Sen. Blanche Lincoln Cracks Joke at Debate . . .

Lincoln Claims to be “most independent voice in Washington” - LOL Little Rock, Ark. - In today's U.S. Senate Debate, Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) claimed repeatedly to be "an independent voice for Arkansas" and also made the remarkable claim that she is "the most independent voice in Washington," despite voting along with President Obama 95% of the time. Republican Party of Arkansas Senior Communications Advisor Alice Stewart has issued the following statement:

"Senator Lincoln’s claims of being an independent voice are completely disingenuous when she is a loyal rubber stamp for the Obama-Pelosi-Lincoln big-government agenda in Washington,” said Republican Party of Arkansas Senior Communications Advisor Alice Stewart. “Just because she says it, doesn’t make it so; because her rhetoric doesn’t match reality, the only thing independent about her voice is that it does not reflect the conservative values of Arkansans.”

BackgroundLincoln Consistently Votes With Obama And The Democratic Party
During The Current Congress, Lincoln Voted With The Democratic Party 83.1% Of The Time. (The Washington Post’s Votes Database, Accessed 9/3/10)

Between 1999 And 2009, Lincoln Voted With The Democratic Party 80% Of The Time. (Congressional Quarterly, Accessed 9/3/10)

In 2009, Lincoln Voted With President Obama 95% Of The Time. (ibid)

Lincoln Repeatedly Provided Obama The 60^th Vote On Important Legislation
Lincoln Voted For Cloture On Obamacare. (H.R. 3590, CQ Vote #395: Motion Agreed To 60-39: R 0-39; D 58-0; I 2-0, 12/23/09, Lincoln Voted Yea)

Lincoln Was Obama’s 60th Vote On The Stimulus. (H.R. 1, CQ Vote #64: Adopted (thus cleared for the president) 60-38: R 3-38; D 55-0; I 2-0, 2/13/09, Lincoln Voted Yea)

Lincoln Was Obama’s 60th Vote THREE TIMES To Raise The Debt Ceiling. H.R. 4314, CQ Vote #397: Passed (thus cleared for the president) by a vote of 60-39: R 1-38; D 57-1; I 2-0, 12/24/09, Lincoln Voted Yea; H.J. Res. 45, CQ Vote #14: Agreed To 60-39, 1/28/10, Lincoln Voted Yea; H.R. 1, CQ Vote #64: Adopted (thus cleared for the president) 60-38: R 3-38; D 55-0; I 2-0, 2/13/09, Lincoln Voted Yea)

• The Stimulus Bill Lincoln Supported Hiked The Debt Ceiling To $12.14 Trillion. (H.R. 1, CQ Vote #64: Adopted (thus cleared for the president) 60-38: R 3-38; D 55-0; I 2-0, 2/13/09, Lincoln Voted Yea)
• On Christmas Eve 2009, Lincoln Voted To Raise The Federal Debt Limit By $290 Billion. “Passage of the bill that would increase the federal debt limit by $290 billion to $12.4 trillion.” (H.R. 4314, CQ Vote #397: Passed (thus cleared for the president) by a vote of 60-39: R 1-38; D 57-1; I 2-0, 12/24/09, Lincoln Voted Yea)
• Just Over One Month Later, Lincoln Voted To Raise The Debt Ceiling By Nearly $2 Trillion. “Passage of the joint resolution that would increase the statutory debt limit by $1.9 trillion to $14.29 trillion. It also would establish a statutory requirement that new tax and mandatory spending legislation be budget neutral, enforced by automatic across-the-board spending cuts in non-exempt programs if the pay-as-you-go tally at the end of the year shows a deficit. It would require the Government Accountability Office to investigate areas with duplicative goals and activities within the government.” (H.J. Res. 45, CQ Vote #14: Agreed To 60-39, 1/28/10, Lincoln Voted Yea)

Lincoln Helped Pass The Obama Budget And Omnibus
Lincoln Voted For The Conference Report Vote To The $446.8 Billion FY2010 Omnibus Bill. (H.R. 3288, CQ Vote #374: Adopted (thus cleared for the president) by a vote of 57-35: R 3-32; D 52-3; I 2-0, 12/13/09, Lincoln Voted Yea)

Lincoln Voted To Adopt The Conference Report On The $3.5 Trillion FY 2010 Budget Resolution. “Adoption of the conference report on the concurrent resolution that would allow up to $1.086 trillion in non-emergency discretionary spending for fiscal 2010, plus $130 billion in fiscal 2010 for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. It would assume $764 billion in tax cuts over five years, including an extension of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts for households earning less than $250,000 annually, a three-year adjustment to prevent additional taxpayers from paying the alternative minimum tax and a permanent extension of the 2009 estate tax levels. It includes reconciliation instructions to House and Senate committees to report a total of $2 billion in savings, presumably from health care and student loan programs, by Oct. 15. It would create a deficit-neutral reserve fund for health care and climate change legislation.” (S. Con. Res. 13, CQ Vote #173: Adopted 53-43: R 0-40; D 51-3; I 2-0, 4/29/09, Lincoln Voted Yea)

Obama Endorsed Lincoln
Obama Endorsed Lincoln’s Reelection Campaign. (Blanche Lincoln For Senate Website, Accessed 9/3/10)

“President Barack Obama Has Cut His First Ad In Support Of Sen. Blanche Lincoln’s Re-Election Campaign, urging Arkansans to back the incumbent Senator for her work on two policy topics that have become focal points of her primary campaign.” (Sam Stein, “Obama Portrays Blanche Lincoln As A Populist Crusader In Radio Ad,” The Huffington Post, Posted 5/4/10)

Obama Recorded A Robo-Call For Lincoln. “President Obama has cut a robocall for the incumbent, arguing that Dem primary voters should back Lincoln because she’s ‘standing on the side of workers,’ even though her challenger is the one who enjoys the backing of major unions.” (Greg Sargent, “Obama Robocall: Lincoln ‘On Side Of Workers,’” The Washington Post’s The Plum Line Blog, Posted 5/17/10)

---

Tags: Blanche Lincoln, debate, stretching the truth, liberal elitists To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!