McCain Most Absent Senator, Misses Majority Of Votes

Republican presidential hopeful John McCain hasn't voted in the Senate since April 8.

That's when McCain and presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama joined 90 other senators in voting to limit debate on a proposal aimed at stemming the tide of home foreclosures. Two and a half months later, the Senate voted again Tuesday to limit debate on housing legislation, a new version this time (HR 3221). Neither McCain, R-Ariz., nor Obama, D-Ill., showed up for the 83-9 vote.

McCain was campaigning in California, where he called on the federal government to embrace green technologies for vehicles and buildings. Obama talked about his energy policy during a campaign stop in Las Vegas.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[wjb0965]

When they are a full time Senator they can't seem to make it to all of the votes, so why would this be a surprise to anyone?

I wish that my boss would allow me to get my full pay but only show up when I wanted to. I will never understand why they are not forced to step down from their Senate seats when they have decided to run for President. If they are no longer able to fulfil the duties of the office that they were elected to (full time), then they should step aside and allow the seat to be filled by someone who can.....while they are off "interviewing" for another job.

[kmac23va]

Well I think we know why McCain won't...I believe the Arizona governor is a Democrat, which would add another to the majority. Especially after last night's Medicare cloture vote, the GOP -barely- held onto their filibuster...it was 59-39 (58-40 in the end, but Reid had to flip to No for procedural reasons). If Ted Kennedy had been well enough, it passes; if McCain quit the Senate and the governor sent a Democrat, it passes. And if those numbers add up to 98, why yes, both Clinton and Obama -were- voting last night! Clinton made all four roll call votes, Obama made the last three (he missed one on a judicial nomination). Funny enough, it was the war funding bill, too...guess McCain doesn't want to be on the voting record as supporting those troops, he's too busy elsewhere...

[klosskid]

Considering McCain's voting record, this may be a good thing.

[VOTER]

And to top things off, OLD MAN MCCAIN NEVER WORKS WEEKENDS!

[totaldisbelief]

Things are better when he's not around!

[anastasiabeaverhousen]

It's just as well. He would have invariably voted the WRONG WAY anyway. Kinda like the shrub and his record # of days vacation - at least he wasn't in Washington mucking things up!!

[WFV]

Maybe we should start a McCain Vote Watch, similar to his count of how many days it has been since Obama visited Iraq, or that garbage FOX news had about Obama appearing on their show.

Yeesh.

[NotMcCain]

Wow. Could Obama get some of Hillary's email people? They were great at getting the MSM to repeat the talking point.

McCain's record definitely deserves BIG mention.

[guntotinganglion]

The best thing for McBush, is to continue as is, lose the election, and then lose his Senate seat in 2010. Here's hoping.

[guntotinganglion]

I just had to add...the people of Arizona ought to be hanging their heads in shame over this war mongering corporatist. When it's time for his election run in 2010, Arizona ought to run this corrupt war criminal a ride on a rail involving tar and feathers.

[PioneerKing]

CHECK OUT McCAINS ENTIRE VOTING HISTORY - McCain misses more votes than nearly eveyone else in the Senate, regardless of whether he is running for President.

[wndrwrthg]

They do interfere with his naps, you realize.

[DRaymond]

I remember how the Repubs tried to use the same argument against Kerry, so I guess turnabout is fair game.

But ultimately it is only the number of Yes votes that count and in the Senate it takes 60 to close debate and 51 to win. Nothing special happens if it gets 61 or 52. A bill's supporters have a careful list of who is for or against a bill and will only pull a candidate off of a campaign event if it was absolutely necessary.

You may recall in June of 2004 Kerry canceled several campaign events to be present for a vote on Veterans health care benefits only to have Frist throw up a delaying measure to freeze him there. Also in 2004 the Repubs would sometimes have a number of Senators switch votes to make it look like the results would have gone the other way if Kerry hadn't been on the campaign trail.

[sws3030]

I say the less this guy votes, the less he does as far as shaping policy and enabling the current administration the better. I am sure if he loses in November, come December he will start campaigning for 2012. I say go for it.

