Tag Archives: Senate

Senate Reform Ends With A Whimper

Yesterday the U.S. Senate voted on some wimpy, watered-down Senate reform package.

Under the terms of the agreement the senate will hold votes on:

    • Eliminating secret holds, including the right of senators to pass their secret holds to another anonymous senator to keep a rolling secret hold;
    • Eliminating the delaying tactic of forcing the reading of an amendment that has already been submitted for 72 hours and is publicly available;
    • Legislation to exempt about 1/3 of all nominations from the Senate confirmation process, reducing the number of executive nominations subject to Senate delays, which will be scheduled at a future date under the terms of an agreement reached by Sens. Mitch McConnell and Lamar Alexander, Homeland Security and Government Affairs Chairman Joe Lieberman and HSGA ranking member Sen. Susan Collins, along with Sens. Reid and Chuck Schumer.

    • In addition, in a colloquy entered into the record:

    • Sen. McConnell agreed not to use the constitutional option to seek
      to change Senate rules “in this Congress or the next Congress.”
    • Sen. McConnell agreed to reduce use of the filibuster on motions to proceed and Sen. Reid agreed to reduce the use of “filling the tree”
      to block all amendments.

    • Congress Matters‘s David Waldman, who has been a leader in the reform effort, had this reaction:

    The deal is what it is. In terms of real reform, it’s next to nothing. But, still, next to. One-third of all executive nominations is one-third of 1400+. Eliminating the “secret” part of secret holds is… nice, though we were all hoping that they’d do something about the “hold” part. Being able to waive the reading of amendments — including substitute amendments, which is the real problem — so long as they’ve been publicly available for 72 hours is just good sense.

    …

    Part II of the deal involves the so-called “gentleman’s agreement.” That’s the part where McConnell agrees not to filibuster the motion to proceed so much, and Reid agrees not to “fill the amendment tree” (which prevents Senators — on both sides, quite often — from offering amendments to bills). But the new twist is that they (presumably — the text above only says McConnell) agree not to use the constitutional option to try to change Senate rules in this
    Congress or the next.

    …

    Is it a “win?” No. But it should also be understood in context. Senate rules reform fights have never been won right out of the gate. The successful reforms of the past have all required several attempts, spread out in two-year intervals, sometimes stretching out over decades. In “blogging years,” that’s an eternity. In the United States Senate, where many members serve for 30 years or more, that can be the blink of an eye.

    What can I say besides blarghhhhh?

    First in Filibusters

    As Unstable Isotope mentioned yesterday, the Senate Democrats are looking to re-work the Senate rules of filibusters. It turns out that facts show us that Republicans in the 111th Congress broke the filibuster record by a large, large freaking margin.

    It’s looking like that number of votes won’t change to overturn a filibuster, but what might change is what a Senator can filibuster on and how they can do it. Yeah, I know this is another video from The Last Word, but it does give a good overview of what may happen in January.

    Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

    Call The Wahmbulance

    Republicans have been showing us their best behavior during the “mighty duck” lame duck session. Democrats actually expect them to work and stuff. It’s so unfair! Lindsey Graham has a sad because Republicans have had to show their bad side.

    Said Graham: “The last two weeks have been an absolutely excruciating exercise — Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell — a controversial topic. Some say the civil rights issue of our generation, others say battlefield effectiveness was passed in the lame-duck session without one amendment being offered. The DREAM Act we’ve had two votes on the DREAM Act. Controversial immigration, there was no efforts to find a common ground there, passed without the ability to amend to try to make Republicans look bad with Hispanics.”

    Like Republicans need the Democrats’ help for that! This is ironic coming from Lindsey Graham, one of the impeachment managers of the lame duck impeachment of Bill Clinton.

    Pick The Hill To Die On

    First, let’s talk about reality. The US Senate is the most ridiculous legislative body on earth. It has a lot of rules and runs by unanimous consent. It is a major cause of the government disfunction right now. Also, Republicans control the media. They have their own 24/7 media outlet and it is treated by the rest of the media like a legitimate news outlet. Republicans have the ability to get any story they want covered by the media. Here’s the reality:

    • Reoublicans have enough Senators to stop any legislation they want.
    • Republicans don’t get punished for being nihilists.
    • Republicans have stated their top priority – making sure Obama is not re-elected.

