[BillJames]

[ QUOTE ]
While everyone is making a big deal about how the issue was brought to a vote, I think it is important to know what the vote would have been if the internet bill stood alone. My impression is that it would still have passed easily. Am I right? If so that is important to know.

[/ QUOTE ]

No, it is very unlikely that it would have passed easily, because if it stood on its own it never would have reached the floor.

Several Senators of BOTH parties apparently had holds on the legislation that would have prevented it moving on its own. The fact that the legislation did not reach the floor in stand-alone form by 9/29, the last legislative day before the lame duck session after the elections, leads one to believe that the holds were still in place.

In any case, Sen. Reid was considering filibustering the entire Port Security bill because of the gaming provision before deciding against this strategy (probably wisely from a political perspective). If he was thinking about taking this step, it seems clear that if the measure was standing on its own he would have set-up a filibuster.

I have little doubt that the majority of Senators, consisting of both parties (though a higher % of Republicans) would vote for the gaming provision on its own. But the important question is not whether the bill would have recieved a majority of votes in a vaccum, but whether the bill in stand-alone form would have reached the floor for a vote at all. And the answer to that appears to be no.