Democratic Luncheon Changes
The Italian Garden at West & Douglas, where we have been
having our monthly luncheons for several years, has closed. The
restaurant still has two locations in Wichita that will remain
in business, but neither has a banquet room that can accommodate
us. We will now be holding our Ambassador's Club Monthly Democratic
Luncheons at The Larkspur Restaurant & Grill, which is located
at 904 E. Douglas Ave., on the northeast corner of Douglas &
Mosley.
The set up for the luncheons will be slightly different from what
we have had. We will still be holing them on the last Friday of
every month from 11:45 a.m.-1:00 p.m. A lunch buffet will be available
for $11, with the price including tax & tip. You will need
to pay cash at the door. There is parking available in the lot
to the immediate west of the building.
This month's luncheon will be held on Friday, January 27. Our
speaker will be Peter Ninemire, who will be speaking about drug
treatment alternatives to prison and legislation that is before
the Kansas legislature related to this topic.
If you would like to attend the luncheon this month, please call
Democratic HQ at 262-7534.
Governor
Sebelius Announces Recommendations to Reduce
Domestic Violence Fatalities in Kansas
The following is a column by Governor Kathleen Sebelius and Robert
T. Stephan, Chair of the Governor’s Domestic Violence Fatality
Review Board:
Stopping domestic violence is a cause close to both our hearts
because we both know victims of this insidious crime. In Bob’s
case it was his mom who was a victim; in Kathleen’s case
she worked one-on-one to help countless women who had been abused.
Domestic violence affects men and women, young and old, often
with fatal results. In the past five years, 121 Kansans died as
a result of domestic violence – 82 of these victims were
women, 39 were men and their ages ranged from 18 to 90.
In an effort to prevent more families from suffering the tragic
lose of their loved ones to domestic-violence, Governor Sebelius
formed the Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board, made up of
law enforcement officials, prosecutors, a district court judge,
a private attorney, a university professor, a district coroner,
a mental health provider, a parole officer and victims advocates,
to find ways to prevent future fatalities.
The board has released its first report, which is available at
www.ksgovernor.org/grants/policies/docs/2005_FRB_Report.pdf
The members of the board recommend Kansas take a number of steps
to reduce the number of fatalities, starting with increasing public
awareness of the physical, mental and social cost of domestic
violence.
The board also believes we must ensure third-time domestic violence
offenders spend time in state prison, and that domestic violence
incidents are taken into greater account when courts are considering
custody issues.
These and eight other recommendations can be found in the full
report, but the Fatality Review Board is already taking action
to increase public awareness through a campaign funded by the
Kansas Health Foundation.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has recognized
the health crisis in families because of domestic violence. It
is a community problem and it is only through a coordinated community
response that the number of domestic violence-related fatalities
and injuries can be reduced or prevented. We must also hold offenders
of these crimes accountable while also providing for victim safety.
Everyone has a role in preventing violence in homes and protecting
families, by taking action in addressing domestic violence we
can have healthy children, healthy parents and thriving and healthy
communities.
If you are a victim of domestic violence or sexual assault or
know someone who is, you can call 1-888-END ABUSE (1-888-363-2287)
to find resources to assist.
In Their
Own Words: Republicans on
Perjury & Obstruction of Justice
Recently, Republicans have been implying
that an indictment for perjury is simply a "technicality."
But they didn't always feel that way.
IN THE 1990'S GOP LEADERS SAID PERJURY WAS A CRIME...
Former Senator Majority Leader Trent Lott
(R-MS) – "Lott declined to fully define what constitutes
an impeachable crime but said "I think clearly perjury is
an impeachable offense ... I think bad conduct is enough for impeachment."
[Market News International, 9/29/98]
Current Senator Majority Leader Bill Frist
(R-TN) – "There is no serious question that perjury
and obstruction of justice are high crimes and misdemeanors...Indeed,
our own Senate precedent establishes that perjury is a high crime
and misdemeanor...The crimes of perjury and obstruction of justice
are public crimes threatening the administration of justice."
[Congressional Record, 2/12/99]
Former Speaker (Elect) of the House Rep.
