Reid Congratulates McConnell, Says Democrats #39;Ready to Work in Good Faith #39;
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid congratulated Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans on the floor Wednesday for regaining the majority, adding, "Senate Democrats are ready...
By: Roll Call
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Reid Congratulates McConnell, Says Democrats 'Ready to Work in Good Faith' - Video
Who are the Liberal Democrats?
Senator David Leyonhjelm introduces the Liberal Democrats: what they stand for compared to other Australian political parties, and how civil liberties, social freedom, and economic freedom...
By: Liberal Democrats Australia
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Who are the Liberal Democrats? - Video
Senate Democrats plan to hold a vote Tuesday on a bill to approve the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, a move that could help Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-Louisiana, who is headed for a Dec. 6 runoff to keep her seat.
Landrieu, the chairman of the Senate Energy Committee and a co-sponsor of the bill, appeared on the floor of the Senate and in a press conference for reporters Wednesday to urge the Democratic leadership to take up the bill during the lame-duck session that will take place until the next Congress is sworn in in January.
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Republicans are outlining their plans for the next two years in Washington. While President Obama said he will work to find a middle ground, he w...
"We believe the bill that we drafted could gain support in the House of Representatives and could potentially receive the signature of the president of the United States which is important and necessary for this bill to become law," Landrieu told reporters Wednesday. She has said her influence on energy policy is one of the key reasons she deserves re-election over her Republican challenger, Louisiana Rep. Bill Cassidy, and a chief difference she has with President Obama.
The Republican-led House, which has already voted to approve construction of the long-delayed pipeline, doesn't want to give Landrieu the credit if it passes. The body plans to hold a vote on its own version of a Keystone bill Thursday, which will be named the "Cassidy Keystone Solution" after Landrieu's opponent.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, meanwhile, said the Democrats' sudden desire to vote on the bill was a direct result of the GOP takeover of the Senate during the 2014 midterm elections.
"The American people have elected a new Republican majority in the Senate and that has already made a difference," McConnell said in a statement. "I was glad to see that Senate Democrats have finally backed off trying to obstruct construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline, the single largest shovel-ready project in America. I hope this post-election conversion on Keystone signals Democrat cooperation on a whole host of other energy bills they have blocked, and whose passage would help to make America more energy-independent."
Mr. Obama has been noncommittal about the pipeline, which has been delayed in a review process for years.
"There's an independent process; it's moving forward. And I'm going to let that process play out," the president said in a press conference the day after the election. "Is this going to be good for the American people? Is it going to be good for their pocketbook? Is it going to actually create jobs? Is it actually going to reduce gas prices that have been coming down And is it going to be, on net, something that doesn't increase climate change that we're going to have to grapple with?... I'm just going to gather up the facts."
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Senate Democrats plan vote on Keystone XL pipeline
The old conventional wisdom on Hillary: Been around forever, out of step with the Democratic Party, inevitable but hardly inspiring.
The new conventional wisdom on Hillary: The Democrats should thank their lucky stars because shes all that stands between them and political oblivion.
What a difference a midterm debacle makes.
If you think about the Democrats outlook without Hillary Clinton, its rather sobering. The New Yorker just chatted up three other presidential aspirants: Martin OMalley, Bernie Sanders and Jim Webb. Ahem. Case closed.
Well come back to the also-rans, but there is a danger for the Dems here that extends beyond 2016. To put it bluntly: this team has a very thin bench.
The party has simply atrophied under Barack Obama.
In the speculation sweepstakes, each party usually has up-and-coming governors and senators who could ripen into presidential prospects. But after 2010 and 2014, many of the Democrats who might fall into that category have lost their jobs, or never gotten into office at all.
Statehouses are particularly important because thats where candidates get executive experience, and four of the five presidents before Obama had been governors. But the GOP just won gubernatorial elections in such blue states as Massachusetts, Maryland and Illinois, along with Florida and Wisconsin.
Andrew Cuomo won reelection in a landslide, but he seems more respected than loved, and has made few moves toward raising his national profile. Jerry Brown also won reelection, but he was the hot young presidential contender back in1976.
So Hillarys shadow looms large over the entire party.
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Hanging it all on Hillary: Why the Democrats have no bench
Why did Republicans do so well last Tuesday? Democratic commentators are suggesting it was because the 2014 electorate was more typical of a midterm electorate, with Republicans turning out and Democrats staying home.
Evan Vucci, File, Associated Press
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It was a heady day for many Republican candidates last Wednesday as they woke up victors in races they were not expected to win. The new governor of Massachusetts considered the second-most liberal state in the nation is a Republican. Republican statewide candidates did well in Vermont, New Hampshire and Connecticut, winning at least 48 percent of the vote.
Why did Republicans do so well last Tuesday? Democratic commentators are suggesting it was because the 2014 electorate was more typical of a midterm electorate, with Republicans turning out and Democrats staying home. And that meant the Democratic coalition that elected Barack Obama in 2008 and again in 2012 simply didnt show up at the polls.
There is some truth there. According to exit polls commissioned by The New York Times and by ABC News, the 2014 electorate was 8 percent more Republican than in 2012. In Colorado specifically, where incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Udall lost his re-election bid, voter turnout for Democrats was at a record low.
And some elements of the Obama coalition disappeared. For example, voter turnout among young people was half what it was in 2012. Women came out in smaller numbers. On the other hand, nonwhite voters, who also helped Obama win twice, did turn out in record numbers in Southern states such as Louisiana and Georgia. Nevertheless, their support for Democratic candidates was overwhelmed by a strong Republican turnout.
Yet that isnt the whole story. Another explanation is increasing dissatisfaction with the direction of the nation. Nearly two-thirds of voters said they felt the nation is on the wrong track. Part of that dissatisfaction is continued uneasiness about the economy. Seventy percent of voters felt the economy was still in bad shape.
Not surprisingly, unhappy voters blame the current administration and, by association, those who are connected with it the candidates of the presidents party. In this case, it was Democrats. Eight years ago it was Republicans.
Yet there are deeper problems for Democrats. Republicans simply did a much better job of reaching voters, particularly those who traditionally vote for Democrats. For example, in 2008 two-thirds of Asian voters supported the Democratic candidate for the U.S. House in their district, and that ratio increased to three-fourths in 2012. But in 2014, 51 percent of Asians voted for the Republican House candidate.
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Richard Davis: Are Democrats in trouble for 2016?