The Not For You Caucus

One thing about blogging is that you kind of have to do research to make sure you have some idea of what you're talking about. This is what explains all the time I've spent looking up Kelly Brook pictures on the internet; if I am going to make the claim that she is "the hottest woman on the planet", I kind of have to research it to make sure. (Was it confirmed? Not yet... more research is required.)

Anyway, some research I did yesterday indicated that while the House of Representatives always has a plethora of official caucuses (i.e. Congressional Black Caucus, Progressive Caucus, Tea Party Caucus, Liberty Caucus, etc.), the Senate actually only has one official caucus - the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control which was established by law in 1985.

That, arguably, ruined my clever idea for this post about the new caucuses established in light of a vote that took place on an amendment offered by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC). The (official) purpose of his amendment was:

To express the sense of the Senate that the Senate should pass a joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution that limits the number of terms a Member of Congress may serve.

It failed. Miserably. It was voted down 75-24.

More interesting was the breakdown of who voted for it.

The most prominent group could be clumsily referred to as the Voters Will Not Remember This in 10 Years, Right? Caucus. These are the Senators who just won their seats in 2010. They are:

Kelly Ayotte (R-NH)
Roy Blunt (R-MO)
John Boozman (R-AR)
Scott Brown (R-MA)
Dean Heller (R-NV)
Ron Johnson (R-WI)
Mike Lee (R-UT)
Joe Manchin ("D"-WV)
Jerry Moran (R-KS)
Rand Paul (R-KY)
Rob Portman (R-OH)
Marco Rubio (R-FL)
Pat Toomey (R-PA)

So, of the 24 votes YAY votes, 13 were cast by essentially brand new members. This group clearly felt safe voting this way because they will not be proven to be hypocrites for a full 10 years (assuming a term limit of 2 terms). Most are counting on no one remembering this vote in 10 years when I would be willing to bet several of them will be seeking a third term. Of course, at least one of these won't have to worry about that. I'm looking at you, Scott Brown!

The second group is a grab bag of Republicans currently serving their second terms. I think all of which are popular in their home states and could easily seek third terms. Will they? We'll see. Will they be hypocrites if they do? I say yes, absolutely. Will they find a way to justify their actions? Well, they will make the argument and I suspect their constituents will believe them - because they want to believe them. Anyways, this group (which I will not snarkily name) is:

Tom Coburn (R-OK)
Jim DeMint (R-SC)
Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
John Thune (R-SD)
David Vitter (R-LA) -- it's "The Hooker Guy"!

Watch these guys in the future. Graham's second term ends in 2014. Coburn, DeMint, Thune and Vitter all see their second term end in 2016. (It should be said that Tom Coburn has already indicated that he will not seek a third term. I will take him at his word.)

The most appalling new "Caucus" I have dubbed The Not For You Caucus. It is named in honor of the great contemporary life coach, Edward Vedder, who wrote:

If you hate something, do you do it too

This caucus of hypocrites consists of:

Jeff Sessions (R-AL) -- has been in the Senate since 1997.
Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) -- has been in the Senate since 1993.
Chuck Grassley (R-IA) -- has been in the Senate since 1981.
Orrin Hatch (R-UT) -- has been in the Senate since 1977!

Wow! Grassley and Hatch in particular have some cajones saying they are in favor of term limits! In fact, Orrin Hatch has been in the Senate longer than Kelly Brook has been alive! In case you've forgotten, this is what Kelly Brook looks like:



Sorry, I have to end this post. I have important research to do.