Bob Livingston (R-LA) – "And so, perjury, a
felony punishable by up to five years in the penitentiary, is
a crime for which the President may be held accountable, no matter
the circumstances." [ABC Special Report, 12/19/98]
Current Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert
(R-IL)— "Mr. Speaker, I am sadden that there is clear
and convincing evidence that the president lied under oath, obstructed
justice and abused the powers of his office in an attempt to cover
up his wrong doing. I regret that the president's behavior puts
me in the position of having to vote in favors of articles of
impeachment and pass this matter onto the U.S. Senate for final
judgment. In facing this solemn duty, I look to the wisdom of
our founding fathers. According to Alexander Hamilton in Federalist
65, impeachment concerns offenses which proceed from the misconduct
to public men -- or in other words, from the apt abuse of violation
of some public trust. The evidence in President Clinton's case
is overwhelming that he has abused and violated the public trust."
[US. House Of Representatives, 12/18/98]
Former House Majority Leader Rep. Dick
Armey (R-TX) – "But Mr. Speaker, perjury before
a grand jury is not personal and it is not private. Obstruction
of justice is not personal and it is not private. Abuse of the
power of the greatest office in the world is not personal and
it is not private." [ABC Special Report, 12/19/98]
Former House Majority Leader Rep. Tom
DeLay (R-TX) – "'It became obvious to me that
he had undermined his ability to lead not only at home but in
the world,' DeLay said. His call for Clinton's resignation is
'based solely on the fact that the president lied.'" [Los
Angles Times, 10/1/98]
Former House Majority Leader Rep. Tom DeLay
(R-TX) – Tim. What we have here, and what I've seen, is
this pattern of conduct. And it goes back as far as Arkansas,
where the president has lied, covered up, stonewalled and tried
to destroy his enemy. And if you just look from the very beginning--and
what I've tried to do is advise the president that in order to
accept the consequences of his action and put all this behind
him, the honorable thing to do would be to resign. [Meet the Press,
9/13/98]
Current Majority Leader Roy Blunt
(R-MO) – "This is not about the president's personal
conduct...When the president commits perjury that clearly is an
attack on the judiciary, on the rule of law." [AP, 12/16/98]
Former RNC Chairman Jim Nicholson
- "Perjury, subornation of perjury and obstruction of justice
are public, not private matters, and we must rely on the Independent
Counsel and the constitutional process to determine the truth.
Tragically, America could have been spared this entire sad saga
if the president had told the truth in the first place."
[U.S. Newswire 8/18/98]
SENATORS THOUGHT SO TOO
Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) –
"Clinton not only lied to the public, creating perhaps permanent
mistrust, but he lied under oath ... [T]his is very serious indeed.
Honesty is always the best policy; but, lying under oath is perjury,
and it is a crime. Other people who commit perjury sometimes go
to jail for it." [Salt Lake Tribune, 2/15/99]
Senator Chuck Hagel, (R-NE) –
"Defined a "high crime" as an 'abuse of power.'
And when perjury and obstruction of justice are committed by a
president, Hagel added, 'they constitute an abuse of the highest
power.'" [The Las Vegas Review-Journal, 2/12/99]
Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) –
"Perjury and obstruction of justice are serious offenses
which must not be tolerated by anyone in our society." [Washington
Post, 2/12/99]
Senator Sam Brownback (R- KS) –
"Perjury and obstruction of justice are crimes against the
state. Perjury goes directly against the truth-finding function
of the judicial branch of government." [Congressional Record,
2/12/99]
Senator John Kyl (R-AZ) –
"...there can be no doubt that perjurious, false, and misleading
statements made under oath in federal court proceedings are indeed
impeachable offenses...John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the
United States, said `there is no crime more extensively pernicious
to society' than perjury, precisely because it `discolors and
poisons the streams of justice.'" [Congressional Record,
2/12/99]
Senator Michael DeWine (R-OH) –
"Obstruction of justice and perjury strike at the very heart
of our system of justice...Perjury is also a very serious crime...The
judiciary is designed to be a mechanism for finding the truth-so
that justice can be done. Perjury perverts the judiciary, turning
it into a mechanism that accepts lies-so that injustice may prevail."
