This week is budget week in the House. Today, the House voted on two progressive alternative budgets from within the Democratic caucus: the Congressional Progressive Caucus’s “Better Off Budget” and the Congressional Black Caucus’s alternative budget. The House will vote on the House Democratic caucus’s budget, the House Republican caucus’s budget (the Ryan budget), and the Republican Study Committee’s budget later this week (I presume tomorrow).
A majority of Democrats voted against the Progressive Caucus’s budget: 103 to 89.
A majority of Democrats (but nowhere near the full caucus) voted for the Black Caucus’s budget: 116 to 76.
Over at the Daily Kos, I looked at the roll calls for both votes, compared them to each other, and compared them to the votes last year on the corresponding budgets.
Here, however, I’d like to highlight the MA delegation.
Jim McGovern (MA-02), Katherine Clark (MA-05), and Mike Capuano (MA-07) voted for both the Congressional Progressive Caucus budget and the Congressional Black Caucus budget.
Richard Neal (MA-01), Niki Tsongas (MA-03), and Stephen Lynch (MA-08) voted against the Progressive Caucus budget but for the Black Caucus budget. Last year, Lynch had supported both.
Last year, John Tierney (MA-06) voted for both corresponding budgets. This year, he opposed both.
Joe Kennedy (MA-04), who himself is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, voted against the CPC budget, as he did last year as well. However, in 2013, he at least voted for the CBC budget. This year, he voted for neither of the two progressive alternative budgets.
I’ll be bringing this up next time he holds office hours here in Milford!
Not exactly a profile in courage for my young Congressman.
Same reason Kennedy votes wrong on Syria and wiretapping-he wants to be a Senator and maybe even President someday. Got to take a few votes here and there to not be “most liberal”-just ask John Kerry.
And Tierney is running for re-election and is probably getting advised to move to the middle on budget issues to co-opt Tisei.
If he wants to be a Senator in this state, being “most liberal” isn’t such a bad thing to be. I hope by the time he would even think of running for President the same would be true.
Votes like this, for that reason, just give cover to the spurious idea that the CPC budget is not to be taken seriously. In fact it balances the budget faster than any other proposal out there while reflecting the stated preferences of the American people.
Tierney better draw a distinction between himself and Tisei, not try to co-opt him. I’d love to see a referendum on the CPC budget vs. the Ryan budget.
Yeah, that whole move-to-the-center thing sure worked out awesome for Elizabeth Warren.
EW is the anti-Kerry in every regard. I think she is starting to upturn the tired DNC/DLC playbook of the last 20-30 years which is why guys like Third Way are panicking. I am under no illusion she will or should run for President, but I do think she will be the new conscience of the Senate and will build our party back up in the right direction.
And I think whomever is advising JPK the youngest better get their priorities checked.
History suggests that according to the National Journal, getting the Dem nomination for President makes you the most liberal Senator. If his ambition only went as high as US Senator from MA he could probably get away with a “most liberal” label.
As for Tierney, again it’s Massachusetts – why not draw the strongest contrast?
I am shocked, shocked I tell you. This is so terribly “Unexpected”!
Very proud to see my Congresswoman joining with Reps McGovern and Capuano on both these votes!
I’m very happy to see my new Congresswoman voting right on this. Good for her!
Kennedy? — I just roll my eyes. He seems to feel he has a name that guarantees him any office, so he can vote however he wants. Sorry, progressive politics and aristocracy don’t mix.
Not sure why he’s not mentioned here, but Rep. Bill Keating voted against both. I’m calling his office today to ask why.