Big John

Only one Senator missed the cloture vote on the stimulus (Judd Gregg recused himself, because why should he have to do his job?). That would be John Cornyn, the leader of the campaign committee for Republicans in the Senate, who was too busy wooing potential contributors to vote on providing unemployment benefits and food stamps to needy citizens:

Glenn Thrush says the question from the Senate floor this evening was "where was Cornyn," as the Texas Republican was the only senator to miss the crucial cloture vote on the stimulus package.

The answer: He was at a New York gathering of prominent media conservatives and Wall Street Republican donors called the Monday Meeting, held at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Midtown Manhattan.

Though not a fundraiser, the meeting is a hub of conservative money and buzz, a good place for Cornyn to tap into resources in his role as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Good optics, dude.