Archive: July 02, 2009
"There's something in Hillary as a model for me, because Hillary, well she came in with a different kind of celebrity obviously. But there was a kind of skepticism where she had to prove herself a certain way and also prove not to be a kind of a show horse, but to be a work horse. And so I want to... put my head down and get to work when I get there."
-- Senator-elect Al Franken (D-MN), quoted by
Minnesota Public Radio, on lessons he can learn from Hillary Clinton.
Archive: July 01, 2009
First Read: "In his two cycles as chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Democrats were able to pick up a whopping 14 Senate seats (six in '06 and eight in '08). And when you add Arlen Specter's switch earlier this year, that means that Democrats went from having just 45 senators in 2006 to 60 today. That's a remarkable two cycles."
This is now the first time since the 95th Congress (1977-1979) that one party will have had 60 or more votes in the Senate.
Archive: June 30, 2009
In anticipation of today's
court ruling in Al Franken's favor, Senate Democrats reserved spots for him on four committees, including those taking up the health care overhaul and the Supreme Court nomination,
CQ Politics reports.
Franken could be sworn in as early as Monday, the next day the Senate is in session, but no decision has been made.
"We have 60 votes on paper only. This will help us procedurally but we're still going to have
obstacles to overcome, including two sick Senators and the fact that
not every Democrat is going to stick with the caucus on every single
vote."
-- A senior Senate Democratic
aide, quoted by
Roll Call, on news that Al Franken (D) will soon be sworn in.
Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) has been released from the hospital after a six-and-a-half-week stay,
Roll Call reports.
Archive: June 21, 2009
Since admitting an extramarital affair with a former staffer, Sen. John Ensign's (R-NV) approval rating in his home state has plunged. A new
Las Vegas Review-Journal poll of Nevada voters finds 39% had a favorable view of Ensign, a drop of 14 points from a month ago.
Meanwhile, the percentage who regarded Ensign unfavorably, 37%, was up 19 points from a month ago.
Nonetheless, 62% of Nevada voters do not think Ensign should resign from the Senate.
Archive: June 18, 2009
"The one-time mistress and campaign treasurer of Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) saw her salary double during the
time of the affair," the
Las Vegas Sun reports.
In addition, the woman's 19-year-old son was paid $5,400 by a political operation controlled by Ensign.
"Seven months after nearly becoming politically irrelevant, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) is working closely with a president he actively campaigned against and is playing a leading role in moving major pieces of legislation through the upper chamber,"
The Hill reports.
In the wake of Sen. John McCain's loss in the presidential election, "many political analysts said Lieberman was done. Defying the pundits yet again, Lieberman survived a major effort to take away his Homeland Security Committee chairmanship. And his political stock has spiked."
Archive: June 17, 2009
Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) resigned his Senate Republican leadership post after
admitting having an affair with a staffer, the
AP reports.
Archive: June 16, 2009
"He has no credibility left."
-- Sen. John Ensign (R-NV), quoted by the
Las Vegas Sun in 1998, urging Bill Clinton to resign after he admitted an extramarital affair.
Archive: June 15, 2009
Sen. Robert Byrd's (D-WV) state of health "has prompted some quiet, behind-the-scenes discussions in the event the senator is unable to return to office," the
West Virginia Gazette reports.
West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin (D) met with state Democratic Party chairman Nick Casey last week, with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) on a conference call to discuss contingencies."
Casey "is generally regarded as the consensus choice to serve as a placeholder for Byrd's Senate seat in the event Byrd would have to step down prior to the 2010 elections."
Roll Call reports Byrd is still hospitalized and has no plans to return this week.
Update:
The Hill reports Byrd will undergo physical therapy this week after being in the hospital for a month.
Archive: June 09, 2009
The
Washington Post notes that it's been 15 months since all 100 senators have come to the floor of the chamber for a vote.
The lack of full attendance is due to last year's presidential race, illnesses of several senators and, of course, the still unresolved Senate race in Minnesota.
Archive: May 28, 2009
Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) "is still in the hospital two weeks after he was
admitted for a minor infection, and it remains unclear whether the 91-year-old lawmaker will return to work next week,"
Roll Call reports.
Archive: May 27, 2009
Former Reagan Chief of Staff
Ken Duberstein -- who also guided Justices William Kennedy, David Souter, and Clarence Thomas through their Senate confirmation process -- shares 10 secrets for a smooth trip to the High Court.
- Personal stories are compelling every time.
- Begin your senatorial courtesy calls almost immediately.
- Practice, practice, practice.
- Be prepared for the kitchen sink at the hearings.
- The Constitution stops at the foot of Capitol Hill.
- Tell the truth, always.
- Senators welcome mea culpas in your oral testimony.
- Pause for seven seconds before you answer any question.
