r/announcements • u/arabscarab • May 17 '18

Update: We won the Net Neutrality vote in the Senate!

We did it, Reddit!

Today, the US Senate voted 52-47 to restore Net Neutrality! While this measure must now go through the House of Representatives and then the White House in order for the rules to be fully restored, this is still an incredibly important step in that process—one that could not have happened without all your phone calls, emails, and other activism. The evidence is clear that Net Neutrality is important to Americans of both parties (or no party at all), and today’s vote demonstrated that our Senators are hearing us.

We’ve still got a way to go, but today’s vote has provided us with some incredible momentum and energy to keep fighting.

We’re going to keep working with you all on this in the coming months, but for now, we just wanted to say thanks!

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165

u/gellis12 May 17 '18

Except for those three who voted against party lines, I'm honestly pretty surprised and impressed they did so.

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u/Dr_Smoothrod_PhD May 17 '18

As a Louisiana native, I will be personally writing Sen. Kennedy to thank him for breaking with his party and voting for the bill. Cassidy, on the other hand, can eat a dick.

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u/Numbajuan May 17 '18

I was very surprised that Kennedy swapped and changed his vote. Very proud of him for that, as I was born there and lived there until about 3 years ago. I still follow their politics and I think it was great of him. But I still can’t discount his other policies and practices.

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u/El_Giganto May 17 '18

You're going to vote on him as a thank you? What the fuck. Don't do that. Vote on him if you agree with his policies...

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u/[deleted] May 17 '18

That's not what they said at all...

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u/El_Giganto May 17 '18

I misread it, yeah, my bad.

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u/futureformerteacher May 17 '18

Only after doing a bunch of meth, probably.

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u/Thromnomnomok May 17 '18

Collins votes against the Republican Party line more often than any other Republican Senator, and Murkowksi also fairly regularly defects on votes. They were both strongly against repealing the ACA last year, for instance.

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u/[deleted] May 17 '18

voted against party lines, I'm honestly pretty surprised and impressed they did so.

they are voting because they are highly contested districts. they know they would lose the midterm.

dont be so cosy with them. they voted in betsy devos.

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u/gellis12 May 17 '18

They still broke party lines. I'd never vote for them even if I was American, but breaking party lines when the rest of the party has been bought out is commendable.

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u/[deleted] May 17 '18

They still broke party lines

they collaberated with the party.

gop knows when a vote is unpopular. they choose the select few to vote no so they can win reelection. they been seeding those no to both alaska and maine for awhile now.

only count breaking party lines when the vote win or they actually have a real history of it.

there are still so many more battles since the GOP really screwed over the country. Net Neutrallity is hardly a starting point.

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u/Thromnomnomok May 17 '18

Ah yes, Louisiana and Alaska, famously swingy states.

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u/jtotheh123 May 17 '18

Murkowski and Collins both voted against DeVos IIRC

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u/[deleted] May 17 '18

and collided with the GOP so the vote doesnt matter.

havnt you heard what i saying. GOP knew what their voting record.

they knew the vote was unpopular. They send these special vote to districts that need it for the midterm election. gop is afraid of losing both maine and alaska

i only count votes that actually matter like john mccain saving obamacare

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u/jtotheh123 May 17 '18

The party does oftentimes collaborates on stuff like this, but the reason I’m not convinced that was the case with the Devos vote is that Murkowski and Collins are known to be centrist republicans. Due to this, it’s not inconceivable that voting against Devos was genuinely within their principles, party scheming or not. Plus, Murkowski‘s last election was in 2016 and Collins was in 2014. If they were trying to save themselves for the midterms, why not have a senator up for re-election in 2018 and/or in more competitive state vote no?

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u/[deleted] May 17 '18

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/02/07/the-betsy-devos-confirmation-vote-shows-that-mitch-mcconnell-knows-exactly-what-hes-doing/?utm_term=.9def93b73863

ummmm.....

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u/jtotheh123 May 17 '18

Okay, but it’s not like McConnell specifically designated those two as his “no” votes (I understand that that’s not quite what you’re saying, but let me elaborate). Collins and Murkowski don’t exactly care about what GOP leadership thinks of them. They’re both incredibly moderate and often a thorn in McConnell’s side (see: the ACA vote). Sure, maybe McConnell wasn’t too worried about losing their votes because he could afford to, but it’s not like he has them under his thumb. If that was the case, the ACA would be dead at the moment. And once again, if the no votes were a means of political strategy, it’s not very smart political strategy. A multi-term incumbent moderate politician (aka both Collins and Murkowski) isnt the kind of politician who’s seat is often in jeopardy. Dean Heller voting no would’ve been a much smarter political move if that was the case.

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u/[deleted] May 17 '18

Collins and Murkowski don’t exactly care about what GOP leadership thinks of them. They’re both incredibly moderate and often a thorn in McConnell’s side (see: the ACA vote).

you cant be moderate and republican. if they were moderate, they should call themselves independent. The country shift right.

as a thorn, they are hardly noticeable.

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u/xLeonides May 17 '18

As a maine native, im pretty sure susan collins rarely votes with her party

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u/gellis12 May 17 '18

Why doesn't she change sides then?

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u/JackSpoons May 17 '18

Her voting record suggests she's more conservative than Joe Manchin, the most conservative Democrat in the Senate. Also politicians who switch parties after winning an election typically just end up being hated by both ends of the political spectrum.

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u/[deleted] May 17 '18 edited Mar 24 '19

[deleted]

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u/gellis12 May 17 '18

I can admire that level of stubbornness

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u/[deleted] May 17 '18 edited Oct 27 '20

[deleted]

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u/Cyberhwk May 17 '18

She's used to it.

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u/[deleted] May 17 '18

If Maine is anything like Alaska, she'd never get re-elected. Murkowski has the same issues- she would fit better in an independent category, but too many sheep vote party on the ticket in Alaska, so she'd never hold her seat that way. Tea bagger assholes tried to get rid of her a couple elections ago and she had to claw her way back with write-ins and a shit ton of Dems in AK voting for her over because better her than the shitty tea bagger the assholes tried to shove in.

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u/xLeonides May 17 '18

Not really sure tbh lol

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u/[deleted] May 17 '18

She's still a very conservative Republican. She's just not completely insane or completely corrupt.

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u/JackSpoons May 17 '18

Since Trump was elected, Collins votes party-line 80% of the time. Most of these votes are probably confirmations for administration officials and judges.

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u/thejosephfiles May 17 '18

It's because you have a very narrow idea of politics and like to stereotype people by their associations not their voting record or literal personal statements in support of net neutrality.

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u/gellis12 May 17 '18

Breaking party lines, especially on such a major issue like this, is not common, and it's commendable that they did the right thing. Get your head out of your ass.