U.S. Senate Archives - Page 3 of 5

The Ten Senate Races Democrats Are Most Likely to Win in 2016

May 16, 2015May 16, 2015 Jon Ponder

We’re not yet halfway through 2015 but the 2016 race for control of the U.S. Senate is starting to take shape. This week The Hill ranked the 10 most competitive races — and since then there has been a development in the race The Hill listed as likely to be the easiest pickup for Democrats.

Yesterday former Sen. Russ Feingold, the Democratic incumbent who was unseated by current Sen. Ron Johnson in 2010, announced he was entering the race. Johnson, a tea partyist, won by 5 percentage points in the tea party’s anti-Obamacare wave election after spending millions of his own money. The Hill quotes him as saying he won’t self-fund this year — which only means he’ll rely on his wealthy cronies to spend unlimited money anonymously to fund his campaign. The Hill cited a poll by PPP taken before Feingold’s announcement that found Feingold with 50 percent support against Johnson’s 41 percent. Wisconsin has voted for the Democratic candidate in every presidential cycle since 1984.

Within hours after Feingold’s announcement, Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts endorsed him, according to an email sent by the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee.

The Hill’s other nine most-competitive races are:

[…]

Obama Supports Ending Senate Filibuster

February 10, 2015 Buck Banks

Probably the one thing that we could change without a constitutional amendment that would make a difference here would be the elimination of the routine use of the filibuster in the Senate. Because I think that does, in an era in which the parties are more polarized, it almost ensures greater gridlock and less clarity in terms of the positions of the parties. There’s nothing in the Constitution that requires it.

— President Obama, telling Vox the U.S. Senate should eliminate the filibuster.

They Reluctantly Relent

January 22, 2015 Buck Banks

They ain’t scientists, they’re just plain folks,
And they don’t appreciate them “naysayer” jokes.
That’s why the Senate
Took a stand, dammit!
And voted 98 to 1 that climate change ain’t no hoax.

It’s a New Political Reality in the Senate

December 15, 2014 Buck Banks

No majority leader in my era would have thought to attempt to go around the committee and negotiate over the head of the committee chair. You could not get away with it.

— Former Sen. Bob Packwood (R-OR), quoted by the Washington Post, on Senate Finance Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) being bypassed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV).

Half of Senators Who Voted for ACA Are Gone from Senate

December 8, 2014 Buck Banks

1/2

Of the Senators who voted to pass the Affordable Care Act will still be in office in 2015, when the new members are sworn in, Bloomberg notes. “Nineteen of them retired or resigned, eight were defeated for re-election and three died in office.”

Christie Would Rather Be Dead than Be a Senator

October 14, 2014 Buck Banks

I would rather die than be in the United States Senate. Okay? I would be bored to death. Could you imagine me banging around that chamber with 99 other people — asking for a motion on the amendment in the subcommittee? Forget it.

— Gov. Chris Christie (R), quoted by Business Insider.

GOP Strategist Says Pat Roberts Is Just ‘Furniture’ in the Senate

September 25, 2014September 25, 2014 Buck Banks

He’s basically furniture in the Senate, and the people in Kansas know that. You could give the average Kansan 24 hours to come up with something Pat Roberts has done in the Senate, and after 24 hours, even the crickets would be standing there befuddled.

— GOP strategist John Weaver, quoted by the Washington Post.

Forecast Predicts Democrats Likely to Hold the Senate

August 29, 2014 Buck Banks

70%

The probability of Democrats retaining control of the upper chamber, according to Sam Wang’s updated Senate forecast. One reason his forecast is more favorable to Democrats than others is that he’s relying more on actual polls than so-called “fundamentals.”

The Overbearing Underachievers

July 22, 2014July 22, 2014 Buck Banks

No one said that being a U.S. senator was all games and fun,
There are important political battles to be fought and won.
But the Senate’s leadership
Fell prey to partisanship,
And now we can’t recall the last time senators got anything done.

How to Talk About Taxes Without Saying the ‘T’ Word

May 14, 2014 Buck Banks

Well here’s the reality: If you go into a business, and I keep coming back to my background, it’s how I know how to relate is to refer back to it — I was never able to turn around a company just by cutting spending. You had to figure out a way to get revenue growing. And what I just said, there are five people in the U.S. Senate who understand what I just said. You know revenue is not something they think about.

Tag: U.S. Senate

The Ten Senate Races Democrats Are Most Likely to Win in 2016

Obama Supports Ending Senate Filibuster

— President Obama, telling Vox the U.S. Senate should eliminate the filibuster.

They Reluctantly Relent

It’s a New Political Reality in the Senate

No majority leader in my era would have thought to attempt to go around the committee and negotiate over the head of the committee chair. You could not get away with it.

— Former Sen. Bob Packwood (R-OR), quoted by the Washington Post, on Senate Finance Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) being bypassed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV).

Half of Senators Who Voted for ACA Are Gone from Senate

1/2

Of the Senators who voted to pass the Affordable Care Act will still be in office in 2015, when the new members are sworn in, Bloomberg notes. “Nineteen of them retired or resigned, eight were defeated for re-election and three died in office.”

Christie Would Rather Be Dead than Be a Senator

I would rather die than be in the United States Senate. Okay? I would be bored to death. Could you imagine me banging around that chamber with 99 other people — asking for a motion on the amendment in the subcommittee? Forget it.

— Gov. Chris Christie (R), quoted by Business Insider.

GOP Strategist Says Pat Roberts Is Just ‘Furniture’ in the Senate

He’s basically furniture in the Senate, and the people in Kansas know that. You could give the average Kansan 24 hours to come up with something Pat Roberts has done in the Senate, and after 24 hours, even the crickets would be standing there befuddled.

— GOP strategist John Weaver, quoted by the Washington Post.

Forecast Predicts Democrats Likely to Hold the Senate

70%

The probability of Democrats retaining control of the upper chamber, according to Sam Wang’s updated Senate forecast. One reason his forecast is more favorable to Democrats than others is that he’s relying more on actual polls than so-called “fundamentals.”

The Overbearing Underachievers

How to Talk About Taxes Without Saying the ‘T’ Word

— Georgia U.S. Senate candidate David Perdue (R), in an interview with the Macon Telegraph.

Poetic Justice

Verbatim

“If you are committing fraud against the American people, all of us in public leadership should be trying to stop it and throw you in prison for enriching yourself off the American taxpayer.”

— Vice President JD Vance, on Fox News.

“Your generation has a great bullshit meter, because you’re fed bullshit online all day. And the Democratic Party brand right now is so bullshit.”

— Michigan U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed (D), quoted by The Atlantic, speaking to college students.

“We are done, Americans are done with endless conflict in the Middle East, spending trillions of dollars, American lives… this is insane and we have to call it for what it is.”

— Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO), on CNN.

Numerati

+175,000

“The U.S. State Department announced on Monday that it has revoked more than 175,000 visas during President Donald Trump’s administration so far,” Fox News reports.

$4,600

11

30%

A new American Research Group poll finds just 30% of Americans say they approve of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president and 67% say they disapprove.

61% to 35%