Renegade Republicans Push Stimulus Over The Finish Line

By: Adam Hutton
Topics: Economy

President Obama owes the passage of his stimulus bill to three senators from the losing side, reports CBS News correspondent Kimberly Dozier.

(CBS)

Renegade Republicans – senators Arlen Specter (left) of Pennsylvania and Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine – tipped the balance toward Mr. Obama's plan in a late night Senate vote on Friday, forwarding the package to the president's desk by a 60-38 margin.

"I really believe that what I decided to do was right," Collins said.

(CBS)

She and Snowe (left) used the political weight of their swing votes to wield influence far greater than their state's 1.3 million residents, Dozier reports.

As the Hotsheet reported on Friday, their support of the economic recovery bill has them in hot water with a GOP political action committee. The National Republican Trust, the group famous for producing anti-Obama commercials featuring the Rev. Jeremiah Wright during the 2008 election, is back on the airwaves with new radio ads targeting the senators who supported the stimulus.

"It's sort of like being a skunk at the lawn party," Snowe said of the unpopularity of her decision within her party.

Watch Dozier's report below:

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by cydygitt1 February 16, 2009 1:36 PM EST: frankly I would not trust one thing that......

Posted by a_witness
================

........any republiCON said or did in their most anti-American stance!

Yep, the GOP is definitely in exile for being the most highly partisan group of obstructionist thugs we''ve ever seen!; Reply to this comment


by cydygitt1 February 16, 2009 1:31 PM EST: yes renegades. how dare anyone think for themself. ''''the party'''' has already determined what all members should be thinking ... we must determine how this happened ... and prevent it from happening again.

Posted by bobnjersey
==================

Yep, the republiCONS except for 3 moderates thinking for themselves in clearly a non-partisan compromise, are nothing but a group of lemmings that followed the bush/cheney fascist regime right off the cliff, and gave us the bush depression.

When will the GOP finally be able to "think" for themselves and stop their attacks on America?; Reply to this comment


by a_witness-2009 February 16, 2009 1:27 PM EST: These 3 wack jobs need to be thrown out of the GOP and frankly I would not trust one thing that came out of their mouth.; Reply to this comment


by theoldbag-2009 February 16, 2009 1:21 PM EST: The Republicans needs to remember that another third of the Senate comes up for re-election in 2010. If the Republicans think their actions have not been noted, they are sorely mistaken; Reply to this comment


by bobnjersey February 16, 2009 1:20 PM EST: [Renegade Republicans %u2013 senators Arlen Specter (left) of Pennsylvania and Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine %u2013 tipped the balance toward Mr. Obama''s plan in a late night Senate vote on Friday, forwarding the package to the president''s desk by a 60-38 margin. ]

yes renegades. how dare anyone think for themself. ''the party'' has already determined what all members should be thinking ... we must determine how this happened ... and prevent it from happening again.; Reply to this comment


by cydygitt1 February 16, 2009 1:15 PM EST: GOP = Angry, Bitter, Vindicative, One Trick Ponies

30 years of trickle down and all that has trickled is the sh3t.

Posted by whatithink10
==================

Yep, time to turn the page on 30 years of failed CONServatoid ideology and policies that have given us the bush/cheney depression.; Reply to this comment


by cydygitt1 February 16, 2009 1:04 PM EST: Obstructing everything the president does, hoping he will fail so you can blame him for failing, is not a "principle". It is just evil.

Posted by IDNNSG
=============

Yes, rush limprod and his followers are just plain EVIL, and the republiCONS will continue their exile in the desert for decades!; Reply to this comment


by cydygitt1 February 16, 2009 1:00 PM EST: Typical fascist Republican logic!!!! They are the who Republican''''s destroyed the country by ''''borrow and spending'''' us into poverty and creating a economic tsunami. Now they are saying Obama is destroying us??????? They are howling at the moon because three Republican''''s cared more about the country than their fascist Republican politics. They need to get more like the three maybe I will consider voting for them again.

Posted by grumpas
===============

Yep, I will never vote for another republiCON until they moderate their vile vitriol we''ve seen for the past 8 years, bringing America to its knees in the bush depression, and their failed "trickle-down" insanity!; Reply to this comment


by cydygitt1 February 16, 2009 12:56 PM EST: Those 3 republicans are middle of the road in policy belief. Most Americans are middle of the road in policy belief. When are the Republicans going to realize that this is what the majority of Americans want?? Those 3 are the smart ones that are looking out for us.

Posted by sed81650
===============

Yes, specter, collins and snowe are moderates like the majority of Americans, and have shown us exactly what compromise in a non-partisan fashion looks like.

The rabid reich wing religious fanatics will always get it wrong!; Reply to this comment


by cydygitt1 February 16, 2009 12:52 PM EST: It does appear that the Republicans want The President to fail and the country to fail with him, I don''''t understand where my fellow republicans are coming from if they continue the obstructions party votes they are going to loose big time in 2012. They must change from with in god bless them.

Posted by ericv2644
===============

Yes, the GOP has let the neoCONS hijack their party, and the obstructionist republiCONS continue to follow their leader, rush limprod, a drug addict and proven liar who takes illegal viagra on an %u201Call male%u201D fishing trip to one of the child-prostitution capitals of the world.

The republiCON party is certainly in exile, and will most certainly continue losing elections for decades.; Reply to this comment