[Congressional Record, 2/12/99]
Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
– "I am completely and utterly perplexed by those who
argue that perjury and obstruction of justice are not high crimes
and misdemeanors...Perjury and obstruction hammer away at the
twin pillars of our legal system: truth and justice." [Congressional
Record, 2/12/99]
Senator George Voinovich (R-OH)
– "As constitutional scholar Charles Cooper said, `The
crimes of perjury and obstruction of justice, like the crimes
of treason and bribery, are quintessentially offenses against
our system of government, visiting injury immediately on society
itself.'" [Congressional Record, 2/12/99]
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX)
– "The reason that I voted to remove him from office
is because I think the overriding issue here is that truth will
remain the standard for perjury and obstruction of justice in
our criminal justice system and it must not be gray. It must not
be muddy." [AP, 2/12/99]
Senator Larry Craig (R-ID) –
"There is no question in my mind that perjury and obstruction
of justice are the kind of public crimes that the Founders had
in mind...it seems to me that creating such loopholes would require
tearing holes in the Constitution-something that cannot be justified
to protect this president, or any president." [Congressional
Record, 2/12/99]
Senator John Sununu (R-NH) –
"These acts are not merely technical violations of federal
law; they demonstrate a broad and consistent pattern of behavior
designed to corrupt our system of due process. To withhold or
delay swift and appropriate action would be to hold a single individual
above the law; and, herein lies the tragic precedent which a vote
against impeachment creates. A vote against impeachment holds
a single individual to a unique standard, above all other citizens,
and outside the boundaries of our judicial system." [Union
Leader, Sununu Editorial; 12/13/98]
Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH) –
"Gregg said the idea that perjury and obstruction of justice
are not high crimes and misdemeanors 'is a little hard to understand,
for it is very obvious that our society treats both perjury and
obstruction of justice as extraordinarily serious crimes, ones
for which people are put in prison.' He said such thinking undermines
the judicial process." [AP, 2/12/99]
Former Senator John Ashcroft (R-MO)
– "In the event that the president changes his story,
and in the event that the president tells a different story now
which would result in his having committed perjury, that's a high
crime. That's a serious disregard. That's undermining the system
of justice which he has sworn to uphold." [The Hotline, 8/17/98]
HOUSE MEMBERS WERE NO EXCEPTION
Rep. Henry Hyde (R-IL) –
"So for my friends who think that perjury, lying and deceit
are in some circumstances acceptable and undeserving of punishment
I respectfully disagree." [House Judiciary Committee, 12/1/98]
Rep. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) –
"It isn't polls that count, it's right and wrong...the evidence
is overwhelming that these offenses occurred, the crime of perjury
and obstruction of justice have traditionally been high crimes
under our Constitutions." [Senate Impeachment Trial of President
Clinton, 2/8/99]
Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI)
– "To me, making a false statement under oath to a
criminal grand jury is an impeachable offense, period. This committee
and this House decided that issue by a vote of 417 to nothing
nine years ago in the Judge Nixon impeachment." [Opening
Statement, 12/10/98]
Former Homeland Under Security Secretary
and Rep. Asa Hutchinson (R-AR) "As the Supreme Court
said in the "United States vs. Holland," quote, "Perjury,
regardless of the setting, is a serious offense that results in
incalculable harm to the function of the legal system, as well
to private individuals," end quote. In my judgment, perjury
goes to the heart of our judicial process and our very system
of government and constitutes a "high crime and misdemeanor."
[Opening Statement, 12/11/98]
Rep. Charlie Bass (R-NH) –
"'Like the one hundred or so individuals currently in jail
for perjury, the President must be held accountable for failing
to tell the truth while under oath,' Bass said. 'We are a nation
of laws, not men, and no man including the President is above
the law.'" [Union Leader, 12/15/98]
Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-KY) –
"We are here today because the president is charged with
breaking criminal laws which, for constitutional purposes, are
high crimes and misdemeanors. One of those crimes is perjury and
by committing perjury, the president harmed the integrity of our
judicial branch of government, which is a central component of
the government. Since 1993, when President Clinton took office,
the U.S. Department of Justice has prosecuted and convicted over
400 people for perjury. Many of those people are in prison today
or under house arrest." [Congressional Record, 12/18/98]
Rep. Chris Cannon (R-UT) —
"Perjury and obstruction of justice are akin to bribery in
many ways. Perjury and obstruction go to the corruption of the
judicial system. Bribery amounts to the corruption of a bureaucrat.
Both prevent citizens from enjoying their rights under the rule
of law. Their treatment by the United States Sentencing Commission,
the entity that helps set forth penalties for federal crimes,
supports the comparison." [Congressional Record, 12/18/98]
Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-CA) –
"I cannot as a man, a husband, elected official or a father
say that President Clinton did not commit perjury and did not
do it willfully and calculated, right from the beginning."
[Times-Picayune, 12/17/98]
Rep. John Thune (R-SD) –
"There's one other issue -- an important issue that I'd like
to address -- and that is the matter of trust. Lying to the American
people is a betrayal of trust. All of us, including our public
leaders, make mistakes. We're all subject to the same universal
truth: we all fall short. To err is human, to forgive is divine.
