THESYNDROME.COM » Senate

Obama’s National Security Team Will Face Multiple Challenges

Top Stories from CQ — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:34:21 +0000

As President-elect Barack Obama announces his national security team, he faces two early hurdles: The Senate must confirm most of his nominees, and they must help him chart a new course on defense, foreign policy and homeland security.

N.Y. Governor Navigating Political Thicket to Fill Clinton Seat

Top Stories from CQ — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:15:36 +0000

President-elect Obama has waited until today to officially announce New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s selection as Secretary of State, but the wrangling to determine her successor in the Senate has already been under way for weeks.

Indigenous permit plan killed in the Senate - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

The Angryindian — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 11:13:00 +0000

Send post as PDF to Sphere: Related Content

Minn. board refuses voided absentee ballots

msnbc.com: Politics — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:42:35 +0000

In a blow to Democrat Al Franken, a state board ruled Wednesday that absentee ballots that were rejected by poll workers won't be included in Minnesota's Senate recount.

Palin to stump with Sen. Saxby Chambliss

msnbc.com: Politics — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:35:08 +0000

The Alaska governor will attend four rallies across Georgia on the eve of the hotly contested Dec. 2 runoff, which could prove key in the battle over a filibuster-proof Senate.

Memo to the news media

Meteor Blades — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 23:05:04 +0000

If you're going to go around claiming "Daily Kos" thinks a certain way or says something, then show your work. Add some quotes. Cite some authors. Make the distinction between editors (who can speak editorially for the site) and commenters and diarists (who speak for themselves).

And when you do decide to cite authors, make sure they are talking about what you think they are talking about.

Mr Obama has moved quickly in the last 48 hours to get his cabinet team in place, unveiling a raft of heavyweight appointments, in addition to Hillary Clinton as his Secretary of State [...]

Markos Moulitsas, founder of the Daily Kos site, the in-house talking shop for the anti-war Left, warned that Democrats risk sounding "tone deaf" to the views of "the American electorate that voted in overwhelming numbers for change from the discredited Bush policies."

The author of that piece, Tim Shipman, is a moron. I was taking about the Senate's decision to keep Joe Lieberman aboard. That had nothing to do with 1) Obama's appointments, or 2) Hillary Clinton.

Really, it's getting tiresome of you media people inserting words into our mouths. Stop it.

Ted Stevens gives last Senate speech

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:24:20 +0000

In a painfully poignant moment reminiscent of the fall of yesteryear's Senate giants, Republican Ted Stevens has spoken and yielded the floor for the last time.

Today in Congress/Open Thread

admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:40:03 +0000

In the House, courtesy of the Office of the Majority Leader:

FLOOR SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2008
House meets at 10:00 a.m. for Legislative Business
No votes are expected

Members are advised that following the Pledge of Allegiance, the House is expected to recess subject to the Call of the Chair awaiting further action from the Senate.

**Additional information regarding the Floor schedule for the remainder of the week will be announced as it becomes available.

In the Senate, courtesy of the Office of the Majority Leader:

Convenes: 9:30am

Morning Business for up to 1 hour with senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.

Following Morning Business, the Senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to cal. #1113, H.R.6867, Unemployment Insurance Extension.
Votes:
Roll Call Votes are expected during Thursday's session.

Translation, the House is waiting to see what kind of stimulus/bailout package the Senate passes, and the Senate is probably giving up and passing unemployment benefits extensions instead.

Over at OpenCongress.org, the unemployment benefits extension bill is apparently one of their most-viewed write-ups on legislation. Check them out for a little additional background.

Still more at BobGeiger.com.

McCain returns to the Senate, seeks 5th term

admin — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:15:59 +0000

The Arizona senator whose presidential bid was snuffed out two weeks ago by Barack Obama, was welcomed back by 2004's failed Democratic presidential nominee, John Kerry.

Good for Begich and the Democrats in Alaska. A shout out to the DNC staffers there as well.

madfloridian's Journal - Democratic Underground — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:07:04 +0000

Thanks for protecting us for at least a while from Senate run by Sarah Palin. I was thinking back to two years ago when Matt Bai of the New York Times traveled to Alaska with Howard Dean. He pointed out how there was almost ridicule among Democratic leaders for such expenditures. It was actua...

Make That Former Senator Ted Stevens

admin — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:00:01 +0000

Democrat Mark Begich unseats Stevens in Alaska, bringing Dems one step closer to a filibuster-proof Senate.

