Tag: U.S. Senate
Some Optimism About Ending the Filibuster
“Despite all of this, I am more hopeful today than I have been in a long time that Senate Democrats will eliminate the filibuster, pass H.R. 1, and save democracy. It’s very far from a done deal. There is a lot of work to do, but if you squint hard enough and read between the lines, you can see real reasons for optimism.”
— Dan Pfeiffer
Former Senators Say Senate Is Broken
“The Senate’s abdication of its legislative and oversight responsibilities erodes the checks and balances of the separate powers that are designed to protect the liberties on which our democracy depends.”
— Seventy former senators from both parties wrote an open letter arguing that the U.S. Senate isn’t functioning as the Founders intended.
Why Doug Jones will Lose His Senate Seat to a Republican in Alabama
When a less chewed up and spit out Jeff Sessions vacated his Senate seat in 2017 to become Donald Trump’s first U.S. Attorney General, it forced a special election in Alabama to replace him. And that’s about the only way a Democrat like Doug Jones was ever going to win in that state.
The reason is straight ticket voting (STV). Alabama (and six other states*) still offer this option for those who have one concern when casting a ballot: party affiliation.
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Mitch McConnell’s ‘Very Expensive Lunch Club’
“Three times a week the Senate Republicans meet for lunch… And occasionally they walk into that chamber and take a vote or two or three on judges. That is the sum total of the Senate’s work today. Mitch McConnell has effectively turned the United States Senate into a very expensive lunch club.”
— Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), quoted by The Hill.
Senators Get One-Week Recess Instead of Four
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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) “told lawmakers that the Senate will recess for one week instead of four to work on nominations and legislation,” the Washington Post reports.
Divine Sense of Humor?
Minnesotan Michele Bachmann is weighing a U.S. Senate Run,
Which would inject our sorry politics with some whack-job fun.
But before facing the nation,
She seeks divine confirmation.
And we’re fervently hoping God tells her she’s His Chosen One.
Jimmy Kimmel: Punkin’ Alabama with ‘Judge Roy Moore’s Number One Fan’
Jimmy Kimmel sent comedian Jake Bird to Alabama to punk Judge Roy Moore and his fans.
If Moore Is Elected, Senate has to Seat Him
“If he is elected, there are no grounds under the Constitution to fail to seat him. The Constitution says you can only look at citizenship, whether they are a resident of the state, and if they are the proper age. So we have to seat him.”
— Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), quoted by CNN, on whether the U.S. Senate would refuse to seat Roy Moore (R) if he wins Alabama’s special election.
A Classified Bus Ride
Amid concern over when and where North Korea’s bomb will drop,
Trump called the Senate together to say let’s make Kim stop.
But when all was said and done,
Senators concluded, as one —
The president had just called them to gather for a photo op.