But to err repeatedly and willfully with impunity, defies another
universal truth and that is the law of the harvest. In other words,
you reap what you sow. And the pattern of deception and dishonesty
that acts as a bodyguard to this president, strikes at the very
core of his ability to lead." [Congressional Record, 12/18/98]
Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-AZ) – "I
believe there is ample evidence that felonious conduct -- and
perjury is a felony -- falls well within the bounds of what our
forefathers intended the phrase 'high crimes and misdemeanors'
to include." [USA Today, 12/17/98]
Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-AZ) –
"Lying under oath is perjury, plain and simple," said
Rep. J.D. Hayworth, R-Ariz. "Can you imagine what happens
in court when you suddenly eliminate perjury, if you say you can
make exceptions for perjury? . . . For me, it's just a very fundamental
question." [Dallas Morning News, 10/11/98]
Rep. Nancy Johnson (R-CT) –
"No one is above the law, not even the president." [News
& Observer, 12/16/98]
Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) –
"The chief executive has the duty and the obligation to be
completely honest." [Sun-Sentinel, 12/19/98]
Rep. Clay Shaw (R-FL) – "He
lied under oath and that's perjury and that's a high crime."
[Miami Herald, 12/16/98]
Rep. Jim McCrery (R - LA) –
"As a lawyer, if I were to have done that, I would have been
disbarred - no question. How can the president be treated in a
different manner than every other lawyer in the country?"
[Associated Press, 12/16/98]
Rep. Richard Baker (R-LA) –
"I don't think personal conduct that's between himself and
his family constitutes high crimes and misdemeanors," the
standard for impeachment. "The only way this would continue
forward toward impeachment would be a finding by the grand jury
that there had been an obstruction of justice," Baker said.
[The Advocate, 8/18/98]
Rep. James Leach (R-IA) –
"Lying under oath amounts to an absolute breach of an absolute
standard and makes it impossible to justify a vote against impeachment."
[USA Today, 12/17/98]
Rep. Steve Chabot (R - OH) –
"It would be wrong for you to tell America's children that
some lies are all right. It would be wrong to show the rest of
the world that some of our laws don't really matter." [AP,
2/9/99]
Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH) – "By
committing perjury, obstructing justice and corroding the rule
of law that is the basis of a civil society, President Clinton
has led the U.S. House to the path it must now take," Ney
said. "Impeachment may not be the most comfortable way out
of the constitutional crisis our country faces, but it is the
right decision for the right reason." [Columbus Dispatch,
12/17/98]
Rep. Ralph Regula (R-OH) –
"It's going to boil down to whether there's hard evidence
of obstruction of justice. ... You can't eliminate a felony by
just apologizing" [Akron Beacon-Journal, 9/12/98]
Rep. Steven LaTourette (R - OH)
– "If it is wrong for the defendant at the courthouse
in Painesville, Ohio, to lie under oath in a civil proceeding,
it is wrong for the president," said Rep. Steven C. LaTourette
(R-Ohio), a former county prosecutor who has put people in jail
for perjury. "President Clinton was the master of his own
demise, in both words and deeds." [Washington Post, 12/17/98]
Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH) –
"As a former judge, I cannot look upon the offense of perjury
lightly," Pryce said. "My decision is based not on any
personal disdain for the president or any partisan advantage,
but rather a close reading of the facts, the law, and the Constitution."
[Columbus Dispatch, 12/17/98]
Rep. Jim Kolbe (R - AR) –
"I believe there is ample evidence that felonious conduct
-- and perjury is a felony -- falls well within the bounds of
what our forefathers intended the phrase 'high crimes and misdemeanors'
to include. [USA Today, 12/17/98]
Rep. Charles Taylor (R-NC) –
"The seriousness of the charges - perjury, subornation of
witnesses, obstruction of justice - strike at the heart of our
basis of our Constitution, the rule of law." [Associated
Press, 10/8/98]
Rep. Walter B. Jones Jr. (R-NC)
– "My vote will be to go forward with the impeachment,"
said Rep. Walter B. Jones Jr. about the Clinton scandal in 1998.
"I want to see what the committee recommends, but my feeling
is when the president lied to the American people and to a grand
jury he severely damaged his credibility as leader of this nation.
. . . Based on what I know today, my feelings are the president
has violated the law." [Washington Post, 11/22/98]
Rep. John Mica (R-FL) – "If
you commit perjury or obstruct justice, you will be held accountable.
