The "Courage" of Frank Lautenberg

Ah yes, Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ). A man who just won re-election at age 85, which speaks to his craving to hold on to power well after he is able to wield it effectively for the people he represents. And about those people he represents - the fact that New Jersey re-elected a Senator who is 85 years old and is out-of-touch with his state entirely (but very in-touch with the DC liberal establishment) simply because he is a Democrats speaks volumes about where they stand as well.

Anyway, let's speak of his "courage". Yesterday, Senator Mike Johanns (R-NE) put forth an amendment to the HUD and Transportation appropriation bill to strip ACORN of all federal funding. Senator Lautenberg did what any goose-steppin liberal would do: he voted against it.

Why? Does he believe that it is OK for federally funded interest groups to commit voter fraud and advise young men and women how to enjoy a tax-free career in underage prostitution? Or does he just reflexively vote against any bill that is sponsored by a Republican, regardless of the merits?

But anyway, here's where we see the courage of Lautenberg's convictions:

At the beginning of the vote, it appeared that Democrats might resist. Initially, a half-dozen Democrats cast votes in opposition to the amendment. A few more cast votes against it as the rest of the Senate voted, but the tide appeared to shift. More and more Democrats signed onto the amendment, and votes started changing. One male voice could be heard in the chamber saying, “I want to change my vote!” Among those who changed their votes: Tom Udall (D-NM), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), and Herb Kohl (D-WI).

So why did Lautenberg change his vote? Did he at first think he could get away with supporting Obama's thug army, then backtrack when he realized his vote would stand out like a sore thumb? Did he even read or understand the amendment (not if he gets his news strictly from the mainstream media, I guess). Or did some young staffer have to wake Lautenberg up to tell him that in this case a reflexive anti-Republican vote was the wrong thing to do, and might actually raise some ire even with his deep-blue constituents?

I think it's safe to assume Lautenberg's sympathy lies with ACORN - always trust a man's first response, and not the clarification/apology that follows afterwards. Seems to me that old Frank just didn't want to get embarrassed as one of a handful of radical ACORN stalwarts, especially in a state that looks like it's going to elect a Republican governor for the first time in years. So he abandoned liberal principals (minority organizations are never wrong) and hopped on the bandwagon for a brief ride.

Frank Lautenberg: A picture-perfect profile in Democratic courage - and New Jersey national representation -indeed.