I just sent the following message to Claire McCaskill’s office in response to her stated position on the omnibus spending bill:

I am appalled at Senator McCaskill’s decision to vote with the Republicans against the omnibus spending bill.  To quote Senator McCaskill, “The omnibus is a name for the giant spending bills that come through at the end of the year that are usually laden with earmarks.”  It’s also the name for the primary funder of government activities throughout the year and her failure to help the Democratic majority pass this bill means that Republican priorities will determine the shape of next year’s budget, which will likely include their own earmarks (the GOP moratorium against earmarks only applies through the end of this Congress).

I didn’t live in MO during Senator McCaskill’s 2008 Senate run and had assumed I would support her when she runs in 2012.  With this action, I’ve decided that I won’t support her and will instead give me support to the Democrat in the race.

You can contact Senator McCaskill’s office as well.

Look, I understand taking tactical and strategic positions on particular issues, but this is ridiculous.  There’s no good reason to think that this vote is going to be undoing of McCaskill’s campaign almost two years from now.  But in the meantime, she helps shut down the priorities with which she’s supposedly in agreement, abdicates the last remaining power of Democratic Congressional control, and allows the incoming Congress to write the next budget with an eye directly on 2012.  It’s an astounding capitulation and shows spineless cowardice and a greater concern with remaining in office than achieving Democratic priorities.  So, like I said, I’ll just go ahead and support the Democrat in the 2012 Senate race.  If the person who wins that race is going to act like a Republican anyways, he or she might as well have the official R after their name.