Alaska Poised to Elect Democrat Mark Begich to Senate

admin — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 23:00:01 +0000

As vote counting in Alaska continued Tuesday, Democrat Mark Begich pulled ahead of Sen. Ted Stevens by more than 3,700 votes.

Win or lose on Election Day, Republicans and conservatives hold majority on Face the Nation and Fox News Sunday

admin — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 19:17:03 +0000

On the first two Sundays following the November 4 elections, in which a Democrat took the White House and the party added to its majority in both the House and Senate, viewers of Fox Broadcasting Co.'s Fox News Sunday and CBS' Face the Nation saw post-election analysis dominated by conservatives and Republicans. A Media Matters for America analysis found that the guest and panelist lineups on those two shows, post-election, were consistent with their guest and panelist lineups in the first six weeks after the November 2004 elections -- conservatives and Republicans appeared in greater numbers on Face the Nation and Fox News Sunday in the weeks immediately after both presidential elections, despite dramatically different results in 2004 and 2008.

The November 9 and 16, 2008, editions of Face the Nation included a total of four Republicans or conservatives (three guests and one panelist) compared with two Democrats or progressives (both guests). Likewise, the November 7 and 14, 2004, editions of Face the Nation featured a total of four Republicans or conservatives (all guests), while featuring just one Democrat or progressive (a guest). During the first six weeks of Face the Nation following the 2004 election, seven Republicans or conservatives (six guests, one panelist) and three Democrats or progressives (all guests) appeared.

The November 9 and 16, 2008, editions of Fox News Sunday featured more than double the number of Republicans or conservatives as Democrats or progressives, with a total of nine (five guests and four panelists) Republicans or conservatives, compared with four Democrats or progressives (two guests, two panelists). That is similar to the November 7 and 14, 2004, editions of Fox News Sunday, which featured a total of seven Republicans or conservatives (three guests, four panelists) and three Democrats or progressives (one guest, two panelists). The more-than-2-to-1 ratio held through the first six weeks of Fox News Sunday following the 2004 election, during which 22 Republicans or conservatives (10 guests, 12 panelists) and 10 Democrats or progressives (six guests, four panelists) appeared.

Face the Nation

First two weeks after Election Day 2008	Guests	3 Republicans/conservatives, 2 Democrats/progressives
	Panelists	1 R/C, 1 Neutral
	Total	4 R/C, 2 D/P, 1 N
First two weeks after Election Day 2004	Guests	4 R/C, 1 D/P, 1 N
	Panelists	none
	Total	4 R/C, 1 D/P, 1 N
First six weeks after Election Day 2004	Guests	6 R/C, 3 D/P, 6 N
	Panelists	1 R/C, 4 N
	Total	7 R/C, 3 D/P, 10 N

Fox News Sunday

First two weeks after Election Day 2008	Guests	5 R/C, 2 D/P
	Panelists	4 R/C, 2 D/P, 2 N
	Total	9 R/C, 4 D/P, 2 N
First two weeks after Election Day 2004	Guests	3 R/C, 1 D/P
	Panelists	4 R/C, 2 D/P, 2 N
	Total	7 R/C, 3 D/P, 2 N
First six weeks after Election Day 2004	Guests	10 R/C, 6 D/P
	Panelists	12 R/C, 4 D/P, 8 N
	Total	22 R/C, 10 D/P, 8 N

Media Matters has documented the conservative skew of guests and panelists on Face the Nation, ABC's This Week, and NBC's Meet the Press from 1997 to 2005, and for This Week, Face the Nation, Fox News Sunday, and Meet the Press in 2005 and 2006.

To view a chart detailing Media Matters' coding of guests and panelists on the November 7, 2004, November 14, 2004, November 21, 2004, November 28, 2004, December 5, 2004, December 12, 2004, November 9, 2008, and November 16, 2008, editions of Face the Nation, Fox News Sunday, This Week, and Meet the Press, click here.

Lawmakers choose GOP, Dem leaders for ‘09

admin — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:59:15 +0000

The next Congress took shape behind closed doors Tuesday as Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate elected leaders and conferred on the fates of their frowned-upon colleagues.

Lieberman to keep committee chair

admin — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:48:03 +0000

Sen. Joe Lieberman will keep his chairmanship of the Senate Homeland Security Committee despite hard feelings over his support for GOP nominee John McCain during the presidential campaign.