Apparently, David Vitter doesn't think the Senate should be able to go home at a reasonable hour to spend Christmas Eve with their families, and Tom Harkin wants everyone to know just whose stocking deserves a lump of coal.
SEN. HARKIN (D-Iowa): So Mr. President, I know one senator whose family is with their in-laws - their husband's from England and their kids are over there - can't make it for Christmas dinner tomorrow night. I know other person who has to get out to the west because - and there's a lot of storms out there - if they can get that early flight, they can make two legs and get home. If they have to go later in the day, they have to do three legs and they may not make it. There's a lot of people around here that are having a lot of problems with that. We're all here. There's no -- really no reason to hold over the vote. So I'm going to ask unanimous consent that the vote on the passage of the bill and the -- and the vote on the debt limit bill -- occur at 6pm this evening.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE: Is there objection?
SEN. VITTER (R-Lousiana): Mr. President?
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE: Senator Vitter.
SEN. VITTER (R-Lousiana): That request has not been cleared on this side, so on behalf of my colleagues, I will object. And if the senator would like to talk to all of his colleagues about it, that would be fine. But in the meantime, I would object.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE: Objection is heard.
SEN. HARKIN (D-Iowa): Mr. President, then I would further ask unanimous consent that the votes that are going to occur at 7am tomorrow occur at 12:15am in the morning.
SEN. VITTER (R-Lousiana): Mr. President?
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE: Is there objection?
SEN. VITTER (R-Lousiana): Mr. President, my response would be the same and I would object in the same vein.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE: Objection is heard.
SEN. HARKIN (D-Iowa): Well I just want people to know who's keeping us here.
Gotta love those "Family Values" types, doncha? David Vitter, true to Republican obstructionism form, if not his wife.
