McCain actually garnered more votes than usual, picking up four Democrats, but losing ten Republicans on his amendment.
You read that right. Ten GOP Senators voted against McCain.
Truth be told, if this were a couple of years ago, McCain would not have come close to getting 32 votes, but right now, there is a bit more interest in the news media about pork barrel spending.
For example, on July 19, 2006, McCain tried to amend a water resources bill in an effort to reign in budget earmarks for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The arguments were much the same, but the vote was typical of what McCain has endured through the years, as he lost that fight on a vote of 80-19.
Remember when McCain ran for President? I told lots of stories about how his own party hated him more than the Democrats.
Why? Because he went after their earmarks.
Now, who were the four Democrats who voted to get rid of the earmarks in the Omnibus budget bill?
Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana, Sen. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington State and Sen. Clare McCaskill of Missouri.
As for the ten Republicans who voted with Democratic leaders and against McCain? I will list their names, followed by the amount of money in this bill in earmarks that they requested for their home state, either on their own, or with other lawmakers. (The data is courtesy the group Taxpayers for Common Sense.)
* Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee - 36 earmarks for $31 million
* Sen. Kit Bond of Missouri - 86 earmarks for $248 million
* Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi - 204 earmarks for $470 million
* Sen. Susan Collins of Maine - 45 earmarks for $28 million
* Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas - 60 earmarks for $46 million
* Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska - 93 earmarks for $181 million
* Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama - 125 earmarks for $219 million
* Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine - 42 earmarks for $26 million
* Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania - 265 earmarks for $126 million
* Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi - 143 earmarks for $390 million
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