Once again, Democrats in the Senate have failed to come up with the votes needed to debate the Wall Street reform bill. Coming up only 4 votes short of the 60 votes required, this makes the 2nd time in the 48 hours that an attempt to start a debate has failed. According to CNN, all 40 Republicans present in the chamber joined with two Democrats, Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada in voting against.
Reid's vote was a procedural move that allows him, under the Senate rules, to bring the bill up again this week.
The Democrats failed the first two times by 57-41. On Wednesday, Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., a prior "yes" vote, was absent, while Sen. Robert Bennett, who voted "no," returned from a two-day absence.
Democrats and Republicans still disagree about the way to go about preventing future bailouts, cracking down on risky bets and ensuring consumers have stronger protection.
Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., and Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., have been negotiating differences on the bill, but have yet to come up with a final compromise.
