA), Schumer (D-NY), Sessions (R-AL), Shelby (R-AL), Smith (R-OR), Snowe (R-ME), Stevens (R-AK), Thomas (R-WY), Thompson (R-TN), Torricelli (D-NJ), Voinovich (R-OH), Warner (R-VA), Wyden (D-OR) NOT VOTING: Domenici (R-NM), Frist (R-TN), Miller (D-GA) Feel free to forward this to anyone you think might be interested in receiving this. Anyone who wishes to join can send his/her name and e-mail address to [email protected]. |