congressional Democrats

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Longest-Serving Woman in Congress Is Retiring

Maryland's Barbara Mikulski is stepping down from Senate

(Newser) - Democratic officials say Sen. Barbara Mikulski , the longest serving woman in the history of Congress, is ready to announce her retirement. The 78-year-old Maryland Democrat, now in her fifth term, is set to make a statement at a news conference in Baltimore later today. Mikulski became the longest-serving woman in...

Ex-Con Former US Rep Dies After Tractor Accident

James Traficant was expelled from Congress in rare move

(Newser) - Former Ohio Congressman James Traficant, who served time in jail on a corruption conviction, has died at 73 after a tractor accident , according to reports. The vehicle flipped over onto him while he was trying to park it, the AP reports. He spent four days in the hospital and died...

Retiring Lawmaker's Record: 0 for 646

NJ's Rob Andrews didn't get a law passed in 23 years, though not for lack of trying

(Newser) - New Jersey Democrat Rob Andrews made a surprise announcement today that he'll be giving up his House seat as of Feb. 18 to join a Philadelphia law firm, reports Philly.com . And while it's big news in Jersey, Andrews isn't exactly a household name nationally. Still, the...

Haters Really Hate Democrats: Poll

They're sick of both parties, Obama, but going to vote GOP

(Newser) - Had it up to here with the president and both parties on the Hill? You're a "hater," according to a new poll, and odds are, if there were an election today, you'd vote for a Republican in your House district. Some 72% of haters would choose...

For 2M Jobless, Benefits Set to Dry Up

Congress isn't looking likely to pass an extension

(Newser) - Some 1.3 million Americans could lose their unemployment benefits at the end of the year, with another 850,000 seeing benefits expire in March 2014 if Congress doesn't extend an emergency plan that ends Dec. 31. And though congressional Democrats and the White House are urging an extension,...

House Health Care Bill Might Actually Tempt Dems

It would offer the push-back the president promised

(Newser) - Voting to defang ObamaCare is House Republicans' favorite hobby , but today they'll put forward a health care bill that might actually draw some votes from across the aisle. The bill would allow insurers to keep selling their current plans, even if they don't meet the Affordable Care Act'...

Dem Rep Uses Flaming Cross, Compares Tea Party to KKK

Yes, Alan Grayson of Florida is at it again

(Newser) - Democratic Rep. Alan Grayson has been relatively uncontroversial for at least five minutes now , so this week became time to discuss his distaste for the Tea Party in an email to supporters: The movement, he says in a transcribed interview with Al Sharpton, "is no more popular than the...

Obama's New Hurdle: Ticked-Off Democrats

Opposition has centered on Syria, NSA, Summers

(Newser) - House Republicans haven't made things easy for President Obama—but now, he's facing hurdles within his own party. The New York Times notes that liberals have lately disagreed with Obama on Syria, NSA surveillance, and the consideration of Larry Summers for the Fed chairmanship; they're also unhappy...

Dems Buck Obama on Tax Cuts, Say $250K Too Low

Tax debate, election year politics, divide party

(Newser) - Critics are lining up against President Obama's push to let the Bush tax cuts expire for the top 2% of earners—and that's just in his own party. Democrats facing elections this fall are breaking with the president, arguing that Obama's proposed $250,000 threshold is too...

Barney Frank Gets Married
 Barney Frank Gets Married 
Jul 8, 2012 6:09 AM CDT

Barney Frank Gets Married

Becomes first sitting congressman to have same-sex wedding

(Newser) - Barney Frank in 1987 became the first sitting member of Congress to announce he was gay, and yesterday he became the first to have a same-sex wedding, reports the Boston Globe . The retiring congressman, no stranger to controversy , married Jim Ready in front of 300 friends, family, and colleagues. Frank,...

Anti-Incumbent Fever May Give Dems a Shot at House

Unlikely, says Silver, but House hard to analyze

(Newser) - Stats guru Nate Silver may have President Obama slightly favored to win re-election in November, and the battle for Senate in a tossup, but what does he think about the House? In his latest blog post in the New York Times , Silver calls Republicans "reasonably clear favorites" to keep...

Allen West Slams Muslim-Friendly FBI Manual Edits

Says purging of references puts us on road to 'cultural suicide'

(Newser) - The FBI's purging of Islamaphobic references from its training manual puts us on the road to "cultural suicide," according to Florida Rep. Allen West. "We have to understand when tolerance becomes a one-way street, it will lead to cultural suicide," he said on Fox News,...

Rep. Jay Inslee to Resign, Run for Governor in Washington

Inslee will face Rob McKenna in gubernatorial election

(Newser) - Rep. Jay Inslee is resigning from Congress to focus full time on running for governor of Washington state this fall. The Democrat announced his decision today at a news conference in Seattle. Inslee is in his eighth term representing a Seattle-area district in the House. Washington's Democratic governor, Christine...

Gabby Giffords: I'm Leaving Congress
 Giffords: I'm Leaving Congress 
Jan 22, 2012 1:15 PM CST

Giffords: I'm Leaving Congress

'I have more work to do,' says Arizona congresswoman

(Newser) - Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is stepping down from the Arizona congressional seat that nearly cost her her life, she announced in a YouTube video posted today. "Arizona is my home. Always will be. A lot has happened over this past year," she says, voicing her hopes for progress on...

Obama's Approval Swells to 49%

Strongest since March as president improves among conservatives

(Newser) - President Obama's job-approval numbers remain poor, but at 49% they have rebounded to their strongest point since March, showing substantial improvements from young voters, seniors, and independents in a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. Since September, Obama's approval rating has risen by 9 percentage points among Democrats, to...

Obama 2012? Some Dems in Congress Won't Say

Some moderates, liberals reluctant to voice support for reelection bid

(Newser) - It may not come as a surprise that Joe Lieberman isn’t sure where he stands on President Obama’s reelection bid—but a number of Obama’s fellow Democrats aren’t rushing to support him, either. Instead, they’re refusing to comment or choosing their words carefully, Politico finds....

On Campaign Trail, Some Dems Dodging Obama

Few say so publicly, but congressional reps are steering clear

(Newser) - The official message from Democratic leadership is that no one considers President Obama to be a political liability. However, as next year's election race heats up, there are growing signs that Democrats in battleground states aren't exactly clamoring for the president's help. In Obama's trips to...

Congress&#39; Approval Rating Lowest Ever
 Congress' Approval 
 Rating Lowest Ever 
NYT/CBS poll
Sep 16, 2011 11:46 AM CDT

Congress' Approval Rating Lowest Ever

Hits 12%; Republicans fare worse than Dems

(Newser) - Congress’ approval rating has once again sunk to its nadir, a mere 12%, a New York Times/CBS News poll finds. That figure was first hit in October 2008, in the throes of the economic crisis. While just 28% of voters approve of the work of congressional Democrats, only 19% approve...

GOP's New Crusade: Balanced Budget Amendment

Some Democrats amenable to the plan, say insiders

(Newser) - Emboldened after the debt limit fight, Republicans are shifting energies to their quest for a balanced budget amendment—but such a measure faces major hurdles, the New York Times reports. John Boehner has called on congressional Republicans to spend their August recess convincing the public of the importance of such...

Poll: We Hate Congress More Than Ever

Approval dives below 20%

(Newser) - The debt ceiling mess has pushed Congress' already dismal approval ratings into the abyss, according to the latest New York Times / CBS poll. Some 82% of Americans don't approve of the way Congress is doing its job, the lowest rating since the Times started asking the question in...

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