If you are a member of Congress or president . . . you will be
held accountable. Even if you . . . do a thousand good deeds,
you will be held accountable." [Orlando Sentinel, 12/20/98]
Rep. Dave Weldon (R-FL) –
"Bill Clinton is not being judged by the members here . .
. he is being judged by the law itself . . . to lie under oath,
to encourage others to provide false testimony or to conspire
to conceal evidence is a felony." [Orlando Sentinel, 12/20/98]
Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL) –
"The matter before us today has nothing to do with the president's
private life . . . This has to do with perjury, obstruction of
justice and abuse of power - violations of the law." [Orlando
Sentinel, 12/20/98]
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL)
– "All that stands between any of us and tyranny is
law." [Sun-Sentinel, 12/19/98]
Rep. Howard Coble (R-NC) –
"Unless a man is honest," said Coble, "we have
no right to keep him in public life. It matters not how brilliant
his capacity." Coble added, "It is not sex. It is indeed
perjury. It is the lie." [News & Record, 12/19/98]
Rep. Anne Northup (R-KY) –
"I certainly have had conflicting feelings about it. But
in the end, I believe that the president did not tell the truth,
that he lied under oath." [AP, 12/16/98]
Rep. Tom Campbell (R-CA) –
"I conclude that the president intentionally, on more than
one occasion, did not tell the truth in a federal criminal grand
jury. That is very serious. That is impeachable." [AP, 12/16/98]
Rep. Jack Quinn (R-NY) – "The
more I learn about the serious details of perjury and obstruction
of justice, the more I am concerned about the president's failure
to tell the truth under oath." [AP, 12/16/98]
Rep. Mark Sanford (R-SC) –
"You would set in place an awfully cancerous growth if you
let people out there think, 'I know the president lies, so I can
too."' [AP, 12/16/98]
CAN THE TALKING HEADS TALK THEIR WAY OUT OF THIS?
Sean Hannity – "Welcome
back to HANNITY & COLMES. I'm Sean Hannity...Congresswoman,
I want to go back to you. You know, I'm -- if I hear that one
more time, I'm going to go nuts, that it doesn't rise to the level
of an impeachable offense because perjury and lying under oath
has played a central role in the four most recent cases of impeachment."
[Fox, 1/21/99]
Sean Hannity – "Certainly,
perjury is a felony, the last time I checked." [Fox, 9/10/98]
Former RNC Spokesman/ CNN Contributor
Cliff May: "Bribery and perjury are equivalent crimes."
[Fox, 1/18/99]
Former RNC Spokesman/ CNN Contributor
Cliff May: "The problem is if he committed perjury;
if he lied under oath; if he obstructed justice; if he tampered
with witnesses, these are real crimes." [CNN, 9/2/98]
Bill O'Reilly – "He
used government employees, Blumenthal and the rest of the White
House counsels, Begala, Lewis, all of these people, to promote
an untruth, to promote a perjury, and I believe that's abuse of
power. I think that's where he's most shaky...Because you and
I are paying for him. You and I are paying for that, and those
people are going out there not only saying that President Clinton
is innocent but attacking the federal prosecutor, attacking the
justice system. That looks to be abuse of power to me." [Fox
News, 1/1/99]
Bill O'Reilly –"...
that a president of the United States using government officials
paid for by you and me and everybody watching this program to
protect a perjury is a high crime." [Fox News, 1/1/99]
George Will –"If this
is not a ground for impeachment ... then we're disregarding the
pedigree of the phrase 'high crimes and misdemeanors'." [ABC,
8/23/99]
Ann Coulter – "Perjury?
I think perjury's pretty important." [CNBC, 6/12/98]
Ann Coulter – "This
is obstruction of justice, perjury, and false statements. This
is completely a different matter now. It is much higher, much
higher level, much bigger deal." [CNN, 1/27/98]
Fred Barnes – "[I]t's
going to be hard not to impeach the president for perjury."
[Fox, 10/2/98]
Bill Kristol – In response
to a question as to whether perjury was a grave enough crime to
remove Clinton from office, Kristol responded "Yes, I think
so. Perjury under oath." [MSNBC, 11/5/98]
Tiahrt Continues to Support Indicted DeLay
at High Dollar Fundraiser
Republican Congressman Todd Tiahrt (4th District - Goddard) partnered
with criminally indicted former House Speaker 
Tom
DeLay for a fundraiser on December 8, 2005. Tiahrt joined several
Republican colleagues for a high dollar “Defense Industry
Reelection Event” held in Washington.
