Meat.

Lady Gaga — is she any good? — planted herself in Maine to agitate Senators Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe to vote to advance the ending of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” into the Defense Authorization Bill.  The two, long voicers of support for this policy objective, hatched onto procedual grounds in crossing Lady Gaga.  Too late in coming in on behalf of Sound Procedure — the telling vote count was 57 to 42, (Reid later shifted to make it 56 to 43 to bring back up again as needed).  Last I checked, this was a majority.  And it has become the not checked assumption — 60 — the procedural evolution which Obama never challenged, to his fault.

Unless about Snowe and Collins votes serve as a tug, their vote did not matter anyway.  Blanche Lincoln voted no.  Weirdly, as she is politically a dead woman walking — it may figure that it is politically wise of her in Arkansas, but down 2 to 1 in the polls, who cares?  (But maybe she stands in that cultural conservatism herself).

What I have to wonder about with teh two Maine Senators, I guess Snowe moreso than Collins, is the value of a Senate seat in the first place.  Say the reports of her lamentations are true about that which happened in Delaware.  Say she also wants to continue public service on behalf of the Great State of Maine.  There looks to be a reasonably safe landing in the Maine governor’s seat.  If the fire-crackers to her right are chomping at her still there, she would in be in a good position to short-circuit them and run as an Independent.

Observation… one answer to this question — Should Democrats be about Tea Party votes?  — was, I think, answered by the absence of Rand Paul in the 3 person image of O’Donnell, Angle, and Miller — even though if that article were published months ago, he would be on the list. 
Also see the double digit lead by former Bush Budget Director in the Senate race in Ohio.  To focus on Republican Extremists is to lose sight of Regular Republicans… even let them flow right on through without comment.

Did you hear about the Tea Party being exported to Great Britain?

Looking about the blogosphere, I see we have entered that political season where everyone is latching onto polls on a selective basis.  Naturally the Republicans love Rasmussen.  Democrats jump over to various odd polls showing a tie in the New Hampshire or Missouri Senate race, which compels immediate Republican commenter debunking and questioning of the poll methodology — which they would not show to similar polling outlier results with West Virginia… Wisconsin… etc.  It’s a weird dynamic.

Celebrity Political Activism continues apace in twitter form.

“@senjohnmccain the language in defense bill says it will not enforce DADT repeal until pentagon review + president signs. Why block debate?” tweeted Gaga.

So far, McCain hasn’t responded.

Probably more people reading John McCain’s twitter from reports of non-response to Lady Gaga than to see, oh:
Cards @ Atlanta – #GoCards!! 2:04 PM Sep 19th via Twitter for iPhone
Just once I’d like to see a politician openly rooting for the non-home team.

 

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