Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveZ
They can do exactly what they are supposed to do: Be there, listen to all of the dialogue, review documents, evaluate proposals, discuss the matter with other senators, in short BE THERE.
Being a senator is not a telecommuting job. There's a lot of action in the various rooms to include side-bar discussions with others and following opinion from home. If only the committee members needed to be there, there would be no need to have a vote involving ALL of the Senate.
If they can telecommute, then we can tear down the entire Senate office building and sell the land. There is a reason they have votes on the floor, and why all of the Senate is housed in one office building. These two guys are not superstars who don't have to follow what the rest of the Senate does. They both are in the lead for most-votes-missed, and that's not what they took an oath to do.
If you went looking for another job and had to go through a series of "interviews" around the country, would your current boss continue to pay you in spite of being always absent? Being a Senator is no different, and if there is a difference, please let me know, because that would give me reasaon to run for the job myself. I can be absent from work and collect my pay just as good as they can.....
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Yada yada yada! More sanctimonious nonsense from the usual suspects.
It's purely a political stunt on McCain's behalf. Besides, last week the "fundamentals" of the economy were sound so suddenly its a crisis?
In addition, McCain was asked on Tuesday if he approved of the Bush/Paulson plan. He answered that he hadn't yet read it. Gee, it was a full 2 1/2 pages??
Perhaps it was sent to him as an e mail and he didn't know how to open it?? "Review documents", that's laughable on it's face with McCain!
McCain hasn't voted in the senate since April 8. So where was the hue and cry about his absence since then?
It's expected that when you are the presidential candidate for either party, you will be on the campaign trail full time. In the event bills come up and your vote is going to be important you can get back to DC in a heartbeat. The senators have plenty of people on their staffs to instantly relay any pertinent information to the senators at any time night or day, even at 3AM.
It's 2008, not 1968, physical presence in a location doesn't mean you aren't working. Everything mentioned in Steveo's first paragraph can be done from any Kinko's in the world. Bush spends every August in Texas and it's never been an issue since he remained connected to DC via numerous means.
It's 2008, not 1968, the lack of physical presence in a specific location doesn't mean your aren't working or are disengaged. But then again McCain could easily be an exception.
Dust off your abacus so you are ready for work tomorrow.