DeLay and two GOP fundraisers have been criminally indicted for
illegally funneling $190,000 in corporate donations to 2002 Republican
candidates for the Texas Legislature. Under Texas law, corporate
money cannot be directly used for political campaigns. Earlier
this week, a judge refused to throw out the serious allegations
of money-laundering, dashing the congressman's hopes for now of
reclaiming his post as House majority leader. The case is unlikely
to go to trial before the first of the year.
In his campaign for Congress Congressman Tiahrt has accepted
over $10,000 from Delay’s PAC and is one of the biggest
contributors to DeLay’s legal defense fund.
In fact, during ethical investigations prior to DeLay’s
indictment, Tiahrt said the GOP Should Stand with DeLay. "We
need to stand together and support Tom." (Roll Call, 4/7/05)
Republican Congressman Jim Ryun (2nd District - Topeka) has taken
over $37,000 from DeLay’s PAC, ranking him as one of criminally-charged
Tom DeLay’s “Top 5 Cronies” (Public Campaign
Action Fund).
Both Tiahrt and Ryun have refused to return DeLay’s dirty
money despite the continued investigation into his corrupt and
criminal campaign finance activities.
Last Year's Senate Shows Why 2006
Looms Large 
By Bob Geiger
Created 2006-01-02 17:53
When Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) shut down the
U.S. Senate on November 1 to draw attention to GOP stalling on
a true investigation into rigged Iraq-war intelligence, Majority
Leader Bill Frist cried like a colicky baby.
"The United States Senate has been hijacked by the Democratic
leadership," Frist cried. "Never have I been slapped
in the face with such an affront to the leadership of this grand
institution. From now on, for the next year and a half, I can't
trust Senator Reid."
Republicans did a lot of such whining in 2005 about partisanship
on the part of Reid and leading Democrats every time Democratic
senators stood up for their beliefs. But an analysis of how Senate
business was conducted last year shows a minority party rendered
almost entire impotent by the Republican side of the aisle and
what was nothing less than a GOP blockade of almost all Democratic
initiatives.
Looking at all roll call votes in 2005 reveals a Republican-dominated
Senate that, far from practicing what they preach and extending
a hand of cooperation across the aisle, went out of their way
to scuttle almost every amendment and bill sponsored by Democratic
senators.
Of the 366 Senate floor votes taken in 2005, 179 were sponsored
by Democrats. Even using the most generous interpretation of these
votes – counting all 179 issues, regardless of their legislative
nature – Senate Republicans killed 134, or 75 percent, of
Democrat-sponsored legislation. Many of those defeats came on
straight party-line votes and, of the 45 bills and amendments
submitted by Democrats that did pass, many made it through only
because of a few votes from Republican moderates such as Lincoln
Chafee (R-RI), Susan Collins (R-ME) or Olympia Snowe (R-ME).
The truly damning picture of the successful Republican effort
to thwart Democrats emerges when one omits seven procedural votes
from the number that passed -- such as a "motion to instruct"
which almost always passes by wide margins, regardless of sponsorship
– and votes that are so non-partisan that no opportunity
for conflict exists.
Of the 38 Democratic bills that the Republican leadership allowed
to slip through (after removing seven procedural votes from the
45 total "agreed to"), nine of those were benign acts
that passed by unanimous votes or, in one case, 94-6. For example,
in July, a bill sponsored by Tom Harkin (D-IA) "...recognizing
and honoring the 15th anniversary of the enactment of the Americans
with Disabilities Act of 1990" passed 87-0. A vote of 100-0
passed an amendment by Mary Landrieu (D-LA) to give a tax credit
to employers continuing to pay the salaries of Guard and Reserve
employees serving in Iraq. Sponsored by Dick Durbin (D-IL) an
almost-clerical bill mandating a change to the numerical identifier
used to identify Medicare beneficiaries under the Medicare program
was OK with everyone 98-0.
Hardly issues that even a Republican could fight. When you take
out those softball pieces of legislation that either everyone
would agree with or nobody would dare vote against, the lack of
bipartisan spirit by the Senate's majority party are even more
apparent.
When those 12, harmless measures are discounted, you're looking
at a total of 160 amendments sponsored by Senate Democrats and
an astounding 84 percent of those shot down by the Republicans.
And this only takes into account those measures that were even
allowed to make it to the floor for a vote.
And what did the GOP Senators find so onerous? (Other than the
fact that the legislation was sponsored by a Democrat.)