- Have an answer for the one question you didn't want to be asked -- because you will undoubtedly be asked that question.
- Senators usually depart when the cameras are turned off, but remember: The microphone will still be on.
He adds a bonus: "You have the best lobbyist in the world at your disposal... the president of the United States, and a popular one at that. Use the president's influence judiciously -- but use it."
Archive: May 19, 2009
Sen. Edward Kennedy's (D-MA) brain cancer is in remission and he is expected back in the Senate after the Memorial Day recess, reports
The Hill.
Kennedy "is expected to lead a markup of highly anticipated health reform legislation in his first month back -- one of the biggest bills of the year and a signature domestic initiative for President Obama."
Archive: May 13, 2009
A "very ticked-off" Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) predicted that the nominee for the Interior Department's number two post "will be approved despite the
lockstep opposition" of Senate Republicans, reports
Politico.
Said Reid: "We will confirm David Hayes. If I have to wait until Al Franken comes, we will confirm David Hayes."
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar was equally ticked off after a vote on the Hayes nomination failed, according to
NBC News.
Said Salazar: "This was a tired vote of bitter obstructionism. It may be uncomfortable
for some to watch us have to clean up mess after mess -- from
corruption to lawbreaking -- that is the previous administration's
legacy at Interior, but to cast a vote against such a qualified and
fine person is the height of cynicism."
Archive: May 12, 2009
In an interview wtih
Details, Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) offers a couple lessons taught to him long ago by a Philadelphia lawyer:
"Never let your face show how hard your ass is being kicked."
"The higher the monkey climbs the flagpole, the more his ass is visible."
Archive: May 08, 2009
Though Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) claimed yesterday that Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) would be "with us all the time" on procedural votes, he apparently didn't check this with his newest Democratic senator.
Instead, Specter told
Fox News, "I'm going to have to talk to Sen. Reid about that."
Perhaps that why the latest
Congressional Insiders Poll shows that more than half of Republicans and Democats think Specter's party switch will influence legislation "only a little" or "not at all."
Archive: May 07, 2009
"In an apparent effort to to ease the tension over Arlen Specter's
bumpy transition into the Senate Democratic caucus, Sen. Dick Durbin is willing to voluntarily relinquish his chairmanship on a Judiciary subcommittee to Specter," sources tell
NBC News.
Specter will become the Chairman of the Crime and Drug Subcommittee.
Roll Call: "The Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs is considered the most prestigious
of the subpanels on Judiciary, because it has jurisdiction over as much
as 70 percent of the Justice Department's budget and is responsible for
writing crime and drug sentencing laws."
Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA), "has rapidly discovered that switching parties is not as simple as checking a new box on a voter-registration card," the
New York Times reports.
"After a week and a day as a Democrat, Mr. Specter is viewed with suspicion by his new Democratic colleagues, with general disdain by his old Republican friends, and with an odd mix of amusement and pity all around."
"Under intense analysis of his every move and utterance, Mr. Specter canceled a scheduled appearance on Wednesday night on
Larry King Live on CNN."
The Fix: "A series of odd incidents that have proceeded from Specter's party switch last week have raised questions about whether the newest Democrat has permanently damaged himself in the eyes of the state's voters. The White House is concerned enough about the developments that deputy chief of staff Jim Messina and Ron Klain, a senior adviser to Vice President Biden, traveled to Capitol Hill on Wednesday and huddled with Specter to try to iron out the problems."
CQ Politics: More losers than winners from Specter switch.
Archive: May 06, 2009
"I think everyone should just kind of relax and understand that he's a Democrat, we're doing our best to make him happy as a Democrat. I think he is."
-- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, in a CNN interview, about Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) and the
controversy over his seniority.
Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) "infuriated Senate Republicans when he bolted from their party last week. Now he's alienated just about everybody in the Senate Democratic caucus, too,"
Politico notes.
"The blowback came Tuesday night: On a voice vote, the Senate voted to strip Specter of his 29 years of seniority, effectively transforming him in a blink-and-you-missed-it-moment from one of the most senior senators in the body to a lowly freshman on most committees."
Update: Specter issues a
statement: "Senator Reid assured me that I would keep my committee assignments and
that I would have the same seniority as if I had been elected as a
Democrat in 1980. It was understood that the issue of subcommittee
chairmanships would not be decided until after the 2010 election. Some
members of the caucus have raised concerns about my seniority, so the
caucus will vote on my seniority at the same time subcommittee
chairmanships are confirmed after the 2010 election. I am confident my
seniority will be maintained under the arrangement I worked out with
Senator Reid."
Archive: May 05, 2009
Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) reversed himself from
comments he made in an interview in which he said he wanted Norm Coleman (R) to prevail in the disputed Minnesota Senate race against Al Franken (D),
CQ Politics reports.
