In a show of bipartisanship, Kentucky’s 1st District Congressman, Ed Whitfield, and 6th District Congressman, Ben Chandler, joined forces to vote against every single proposed budget for the United States of America.
In all, nine Democrats and five Republicans pulled the “no” lever on all seven budgets the House considered on Wednesday and Thursday, which included offerings of all ideological stripes.
Last year there were nearly two dozen “none of the above” voters, this year just 14… and two of them from Kentucky!
The Blue Dog Coalition, the ineffectual group of which Ben Chandler is a member, split somewhat, with some of them voting for one budget or another (and one of them even proposed a budget). But no, not all Blue Dogs.
Six other members of the coalition – Reps. John Barrow (Ga.), Ben Chandler (Ky.), Joe Donnelly (Ind.), Jim Matheson (Utah), Mike McIntyre (N.C.) and Mike Ross (Ark.) – voted for none of the budgets, and none of their offices returned a request for comment.
Since no one has any idea why Chandler couldn’t find one of the budgets worth supporting, perhaps he was following Ed’s lead?
Three Republicans – Reps. Walter Jones (N.C.), David McKinley (W.Va.) and Denny Rehberg (Mont.) – also supported none of the budgets for a second consecutive year.
McKinley and Rehberg have opposed the Ryan budget both years because of its cuts to Medicare, which the West Virginia Republican labeled “drastic” on Thursday.
But the GOP House members who voted against all budgets – who also include Reps. John Duncan (Tenn.) and Ed Whitfield (Ky.) – also generally said that none of the budgets cut spending enough.
Oh… and that Paul Ryan budget that makes cuts so extreme to Medicare two conservative Republicans couldn’t stomach voting for it… is supported by Chandler’s opponent, Garland Barr IV. Lucky for Andy, the NRCC is taking him to school to teach him how to pander to Tea Partiers better and maybe understand what he’s doing as a candidate.