Two attempts by Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) to raise the federal
minimum wage, S. amdt. 44 and S. amdt. 2063, went down by votes
of 49-46 and 51-47, respectively, with only a couple of Republicans
crossing the aisle on behalf of working Americans. John Kerry
(D-MA) and Jack Reed (D-RI) tried three times to getting funding
for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and
failed on all of those attempts. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) introduced
legislation to protect Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
from oil drilling and another bill to reduce U.S. dependence on
foreign oil imports – both died on the Senate floor.
Bigger, Republican-sponsored bills – one, an anti-Bankruptcy
gift to the financial industry and another measure that almost
entirely neutered any possibility of lawsuits against the firearms
industry – passed despite many attempts by Democrats to
make them less harmful to the American people.
The Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act
of 2005, which took effect in October, makes it almost impossible
for Americans to file for bankruptcy any longer, no matter how
dire the circumstances that drove them to that end. The best Senate
Democrats could do was propose amendments to the bill, in an attempt
to water down how many middle-class and low-income people it could
hurt. Also sponsored by Kennedy, S. amdt. 28 would have exempted
debtors whose financial problems were caused by serious medical
problems from any means testing in filing for bankruptcy. The
measure couldn't make it past Bill Frist and was voted down.
S. amdt. 32, by Jon Corzine (D-NJ), sought to preserve existing
bankruptcy protections for Americans in economic distress if they
acted as caregivers to ill or disabled family members. Dick Durbin
(D-IL) sponsored two bankruptcy-bill amendments, S. amdt. 49 and
S. amdt. 110. One would have protected employees and retirees
from losing their life savings in corporate bankruptcies, while
the other attempted to exempt debtors below the nation's median
income from filing restrictions.
All were defeated on primarily party-line votes – almost
all Democrats voting for and almost all Republicans against.
Democratic amendments to the Protection of Lawful Commerce in
Arms Act – such as S. amdt. 1620 by Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)
to exempt cases involving guns and children from lawsuit restrictions
– were similarly shot down by the GOP. On the national security
front, Harry Reid pushed S. amdt. 1222, which specifically would
have prohibited "...Federal employees who disclose classified
information to persons not authorized to receive such information
from holding a security clearance." The bill was defeated
53-44 with every single Republican voting against it.
Charles Schumer (D-NY) had two amendment defeated (S. amdt.
1189 and S. amdt. 1190) that would have provided $70 million to
identify and track hazardous materials shipments and provide new
security programs for inspection of air cargo containers -- both
were defeated by the GOP leadership.
So here's your options when looking at just a small sampling
of 2005 Senate votes: You can conclude that Republicans either
don't give a rat's behind about children, the elderly, working
Americans, gun-crime victims or national security or that they're
simply out to block any measures brought to the Senate floor by
Democrats. But when you look at how 2005 came and went with Democrats
essentially powerless to do anything in the Senate and with the
Damocles Sword of the GOP revoking filibuster rights hanging over
their heads, it's clear that the midterm elections this year loom
very large indeed.
While it's interesting cocktail-party talk to discuss 2008 presidential
possibilities and there are certainly few things more enticing
than a Democratic House able to bring articles of impeachment
against George W. Bush, we see by the numbers and unrealized good
deeds that regaining control of the Senate makes 2006 a political
Super Bowl year.
There is much work to be done -- and November 7 will be here
before we know it.
Update: Go here for a full listing of all Democrat-sponsored
legislation in the 2005 U.S. Senate
Source URL:
http://www.democrats.com/node/7307
An Update on 2006
U.S. Senate Races from the
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee 
What’s Hot…
• As the New Year rolls out, Democrats once again have
positive polling to report:
o In Minnesota, a recent Rasmussen poll showed Hennepin County
Attorney Amy Klobuchar defeating Rep. Mark Kennedy, 48% - 41%.
The poll also had child safety advocate Patty Wetterling beating
Rep. Mark Kennedy 47% - 43%. [Rasmussen Reports, 12/23/05 ]
o The two Democratic challengers to Conrad Burns made large
gains in the polls over the holidays. In a December Gazette
State poll, Burns’ lead over John Morrison dropped 9 points
and his lead over Jon Tester dropped 10 points since a May poll.
Burns was under 50% against both Democrats. The poll showed
the Burns-Morrison match-up at 46% - 40% and the Burns-Tester
head-to-head at 49% to 35%. [Billings Gazette, 12/25/05 ]
o Additionally, the Gazette State poll showed that 58% of
Montana voters are concerned about Burns’ actions in connection
with lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Burns supported a bill that was
advantageous to Abramoff-represented Indian tribes. [Billings
Gazette, 12/25/05 ]
o The race in Tennessee has started to heat up as Rep. Harold
Ford defeats Bob Corker, 42% - 36% in the latest Rasmussen poll.
