So Which Senators Didn't Want Credit Card Reform?

You've probably read that the both the House and Senate passed credit card reform legislation this week -- and by sweeping margins. The House vote was 361-64, which was impressive enough, until you compare it to the Senate, which voted 90-5.

In fact the margin was so wide in the Senate, it had a lot of folks wondering who out there didn't think it was a good idea to eliminate double-cycle billing and predatory rate hikes on the most vulnerable Americans. Heck, even Sen. Tom Coburn (R-NRA) voted in favor of the bill-- albeit only after amending it to usher handguns into national parks.

Well here are the dissenters to the bill, along with some possible motivations:

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN)- Oddly enough, Alexander objected to Coburn's gun amendment, saying even Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush wouldn't have approved. He was the only Republican to do so. That said, he didn't like the credit card part either.

Sen. John Kyl (R-AZ)- Wants to preserve Americans' rights to get junk mail stating that they're pre-approved for credit cards if they act today!

Sens. Tim Johnson (D-SD) and John Thune (R-SD)- So we've all heard of credit card giant Citibank, right? But did you realize that, since 1981, the "Citi" in reference has been Sioux Falls, South Dakota? Seriously.

Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT)- Trying to test how far you can push Utah voters before they punish a Republican politician.

We should also mention that South Dakota wasn't the only state to lack a single "aye" vote. Both of West Virginia's senators missed the vote altogether. But to be fair, the senior senator, Robert C. Byrd, was receiving treatment at a local hospital, while the junior senator, Jay Rockefeller, was getting a payday loan at a Wheeling check-cashing store.

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