The VOTE

Ok, so the disaster's been avoided.  For now.

From the AP (by way of the P-G):

Up against a deadline, Congress passed and sent a waiting President Barack Obama legislation late Wednesday night to avoid a threatened national default and end the 16-day partial government shutdown, the culmination of an epic political drama that placed the U.S. economy at risk.

The Senate voted first, a bipartisan 81-18 at midevening. That cleared the way for a final 285-144 vote in the Republican-controlled House about two hours later on the bill, which hewed strictly to the terms Obama laid down when the twin crises erupted more than three weeks ago.

In The House, they made a few changes. From the NYTimes:

Most House Republicans opposed the bill, but 87 voted to support it. The breakdown showed that Republican leaders were willing to violate their informal rule against advancing bills that do not have majority Republican support in order to end the shutdown. All 198 Democrats voting supported the measure.

So they sidestepped the Hastert Rule.  Interesting.  Here's how the AP characterizes the bill:

Simplicity at the end, there was next to nothing in the agreement beyond authorization for the Treasury to resume borrowing and funding for the government to reopen.

But I'm more interested in the 18 Senators and 144 House members who voted against the bill.

Against a bill that averted a national default (and the resulting economic chaos that was sure to follow).  Against a bill to reopen the guv'ment (allowing hundreds of thousands of guv'ment employees to get back to work).  Who could possibly vote against that?

Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey, Pennsylvania House Members Scott Perry, Joseph Pitts, and of course, Keith Rothfus, that's who.

They voted to keep the memorials closed, they voted to damage the nation's credit rating and send the world into another economic crisis.

All in a stupid attempt to stop the Affordable Care Act.

Something to remember when they're up for re-election.  Or they're quoted in the news about anything.