The poll also revealed a tight race between Ford and Ed Bryant,
as well as Van Hilleary. Bryant leads Ford, 41% - 38%, while
Hilleary is beating Ford 41% - 39%, both are within the margin
of error. [Rasmussen Reports, 12/20/05]
• What They Are Saying : “ If there's
ever been this big of a disparity between the Republican and Democratic
senatorial committees, particularly with the Democrats in the
minority, I can't remember it.” – Political analyst
Charlie Cook, on Sen. Schumer’s fundraising success [ New
York Daily News, 1/3/06]
Current National Polling
NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll: What is your preference
for the outcome of the 2006 congressional elections: a Congress
controlled by Republicans or a Congress controlled by Democrats?
Republicans Democrats
2005 Dec 9- Dec 12 38
46
ABC News/Washington post poll: Overall, which party, the
Democrats or the Republicans, do you trust to do a better job
in coping with the main problems the nation faces over the next
few years?
Republicans
Democrats
2005 Dec 15- Dec 18 42
47
DSCC Fundraising Update
As of the end of November, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign
Committee continues to have more than a 2:1 cash-on-hand advantage
over the National Republican Senatorial Committee:
DSCC: $22.4 million NRSC: $9.2 million
State-By-State Polling
• 3 Republican incumbents are trailing Democratic challengers
(Santorum, Talent & DeWine)
• An Epic/MRA poll has Senator Debbie Stabenow beating
Mike Bouchard 56% - 34%.
• A Quinnipiac poll puts Rep. Bob Menendez over Tom Kean
Jr., 44%-38%.
Arizona
Zogby International 10/25-10/31
52% Senator Jon Kyl
42% Chairman Jim Pederson
Florida
Strategic Vision 11/25-28
48% Senator Bill Nelson
32% Rep. Katherine Harris
Maryland
Rasmussen Reports 11/21
49% Rep. Ben Cardin
41% Lt. Governor Michael Steele
45% Lt. Governor Michael Steele
44% Former Rep. Kweisi Mfume
Michigan
EPIC/MRA 12/11-15
56% Senator Debbie Stabenow
34% Oakland Co. Sheriff Mike Bouchard
Strategic Vision 12/16-18
47% Senator Debbie Stabenow
35% Oakland Co. Sheriff Mike Bouchard
48% Senator Debbie Stabenow
24% Reverend Jerry Zandstra
48% Senator Debbie Stabenow
26% Reverend Keith Butler
Minnesota
Rasmussen 12/14
48% Hennepin Co. Atty. Amy Klobuchar
41% Rep. Mark Kennedy
47% ‘04 MN-6 Nominee Patty Wetterling
43% Rep. Mark Kennedy
Missouri
Rasmussen Reports 11/9-11
47% State Auditor Claire McCaskill
45% Senator Jim Talent
Nebraska
Rasmussen Reports 11/16
52% Senator Ben Nelson
29% CEO Pete Ricketts
57% Senator Ben Nelson
25% Former GOP Chm David Kramer
New Jersey
Quinnipiac 12/10-13
44% Rep. Bob Menendez
38% State Senator Tom Kean Jr.
Ohio
Columbus Dispatch 11/7
35% Rep. Sherrod Brown
31% Senator Mike DeWine
30% ‘05 Ohio-2 Nominee Paul Hackett
32% Senator Mike DeWine
Pennsylvania
Quinnipiac 11/30-12/6
50% State Treasurer Bob Casey, Jr.
38% Senator Rick Santorum
Rhode Island
Brown University 9/10-11
38% US Senator Lincoln Chafee
25% Sheldon Whitehouse
41% US Senator Lincoln Chafee
18% State Secretary of State Matt Brown
Tennessee
Rasmussen Reports 12/12
42% Rep. Harold Ford, Jr.
36% Ex-Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker
39% Rep. Harold Ford, Jr.
41% Former Rep. Van Hilleary
38% Rep. Harold Ford, Jr.
41% Former US Rep. Ed Bryant
Vermont
Research 2000 10/30-11/1
64% Rep. Bernie Sanders
16% CEO Richard Tarrant
Washington
Rasmussen Reports 11/30
52% US Senator Maria Cantwell
37% CEO Mike McGavick
Past News
January 2006
December 2005
November
2005
October
2005
September
2005
August
2005
July 2005
June 2005