    • Is this really surprising then?

    WASHINGTON — Not even 24 hours after President Obama met with senior Republican Congressional leaders and expressed hopes for a “new dialogue,” renewed partisan fury engulfed the Senate on Wednesday, as Republicans threatened to block any legislation until a deal is reached to extend the expiring Bush-era tax cuts, potentially derailing the Democrats’ busy end-of-year agenda.

    The blunt threat was made in a letter to the majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, and signed by all 42 Senate Republicans. And it was reiterated by the Republican leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, in a speech in which he accused Democratic leaders and Mr. Obama of ignoring the midterm election results.

    That means no START treaty ratification, no DADT repeal, no DREAM act unless Republicans get their way. The rumor is that the vote will be for extending all tax cuts for 3 years. Although the House will vote only on middle class tax cuts and perhaps they have the ability to hold up the House vote on the 3-yr extension.

    What’s the alternative? Letting all the tax cuts expire and as many have said come back with the shiny new “Obama tax cuts” in the next session. You know, the session where Republicans control the legislative agenda in the House. The session where DADT will never get voted on, the DREAM act is only a dream and perhaps we can get a vote on START, but there’s a whole group of new Republicans with stupid demands in exchange.

    So my question is – what hill do we want to die on? Personally I’d like to see the Bush tax cuts die because I think they’re bad for the economy. However, this is the first negotiation in a while where Obama has something the Republicans want. Is it really so bad to compromise and gain something in return? I guess the problem I’m having right now with the tax cut purity on the left is that it seems to accept the right’s premise that taxes and deficit are the most important issues right now. I don’t agree with that.

    DL interviews Chris Coons: Science!

    In Part 2 of our interview with Chris Coons, Unstable Isotope asks Mr. Coons to talk about how he will use his background in science to inform his decisions in the Senate.

    [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_EoEESerAg[/youtube]

    UI adds:

    Not captured on video was a discussion we had about science and technology committees in the Senate (I suggested he request to be on one of those). He then related some funny anecdotes about having “only” a B.A. in chemistry (as opposed to a B.S.) and then we got into a real chemgeek discussion about Physical Chemistry (it’s the O…M…G… class in the chemistry curriculum) and about how when he was a T.A. for the p-chem lab he told his professor that thermodynamics doesn’t make sense and she told him “you’re perfect!” (Maybe this is only hilarious if you’re a chemist). Oh well, perhaps lg can weigh in on this conversation.

    DL Interviews Chris Coons – Money and Politics

    Unstable Isotope and I got a chance to interview Chris Coons on Thursday afternoon.  I will post these over the next day or so.

    The first episode is two questions, one about the impact that the huge budget of Christine O’Donnell has had on his campaign.  The second question was about Mr. Coons’ thoughts on reforming the Senate.

    [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLw8iNw5nDo[/youtube]

    Conservative Senators Love Mike Castle

    Anyone who thinks Mike Castle would be some kind of moderate thorn in the side of the conservative GOP Senate minority leadership is fooling themselves.

    Among those senators who reported giving to Castle in October were Thad Cochran (Miss.), whose Senate Victory Fund PAC gave $10,000; Orrin G. Hatch (Utah), whose OrrinPAC donated $5,000; Pat Roberts (Kan.), whose Preserving America’s Traditions PAC gave $5,000; and Mike Johanns (Neb.), whose Prairieland PAC donated $2,000.

    Link: CQ

    Cochran is what passes for a “moderate” in Mississippi, which means just like Castle, he voted with Bush almost all of the time except on Stem Cells. Cochran and Roberts are two of only nine Senators to vote against prohibiting torture at Guantanamo. Roberts spent his time as Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman busily covering up the Bush Administration’s malfeasance. Orrin hatch recently declared “holy war” over health card reform, but joins Castle and Cochran in the Stem Cell Club (health research is fine as long as no one can afford to benefit from it). Johanns, the newcomer of the group, wrote the unconstitutional Bill of Attainder against ACORN, but voted against the Franken amendment that would withhold funding from defense contractors who try to prevent sexually assaulted employees from going to court (In the case of Jamie Leigh Jones, KBR locked her in a shipping container without food or water).