[springsm]

Nah..he can deny voting for or against something contraversial. No vote, no accountability. The guy is a fake.

[KarlRoves3rdchin]

How ridiculous. He can't even do his current job as a Senator yet he wants to be President of the US.

McCain is unfit to lead this country, period.

The problem is, the bar was lowered to the nth degree by allowing Bush to be our President. How many days/weeks did Bush take off during his Presidency?? McCain thinks he can just scoot in and do nothing just like Bush. Pathetic.

Just think, people voted for Bush because he was a guy you'd like to have a beer with, ridiculous!! People thought it was cool and funny that Bush barely got through school and was a less than average student, ridiculous! People in the US must have VERY low standards and expectations and look at the outcome!

BTW, look at McCain's 'academic' and 'professional' record. It pretty much parallels Bush's record.

[ThermoChemist]

Bush 43 has ALREADY taken more vacation time than Carter and Clinton -- combined...!

The presidential vacation-time record holder WAS the late Ronald Reagan, who tallied 436 days in his two terms.

In 2005, Bush dragged out his vacation in Texas to five weeks.
In Aug. 2007, Bush had taken 418 vacation days, with 17 months to go in his presidency.
In Mar. 2008 - Bush Surpasses Reagan as the "Vacation President" (for 2 terms)

May 2008 - Mark Knoller, a CBS News correspondent who keeps a meticulous log of the president"s schedule, said Mr. Bush had spent some 437 days at Camp David and 406 others here at Crawford. That's more than 2 YEARS away from "the office"...!

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/bushbeat/archives/2008/01/numb_and_number_1.php reports that as of:
Jan. 2008 - Bush has taken 499 days of vacation

Another source: 2004 article - http://www.counterbias.com/017.html

So, dependent on the source, we get different numbers; but, bottom line is:
1. Bush has already taken the lead as VACATION PRESIDENT with MORE than 436 vacation days (surpassing Reagan).
2. August 2008 is not yet here. There is still plenty of vacation time for Bush to take.

[guntotinganglion]

"How many days/weeks did Bush take off during his Presidency??"

As of last August, Bushemada had posted 418 days of vacation, which was 18 days short of the record set by St. Ronald The Evil Empire Slayer. By the time Bushemada exits, he will certainly have shattered that record...and almost all in a time of war, which even St. Ronald couldn't claim.

And by the way, that's 59.71 weeks of vacation.

[AdobePhsyko]

Did you ever work anyplace where they paid you to spend months applying for another job ?
If you're a Senator or a City Manager, Ignore the question.

[ThermoChemist]

How'd you like to be a CEO about to launch a huge, expensive and risky new initiative (war), would your shareholders (Americans) be happy if first you did a bunch of dumb things that made your stock tank (a long list), then, spend all the company's cash on a corporate jet and employee golf course (tax cuts), then launch your new initiative with inept managers and not enough resources?

What happens to companies who do that? They fail and the shareholders lose everything.

+++++

How'd you like to work some place where you could make errors in judgment over,... and over,... and over,... for over 7 years and then get to keep your job by just saying 'Oops,... somebody's bad'.

+++++

How'd you like to have a President that ignores the advice of most of his Military Generals, the Baker Hamilton Commission report recommendations, the National Intelligence Estimate(NIE) report conclusions, and the will of the majority of the American people...?

[BushBites]

What can you say?

He's semi-retired.

[kellygrrrl]

what I hear from family in AZ is that even the Republican voters are none to happy with his performance

he has completely dropped the ball on infrastructure and the highways are a disaster

how long has he been running for Prez anyway? 10 or 20 years?

[guntotinganglion]

Perhaps 10 or 20, but after he loses this fall he'll be done once and for all. Then, when 2010 comes, and assuming Arizona residents will grow brain cells, he'll truly be gone for good and we won't have to listen to his geriatric tripe anymore.

[ErnestineBass]

Sigh...sure seems that way, doesn't it?