Yellow Dog, Bob Geiger gave out his Senate Weasel of the Year Award last week. Today he posted about “Democrats who vote like they understand their party affiliation and who consistently make us proud.” Here’s a quip:

Think all Democratic Senators are made of the same stuff? Think again. Then, take a look at the Senators who had absolutely zero weasel-worthy votes in 2005:

Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
Jon Corzine (D-NJ)
Ted Kennedy (D-MA)
John Kerry (D-MA)
Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Jack Reed (D-RI)
Paul Sarbanes (D-MD)

No politician can please everyone, but when you look at the sheer number of important votes that these seven Senators had to be involved with, it is commendable and somewhat astounding that they voted like real Democrats on every, single one of them.

It’s a shame we’re losing Senators Corzine and Sarbanes this year – the former is the next Governor of New Jersey and the latter is retiring –and, regardless of what you think of John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign, his performance in the Senate last year certainly made me feel like my support was well placed.

Kerry and Jack Reed deserve special notice for their efforts to get the GOP majority to fund the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to help the elderly and disabled heat their homes this winter. Sadly, they failed, but they managed on three occasions to get the matter to the Senate floor for a vote, only to have it rejected each time at the hands of the GOP leadership. Likewise, Ted Kennedy attempted twice in 2005 to help working Americans by getting a hike in the federal minimum wage, which has been at $5.15 per hour for nine years. Read on…

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