    Just as banking and health insurer money bought Castle’s votes on bankruptcy and health care, so too will these Senators buy Castle votes on civil liberties and the reactionary social agenda (now you know why Castle voted for the Stupak-Pitts Amendment, AKA denying coverage for emergency contraception).

    Evening Castle Update

    The Post’s Chris Cilzza has this to say about the GOP’s prospects of holding onto Castle’s seat in the house.

    While Republicans will make real efforts in the seats of Kirk, Gerlach and Castle (if it comes open), the underlying demographics — not to mention that each of the seats is in a very expensive media market — argue against their ability to keep the seat under their control in 2010.

    Well he got the the expensive media market thing wrong.

    Elsewhere in the blogosphere – some wingnut who hates reality is mad at Castle for his Cap & Trade vote.

    Now he says Castle is on his list and if Castle votes for Obama’s health plan…then oooh..boy of boy…he is really going to get it. Get what? I have no idea.

    Deep Anger Management Thought

    Even Matt Denn tells me I need to get over it.

    Just let it wash over me that Mike Castle lied his ass off. He will be our next Senator….Ohhhmmmm….let that manra somehow bring me peace.

    Matt is wise and I guess he has a point. I’d be a lot more easy going if I could just forget that Mike Castle voted 95% with George Bush while calling himself a moderate. I could releax if I could forget the more recent lockstep vote with the Republicans to try and defeat President Obama’s economic recovery plan.

    In the end, I think the thing that really gets me was the betrayal. I was a ticket splitter just like everyone else and I thought Castle did have the integrity to break with his party.

    Boy, was I ever a sucker.

    Final Thought

    Sometimes I wonder if maybe Tom Carper is encouraging Castle to run for Senate, so they can go on riding Amtrak together for 6 more years. Castle would support Carper’s watered-down no-brainer environmental agenda, Carper would support Castle’s money picture schemes, and together they’d protect big corporations from consumers. I’m not saying Carper would actively campaign for Castle, but in a Castle-Beau race, I wouldn’t count on seeing Carper show his face a whole lot on the campaign trail. Would Carper encourage Beau to run for re-election rather than the Senate? Would you put it past him? And who would run instead?

    I know, I’m just indulging in worthless idle speculation – the kind that made Celia Cohen the Delaware celebrity (delebrity?) she is today. Well, that and butt-kissing.

    motivator2643423

    Recovery Deal

    According to the NYT (and the BBC who is reporting this now), the Dem leadership plus the so-called moderate group reached a deal on the recovery package. As of now, there aren’t many details and no clear info on when a vote will be taken. Senator Kennedy has returned to DC to vote on this, so I presume it will be very soon. EDIT: Suzanne over at Redwaterlily has more detail.

    So while we wait for the vote, here’s the Daily Show on the shenanigans by Repubs in the Senate:

    NY Senate: Blue Dog Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand to replace Clinton

    So says local WB news affiliate WPIX-11.

    PIX11 News has learned Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand is the choice of Governor David Paterson to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton.  Two Congressional sources tell PIX News that the Governor will make his announcement in Albany at noon tomorrow.  He has invited members of the state’s Democratic Congressional delegation to join him.

    Ugh, what a disaster. Rep. Gillibrand (D, NY-20) is pretty much the most conservative Democrat in the state’s delegation (with the possible exception of the newly-elected Mike McMahon in NY-13, Staten Island). Here’s what the Village Voice has to say about the matter:

    Gillibrand has described her own voting record as “one of the most conservative in the state.” She opposes any path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, supports renewing the Bush tax cuts for individuals earning up to $1 million annually, and voted for the Bush-backed FISA bill that permits wiretapping of international calls. She was one of four Democratic freshmen in the country, and the only Democrat in the New York delegation, to vote for the Bush administration’s bill to extend funding for the Iraq war shortly after she entered congress in 2007.

    Yeccch. She also voted against the bailout bill, which is not a very smart move in a state that’s home to Wall Street. Say what you will about the bailout, but that is going to cost her dearly on Long Island (where the two most populous “swing” counties in the state are).

    I hope Gov. Paterson chooses Rep. Carolyn Maloney (NY-14) instead, a much more progressive candidate who is far more in line with Secretary Clinton’s values.

    Update: The other progressive Carolyn M. in the state delegation, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, already pre-emptively threatened a primary challenge in 2010. That is what things are like in a state not burdened by The Delaware Way.