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Comments (19)
Damn. Maybe I should run fo... (Below threshold)1. Posted by Sharp as a Marble | September 14, 2004 7:33 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Damn. Maybe I should run for Senator. I can show up to pick up checks, I know I'm at least qualified for that.
1. Posted by Sharp as a Marble | September 14, 2004 7:33 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 14, 2004 07:33
2. Posted by Johnny Walker Red | September 14, 2004 8:27 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Dude - don't you realize that Teresa has direct deposit? He only shows up for casual Fridays.
2. Posted by Johnny Walker Red | September 14, 2004 8:27 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 14, 2004 08:27
3. Posted by Jay Solo | September 14, 2004 8:28 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Viking Pundit keeps track of the missed votes/work by our wonderful senator.
3. Posted by Jay Solo | September 14, 2004 8:28 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 14, 2004 08:28
4. Posted by Chuck | September 14, 2004 9:31 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
OMG! Does this mean that Kerry has been AWOL during the war on terror?
4. Posted by Chuck | September 14, 2004 9:31 AM |
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Posted on September 14, 2004 09:31
5. Posted by Johnny Walker Red | September 14, 2004 9:49 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Hah! Good line Chuck.
5. Posted by Johnny Walker Red | September 14, 2004 9:49 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 14, 2004 09:49
6. Posted by R.G. | September 14, 2004 10:10 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
And so every day Bush is not sitting in the White House, he is not doing his job?
Let's stick with actual issues!
6. Posted by R.G. | September 14, 2004 10:10 AM |
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Posted on September 14, 2004 10:10
7. Posted by Laurence Simon | September 14, 2004 10:19 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Isn't the Senate normally in session from Tuesday to Thursday?
This means he'd be in less frequently than a regular pay cycle... and he's unlikely to primp and pontificate before the empty chambers on CSPAN-2 when he's got skiing, biking, and windsurfing to catch up on.
7. Posted by Laurence Simon | September 14, 2004 10:19 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 14, 2004 10:19
8. Posted by jimf | September 14, 2004 10:32 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
I have no great respect for JK...but what is the senatorial average for missed roll calls?
8. Posted by jimf | September 14, 2004 10:32 AM |
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Posted on September 14, 2004 10:32
9. Posted by likwidshoe | September 14, 2004 10:56 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
R.G. wrote, "And so every day Bush is not sitting in the White House, he is not doing his job?
Let's stick with actual issues!"
John Kerry doesn't even show up to vote on the issues before the Senate. Pay attention to the issue.
9. Posted by likwidshoe | September 14, 2004 10:56 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 14, 2004 10:56
10. Posted by Pete | September 14, 2004 11:12 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
That's fine if someone wants to run for President who also happens to be in Congress. However, I think it's only fair to his constituents if he resigns his position first. They are the real losers in all this, as they aren't being represented.
10. Posted by Pete | September 14, 2004 11:12 AM |
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Posted on September 14, 2004 11:12
11. Posted by McGehee | September 14, 2004 2:01 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Kerry's constituents haven't been getting the representation they pay for since Kerry got elected the first time in '84. He's just been even more AWOL than usual since starting his presidential campaign.
11. Posted by McGehee | September 14, 2004 2:01 PM |
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Posted on September 14, 2004 14:01
12. Posted by Sergeant America | September 14, 2004 2:19 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
I imagine he has Direct Deposit; if not the Federal version?
The bastard doesn't have to "show up;" at all...
12. Posted by Sergeant America | September 14, 2004 2:19 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 14, 2004 14:19
13. Posted by Jim Kouri | September 14, 2004 4:11 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
And Kerry while serving on the Senate Intelligence Committee missed 76% of their meeting even after 9-11.
13. Posted by Jim Kouri | September 14, 2004 4:11 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 14, 2004 16:11
14. Posted by SkeptiK | September 14, 2004 5:45 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Is there a citation where those numbers can be verified?
As you well know, 67.4% of all statistics are fabricated.
14. Posted by SkeptiK | September 14, 2004 5:45 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 14, 2004 17:45
15. Posted by Chris James | September 14, 2004 6:41 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
As I recall, The Senate rules state that it's pro-rated to account for time missed.
OK, some googling shows that I am wrong; it's a Federal law, not a Senate rule.
2 USC § 39
"The Secretary of the Senate and the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives (upon certification by the Clerk of the House of Representatives), respectively, shall deduct from the monthly payments (or other periodic payments authorized by law) of each Member or Delegate the amount of his salary for each day that he has been absent from the Senate or House, respectively, unless such Member or Delegate assigns as the reason for such absence the sickness of himself or of some member of his family"
http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/2/39.html
If some enterprising soul could find proof that Kerry is indeed collecting full pay, we would have proof that he is ripping off the taxpayers and violating Federal law to do so.
That, if *proven* and publicized, could IMHO have a potentially negative impact on his campaign.
15. Posted by Chris James | September 14, 2004 6:41 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 14, 2004 18:41
16. Posted by SkeptiK | September 14, 2004 7:21 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
CJ - I don't think you could get congress to touch that one with the proverbial 10 foot pole. If they applied it to one member, they would have to apply it to all members.
And no one would sit still for that.
16. Posted by SkeptiK | September 14, 2004 7:21 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 14, 2004 19:21
17. Posted by Chris James | September 14, 2004 8:53 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Skeptic;
You are quite right. Also, I've done some more searching and found that my observation was far from original; Newsmax has a detailed article on it, from July!
http://tinyurl.com/54kg7
Basically, the Secretary of the Senate has siad that her predecesors did not follow the law, so neither will she.
But, that does not exonerate Kerry. He's a Senator, and also a lawyer, so he cannot claim ignorance as a defence.
Also, what we have here is a flagrant violation of Federal law, not Senate rules. Therefor, action by congress is not required. Any Federal prosecutor could do it.
If I were the Republican strategists, I'd seriously consider seeing to it that a Grand Jury was convenened to look into this, around Oct. 15th.
17. Posted by Chris James | September 14, 2004 8:53 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 14, 2004 20:53
18. Posted by SkeptiK | September 14, 2004 9:53 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
CJ - The problem is what constitutes "absent from the Senate"? Most of time senators are absent from the floor. They may be in committee meetings, meeting with constituents, or in their offices. Everybody knows that. The big question is, how many of the votes that he missed, were decided by one vote? Was he make or break on any of the votes he missed?
If the RNC goes after him for being away from the office, the DNC will go after the prez for all the time he's spent in Texas.
18. Posted by SkeptiK | September 14, 2004 9:53 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 14, 2004 21:53
19. Posted by Chris James | September 14, 2004 11:53 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Skeptic;
I respectfully disagree regarding the law; Being in Senate meetings, etc, would not IMHO constitute being absent from the Senate as specified in 2 USC § 39. An argument could probably be made if a Senator was, say, traveling on a Senate fact-finding junket.
Being phisically out of town, however, and not on Senate buisness, seems to me to be a very clear
case of being subject to 2 USC § 39.
Your point regarding the political ramifications, though, is excelent. However, I will note that Bush, when running in 2000 while Governor, did not accept his pay due to being absent, in spite of being under no obligation to do so under Texas law. Kerry, on the other hand, is collecting his full Senate pay in direct violation of the law.
19. Posted by Chris James | September 14, 2004 11:53 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 14, 2004 23:53