Said Specter: "In the swirl of moving from one caucus to another, I have to get used to my new teammates. I'm ordinarily pretty correct in what I say. I've made a career of being precise. I conclusively misspoke."
Asked who he's backing now in elections, Specter said, "I'm looking for more Democratic members. Nothing personal."
Vanity Fair runs an excerpt from the new book,
Ted Kennedy: The Dream That Never Died by Edward Klein.
Most interesting: Klein reports that Sen. Ted Kennedy felt it was very important to have a Kennedy in the Senate after he was gone, so when Sen. Hillary Clinton's seat became available, "he put it to Caroline almost like a last wish, and Caroline felt that she couldn't let her uncle Teddy down."
Klein says "it honestly never occurred" to Caroline "that the seat wouldn't be given to her immediately." So when Governor Paterson "failed to react, and made her wait, she seethed."
The book also claims it was Caroline's children who ultimately convinced her to take her name out of the running for the Senate because they "felt that she was becoming a different person -- one that they didn't much like."
Archive: May 04, 2009
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) will take over as ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee "after striking a deal with his more senior colleagues over the weekend," sources confirm to
The Hill.
Under terms of the deal, Sessions will serve as ranking member until the 112th Congress, when he will take over the ranking member post on the Senate Budget Committee. Current Budget Committee ranking member Judd Gregg (R-NH) is retiring at the end of the 111th Congress.
Archive: May 02, 2009
After Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid initially said he would let Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA)
keep his seniority after switching parties, he now seems to favoring a compromise,
The Hill reports.
"Under pressure, Reid now says it will be up to the Democratic caucus to determine whether to recognize Specter's 28 1/2 years of seniority. Furthermore, Reid now does not think Specter will displace any senior Democrat atop a coveted committee or subcommittee."
Archive: April 30, 2009
"Senior Senate Democrats are objecting to the deal Majority Leader Harry Reid made with Sen. Arlen Specter, saying they will vote against letting the former Republican shoot to the top of powerful committees after he switches parties," according to
The Hill.
"Several Democrats are furious with Reid for agreeing to let Specter keep his seniority, accrued over more than 28 years as a GOP senator. That agreement would allow Specter to leap past senior Democrats on powerful panels -- including the Appropriations and Judiciary committees."
Archive: April 29, 2009
Politico: "Specter informed McConnell on Tuesday morning of his final decision to leave the GOP but not before some last-minute gamesmanship by Reid. Reid called McConnell on Tuesday morning to tell his GOP counterpart that Specter had asked for a meeting, and he asked McConnell what it was about. At that time, Reid already knew that Specter was ready to change parties."
"It's looking likely that there won't be any Jewish Republicans left in the Senate -- unless Norm Coleman can rise from the political dead in Minnesota," reports
Politico.
"Between Arlen Specter's
party switch and Coleman's likely loss in Minnesota, the only Jewish Republican member of Congress left is House Minority Whip Eric Cantor."
Archive: April 28, 2009
From the White House:
"In the morning, the President, the Vice President, and Senator Arlen Specter will address the media in the Diplomatic Room... Immediately following the meeting, the President will depart the White House to travel to St. Louis, Missouri."
Update:
The Hill has a good report on the morning meeting.
Vice President Biden has been lobbying Sen. Arlen Specter to switch parties since 2004, according to
ABC News.
"That conversation has continued since, the source says -- in the Senate, on the Judiciary Committee (which both men have chaired), and on Amtrak. Biden's Wilmington stop is 30 minutes before Specter's in Philly."
Greg Sargent notes the topic came up in 14 conversations this year : six in-person meetings and at least eight phone calls with Specter.
With Sen. Arlen Specter's
party switch -- and Al Franken's expected seating -- President Obama has an opportunity to remove a major procedural roadblock in the Senate that his predecessors would have envied.
Karen Tumulty: "How long has it been? You have to go all the way back to 1937 to find the last American President who enjoyed what was, in practice, a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, according to Senate Associate Historian Donald Ritchie."
Politico quotes Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME): "We're heading to having the smallest political tent in history, the way things are unfolding."
According to the
U.S. Senate historian, Sen. Arlen Specter is the 21st senator to switch parties during their Senate service.
Sen. Arlen Specter told Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) about his
decision to switch parties in person yesterday.
The Hill reports Senate Republican leaders "received no heads up" from Specter about his decision.
Meanwhile,
Ben Smith reports Vice President Joe Biden "deeply involved" in the talks with Specter to make the switch.
NBC News says Democrats promised Specter would face no Democratic challenger but that he was promised no committee chairmanship in return for switching parties.
Archive: April 27, 2009
CQ Politics: "Tensions are rising in the Senate over President Obama's nominees, as Republicans delay selections and Democrats complain that the disputes are slowing important legislation."
