Friday, November 6, 2009

Unsurprising But Correct Political Outcome Of the Week

The Coburn Amendment to strip Political Science of National Science Foundation funding died a quick and well-deserved death.  One could argue that the government should not fund research or maybe social science, but to pick out Political Science was, as I argued earlier, ignorance personified. [For other Saideman spews against Coburn, put Coburn into the search box at the top of the screen--I have about 4 or 5 rants of varying size].

I am looking forward to seeing a Political Scientist publishing a paper on the determinants of this vote--36 Senators voted for this amendment, 62 against.

Here is the list of Senators and their votes:

Grouped By Vote Position
YEAs ---36
Barrasso (R-WY)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Bennett (R-UT)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Corker (R-TN)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Kyl (R-AZ)
LeMieux (R-FL)
Lugar (R-IN)
McCain (R-AZ)
McCaskill (D-MO)
McConnell (R-KY)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Nelson (D-NE)
Risch (R-ID)
Roberts (R-KS)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Webb (D-VA)
Wicker (R-MS)
NAYs ---62
Akaka (D-HI)
Alexander (R-TN)
Begich (D-AK)
Bennet (D-CO)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Bond (R-MO)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Burr (R-NC)
Burris (D-IL)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Cochran (R-MS)
Collins (R-ME)

Conrad (D-ND)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Dodd (D-CT)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Franken (D-MN)
Gillibrand (D-NY)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagan (D-NC)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Johanns (R-NE)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kaufman (D-DE)
Kerry (D-MA)
Kirk (D-MA)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Kohl (D-WI)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (ID-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Merkley (D-OR)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schumer (D-NY)
Shaheen (D-NH)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (D-PA)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Tester (D-MT)
Udall (D-CO)
Udall (D-NM)
Warner (D-VA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)



A few surprises: Webb of Virginia?  Sure, he is a relatively conservative Democrat, but the NSF is in Arlington, and there are heaps of good universities in the state with strong political science departments.  Guess I have to vote against him in the next primary.  Despite frequent references to a possible national candidacy, Bayh of Indiana is now clearly a force for ignorance.  Interesting that the Republican for Nebraska was against the amendment but the Democrat was for.  Each playing to beyond their base?


[UPDATE]:  That didn't take long--quick analysis of the vote.






1 comment:

Steve Greene said...

Bayh is a shining example of America as an idiocracy instead of a meritocracy. The fact that that man is in the Senate says as much about our national lameness as does Coburn. He would never be there if his father had not been a famous Indiana politician.