Corker Willing to Be Lone GOP Vote

[Beet]

GOP Sen. Bob Corker said he “absolutely” would be willing to buck his party to pass a bill cracking down on financial market abuses and creating new rules to prevent firms from becoming “too big to fail.”

The Tennessean, who is in the middle of his first Senate term, and Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd of Connecticut, announced Thursday that they would negotiate the wide-ranging legislation. The move came after Dodd reached an impasse with the panel’s top Republican.

Corker, in an interview to run on C-SPAN on Sunday, suggested the regulatory overhaul discussions on Capitol Hill have not always been in good faith. “Do you want to get to ‘yes’ or do you want to get to ‘no’ as quickly as possible?” Corker said, suggesting he believes he and Dodd can craft legislation that receives “overwhelming” support from members of both parties.

Asked if he’d be the sole GOP vote, Corker said: “Absolutely. I’ve said that all along … Now again, it’s got to be a good bill.” He also said he’s hopeful that a number of other Republicans eventually will come on board. Any legislation, he said, should “set ground rules … but not be arbitrarily restrictive.”

Corker’s decision puts him at odds with his party, not the least because he’s still new in terms of Senate seniority. He acknowledged the situation is “unpleasant” and “awkward.”

“I realize there are going to be repercussions,” he said.

Dodd had been negotiating until last week with Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama, the committee’s top Republican. But talks broke down because of differences on the need for an agency to protect consumers, as well as frustrations among staff about an unwillingness to negotiate rather than make demands.

[segwaystyle2012]

Let's get the primary challenge going!


jk

[Хahar 🤔]

Corker is less of a corporate shill than his comrades, it seems.

[Torie]

I wish more of both parties would do this. I think it is very effective, and intimidating really, when a member of a party, explains why he thinks his party is wrong on something, and is breaking with them, and why his party's talking points are singularly not well taken, etc.

The thing is, is to get over any need to be liked. If you don't do that, you will become a [join the] castrati in short order I suspect.

[Хahar 🤔]

Castrati is plural. The singular is castrato.

[Vepres]

WOOHOOO!

[Torie]

Castrati is plural. The singular is castrato.

I don't like the word castrato, but I have fixed my post now to accommodate the plural.

[Vepres]

Hopefully other reasonable Republicans will "come out of the closet".

[Bo]

Let's get the primary challenge going!


jk

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[JSojourner]

Good on Corker.  And he's right.

[Cubby]

Well thats unexpected. Hopefully he really meant that.

I guess Don was on to something when he said Tennessee Republicans are Moderates.

Until now, when I've heard the name "Bob Corker" my first thoughts are "Call me Harold!" and TN voters dislike of miscegenation.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

So it turns out that he's to the left of Wall St. shill Harold Ford?

[Eraserhead]

So it turns out that he's to the left of Wall St. shill Harold Ford?

Damn, you beat me to it! As soon as I read this, all I could think of was what Ford would have done in this instance. What a joke... and he wants to represent me in the Senate! Ha!

[Associate Justice PiT]

Well thats unexpected. Hopefully he really meant that.

I guess Don was on to something when he said Tennessee Republicans are Moderates.

Until now, when I've heard the name "Bob Corker" my first thoughts are "Call me Harold!" and TN voters dislike of miscegenation.

     I actually remember him being described as a moderate during the 2006 campaign.

[JSojourner]

Well thats unexpected. Hopefully he really meant that.

I guess Don was on to something when he said Tennessee Republicans are Moderates.

Until now, when I've heard the name "Bob Corker" my first thoughts are "Call me Harold!" and TN voters dislike of miscegenation.

Keystone Phil was a huge believer that Corker was a liberal Republican.  Because, as a Mayor, he accepted federal handouts for his city.  (That would make Dick Lugar and George Voinovich liberals, too, I guess.  None of them are, of course.  They are mainstream conservatives but not nutters.)  Mayors DO tend to become more reasonable legislators because they have seen, first hand and on the ground, the GOOD that can come from government programs.


That aside, I do believe this is Corkers very first (and only) expression of moderation as a Senator.  He has voted quite like an arch conservative until now.  I hope this is indicative of a change to come.

[Cubby]

Well thats unexpected. Hopefully he really meant that.

I guess Don was on to something when he said Tennessee Republicans are Moderates.

Until now, when I've heard the name "Bob Corker" my first thoughts are "Call me Harold!" and TN voters dislike of miscegenation.

I actually remember him being described as a moderate during the 2006 campaign.

Most Republicans are moderates when compared to Coburn, Inhofe and Creme de Menthe (R-SC)

[perdedor]

I have to say, I wasn't expecting this out of Corker of all people. Good for him.

[KeeptheChange]

Shame on him.

[Magic 8-Ball]

“Absolutely. I’ve said that all along … Now again, it’s got to be a good bill.”

And there's the rub - what does Corker consider to be a "good bill"?

[Deldem]

Shame on him.

Oh noes, he'd consider compromise and might have the guts to actually vote his conscience.

[nhmagic]

Dodd is so right when he says partisanship is good.  People like Corker are sellouts to their constituents.  He wasn't voted in to allow Obama to socialize our financial system and this bill is implementing the foundation for such a transformation to take place - as with healthcare and cap'n trade.  It's like the democrats are the terminators and republicans have to destroy the chip and the hand years before so that some crazy democrat doesn't get the chance to make the complete transformation.

[Coburn In 2012]

Dodd is so right when he says partisanship is good.  People like Corker are sellouts to their constituents.  He wasn't voted in to allow Obama to socialize our financial system and this bill is implementing the foundation for such a transformation to take place - as with healthcare and cap'n trade.  It's like the democrats are the terminators and republicans have to destroy the chip and the hand years before so that some crazy democrat doesn't get the chance to make the complete transformation.

I dould not have said it better!!!!!  Thank you.