"The weakened Republican minority finds it difficult to amend legislation, but nominations provide opportunities to highlight policy disputes on high-profile issues, including foreign policy and abortion rights. Democrats contend that plodding through confirmation debates followed by protracted votes hinders legislative progress on their priorities, such as health care, energy and economic affairs."
Archive: April 24, 2009
The
New Republic reports a deal on how to handle health care reform was hatched last night in a five-hour negotiating session at the office of Senate Majoriy Leader Harry Reid.
"It's been in the works for a while and now, according to senior Capitol Hill staffers, it's a done deal: The final budget resolution will include a 'reconciliation instruction' for health care. That means the Democrats can pass health care reform with just 50 votes, instead of the 60 it takes to break a filibuster."
The reconciliation instruction specifies October 15 as the drop dead date.
"In other words, the House and Senate each have until that day to pass health care legislation. If they haven't, then both houses will consider health care under the reconciliation process, which is relevant primarily for the way it affects the Senate. There will be a limit on the time of debate. Republicans won't be able to filibuster it."
Archive: April 22, 2009
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), the man in charge of electing more Republicans to the Senate, "said it will be difficult to stop the Democrats from winning a 60-seat majority in 2010," according to
The Hill.
Said Cornyn: "That's going to be real hard, to be honest with you. Everybody who runs could be the potential tipping point to get Democrats to 60. We've not only got to play defense; we've got to claw our way back in 2010. It'll be a huge challenge."
"So far this cycle, Republicans have been
faced with retirements in four
swing states, emerging primaries against at least three of their
members and a map that, after two cycles of big GOP losses, continues
to favor Democrats."
Archive: April 20, 2009
As Congress returns from a two-week hiatus,
CQ Politics says the main focus isn't on what will happen on the House or Senate floor.
Rather, the real action will be in committees, where sweeping legislation dealing with contentious issues including global warming and health care will be debated over the next several weeks.
Archive: April 03, 2009
Heard in the
CQ newsroom:
Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) cast his 10,000th vote of his Senate career. While that may not seem like a lot when compared to some other
longer-serving senators, just 28 have ever achieved that
may votes.
In addition, Grassley holds the record among current
senators for the longest, uninterrupted streak of consecutive votes --
5,473 over the past 16 years. He last missed a vote when touring flooded areas of his state with President Clinton in 1993.
Archive: April 02, 2009
The Senate embarked on its annual budget "vote-a-rama," an event many feel is deeply flawed but that neither party has found a way to avoid,
CQ Politics reports.
"
The vote-a-rama is unique to the budget
resolution, which is subject to special rules of debate. The resolution
is debated for 50 hours, although some of that time can be yielded
back. Amendments can be offered after that time expires, as part of an
effort to ensure the minority party has a fighting chance to influence
the final resolution, which cannot be filibustered. This sets up a
scenario where dozens of amendments are voted on in back-to-back votes
that can continue for hours."
Archive: March 27, 2009
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) acknowledged that he had reached out to Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) in recent weeks to try to convince him to abandon the Republican party, reports
CQ Politics.
But Reid said Specter effectively answered the question by announcing he would
vote against limiting debate on a major Democratic priority -- so-called "card check" legislation that would ease union organizing rules.
Said Reid: "Yes, I've talked to him. But I think he -- in coming out against card check -- kind of stopped everyone from being able to help him."
Nonetheless, Reid was hopeful Democrats would get their 60-seat filibuster-proof majority in the 2010 elections.
Archive: March 26, 2009
CQ Politics: "Talk about collegiality. Charles E. Grassley is thinking about passing up the top spot on a committee he really likes in order to help colleague Arlen Specter."
Archive: March 24, 2009
Heard in the
CQ newsroom:
Despite pressure to resign, Sen. Roland Burris (D-IL) isn't acting like a senator who is about to leave. In fact, he just added two more people to his staff today.
Meanwhile, Illinois authorities are still looking into whether Burris may
have committed perjury about his contacts with Gov. Rod Blagojevich or his
emissaries over his Senate appointment. The Senate Ethics panel also is conducting a preliminary
inquiry to decide whether a full investigation of Burris is warranted.
With several Republicans leery of the legislation and Obama expressing strong reservations, it is becoming increasingly likely consideration will be put off until the next Senate work period,
CQ Politics reports.
A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid notes the Senate would note move the bill without unanimous consent before the April 6 congressional recess.
Helping justify the delay: New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced late Monday that many of the top bonus recipients at AIG had returned the money, and that he hopes to recover about half of the $165 million paid out.
Archive: March 23, 2009
It's
budget week, so President Obama will attend a lunch with Senate Democrats tomorrow to continue selling his budget plan, reports
Manu Raju.
Archive: March 20, 2009
China-based hackers successfully breached the office computers of Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL),
CQ Politics reports.
