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November 18, 2008

Georgia Runoff Gives GOP Angst

The December runoff between Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) and former state Rep. Jim Martin (D) has become one of the final battlegrounds of the 2008 cycle and could well be the key to Democrats’ winning a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate come January.

Lieberman Looking Safe

Although Sen. Joe Lieberman (ID-Conn.) worked tirelessly this year to quash President-elect Barack Obama’s political aspirations, Senate Democrats appear poised today to allow Lieberman to retain the gavel on the panel with primary jurisdiction over Obama’s new administration.

Senate GOP May Punt on Stevens

With their leadership elections little more than coronations and their committee assignments to be determined later, Senate Republicans hope to get through today’s Conference organizational meeting with as little drama as possible and could decide to punt on the thorniest question — whether to formally expel Sen. Ted Stevens (Alaska) from their ranks.

Road Map: Bush, Democrats Face One Final Showdown

President George W. Bush might be among the lamest of lame ducks, but he may hold the upper hand in one last game of chicken: With the fate of the U.S. auto industry and hundreds of thousands if not millions of jobs on the line, Bush and the Democrats are on a collision course over another bailout.

Frosh Inundated at Orientation

Freshman Members of the 111th Congress learned Monday that class pictures and orientation aren’t just for students.

Heard on the Hill: Before They Were [Barack] Stars

Old editions of Roll Call are like a yearbook: Dig through the archives long enough, and you’ll find plenty of embarrassing stuff from today’s Washington, D.C., VIPs in their younger, less buttoned-up days (many sporting now-cringe-worthy hairstyles).

House Members Get Strict 198-Ticket Allocation

Some Members are hoping their red-state colleagues will be able to spare a few inauguration tickets, after officials recently announced that each Representative — whether from Idaho or Illinois — will get 198 tickets.

Deloitte Picks Up Tom Davis

Residents of Northern Virginia’s 11th district will have to make due with the Clerk of the House for the duration of 2008, rather than Rep. Tom Davis (R), who is expected to begin his retirement next week.

Lungren's Vote Count Is a Mystery

It’s no surprise that Rep. Dan Lungren (Calif.) faces an uphill battle in taking on House Minority Leader John Boehner (Ohio) for the top GOP leadership post. But now it looks like the Members who would most likely support him aren’t doing so.

Schumer Finally Ready to Exit DSCC?

Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Charles Schumer (N.Y.) and his likely successor, Sen. Bob Menendez (N.J.) — and sources close to them — remain on lockdown and are declining comment on a changing of the guard at the DSCC.

Congress, Industry Equally at Fault for Detroit's Problems

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D) was not the only hot topic this weekend. Though the prospect of the junior Senator from New York joining the Obama administration as secretary of State created a definite buzz, most of the Sunday talk-show chatter focused on an issue that should concern us all: a potential taxpayer rescue of our moribund auto industry.

Partners Have Been Chosen, So Let the Budget Dancing Begin

Based on the headline above, you might think this is about some of the traditional dances typically performed during each year’s federal budget debate, such as the “Tax Tango,” “Spending Samba” and “Budget Bossa Nova.” That’s tempting, especially because “Dancing With the Stars” is one of the top-rated shows on network television, and mentioning those dances would almost certainly increase the number of hits this column gets when people Google those names.

Finish the Fight for Our Soldiers' Right to Vote

One of the main issues in Florida during the 2000 elections was military absentee voting. Members of Congress were outraged at the possibility of even one military vote not counting. Yet, eight years later, no one seems to be paying attention.

Clash of the Titans

The latest cartoon from R.J. Matson.

Doris Earns Goodwill

The latest cartoon from Mike Mikula.