Battle Brewing Over FEC Choice

June 4, 2007, 12 a.m.

The confirmation process to fill the six-member Federal Election Commission typically ends with a thud. Steeped initially with posturing and rhetoric, insiders say backroom deals usually render it the ultimate mash-up of politics and bureaucratic quid pro quo: Party leaders make their picks, show the other side their hand and, if both sides nod in agreement, they split the pot by pushing through the nominees in pairs.

Schumer Advocates for Many on Panel

Nov. 16, 12 a.m.

As Senate Majority Leader, Lyndon Johnson once said of the Joint Economic Committee, “It’s as useless as tits on a bull.” But as that panel’s chairman during the 110th Congress, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) seized the opportunity to elevate the traditionally low-profile post to the forefront of shaping policy. Read Full Article