Vitter Census Amendment Goes Down in Flames

In a party line vote yesterday, the Senate blocked the Vitter Census Amendment 60-39 from being attached to the Commerce/Justice/Science Appropriations bill.  Sen. Vitter wanted a question inserted in census forms asking about a person’s immigration status for the purpose of not counting undocumented people in Congressional apportionment.  The Vitter Census Amendment stands in marked contrast to the US Constitution which expressly states:

“Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State [. . .]”

60 Democrats voted to block the amendment while 39 Republicans voted against with Sen. McCain of Arizona declining to vote.  This margin may hide the true number for or against the measure because the vote seems to be a procedural question to invoke cloture and end debate on Vitter’s patently stupid amendment.  Republicans may have been compelled to advance a caucus member’s pet project, but the fact that Snowe, Collins, and Lugar voted with their fellow Republicans on Vitter’s behalf is disconcerting.  Expect this measure to come up again if and when an immigration bill takes center stage in the 111th Congress.

No word yet on whether Sen. Vitter wants to triple the amount of representation prostitutes get in Congressional apportionment.