Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, who will become Senate majority leader, has named California's two senators to key leadership posts for the next congressional session. Sen. Dianne Feinstein will chair the Senate Rules Committee, which has jurisdiction over federal voting issues and Senate operations, and Sen. Barbara Boxer will chair the Environment and Public Works Committee. They are the first women to chair those committees.
California will do very well when Congress convenes in January. As we already know, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, will become speaker of the House. But the Associated Press also reports that Rep. George Miller, D-Martinez, will become chairman of the Education and Workforce Committee and Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Los Angeles, will become chairman of the Government Reform Committee. That committee could be trouble for the White House. It will lead the Democrats' oversight investigations.
As my dad said during the Clinton administration "The Pendulum swings back and forth it just happens to be at the left right now."
I am enjoying watching the pendulum swing back to the left.
I only hope that the Democrats focus on doing a good job, not on revenge. And also not on getting money in earmarks that they felt deprived of. Let's hope for a upgrade in Washington!
Here here, Phil.
Don't bet the farm on it, though....
a pendulum implies polarity....try as i might, i cannot disern any substantial difference between the parties. please enlighten me, zac
I'm glad the Ethics Committee will again be functioning after not doing there job under Rep control for so many years.
I hope they root out anyone Rep. or Dem. that takes advantage of the system.
Technically I agree j.swift. On the other hand in this land I call home I was taught to be loyal to the team I picked.
I try not to be blindly loyal.
In this specific case this president needs a branch of government separate from his party. Much as when Clinton was in office the Republicans controlled most of congress.
Checks and balances. As I have said before I have no care for who is in office I care about what they do while in office. Bush has not impressed me. My hope is that Democrats take this chance to make positive changes for the country.
There are similarities between the parties, since both try to appeal to the middle-of-the-road type voter as well as their core constituencies. And both rely to a great degree on wealthy corporations and individuals to finance their campaigns.
But I honestly don't see how anyone can say there is no discernible difference. In addition to appealing to business interests, the Republican party caters to the Religious Right. And the Democrats' appeal to big business is tempered by their need to hold on to big labor (what's left of it) and environmental and consumer interests.
The results, when it comes to policy decisions, has the Democratic party tending to favor laws and policies that are favorable to consumers, the environment, minorities and poor people (e.g. raising the minimum wage). While the GOP tends to favor laws and policies that favor big business and wealthy people (e.g. tax cuts).
And that doesn't even get into the "hot button" issues like same-sex marriage and abortion.
So maybe the parties aren't tilted one way or the other as much as you would like, but I really don't see how you can say there's no substantial difference.
thank you,and you've made some good points,points i've made myself for many years,but its not buisness as usual anymore guys,they've suspended the writ of habeas corpus,are we a banana republic now?both parties seem comfortable w/ this constitutional upheavel,and both parties were are gung ho about a permanent war,and nobody in washington is talking about leaving behind those bases we just built in iraq,or giving the oil back to the iraqi people,...........ok maybe im impatient lets hope that after janurary investigations exposing the massive criminality of the last 6 years will result in punishments that will discourage future despots and war profiteers, and congress will operate w/accountability and oversight in plain view of the people.....