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November 5, 2009

Missed Votes Become Campaign Fodder

The possibility of a Saturday vote on the health care bill in the House isn’t especially enticing to anyone who has to shuffle their weekend plans. But it presents a particular inconvenience for those Members already in the thick of their 2010 campaign schedules.

House Leaders Press for 218

House Democrats continued to whip their sweeping health care bill Wednesday before a planned Saturday vote, holding around-the-clock meetings to try to finalize abortion language and make other tweaks to the bill.

Activists Gear Up for Fight

Lately, Donna Crane hasn’t been making it home early. The policy director of NARAL Pro-Choice America has been lobbying nonstop to ensure that the House does not slip anti-abortion language into its health care legislation, which the chamber is expected to vote on this weekend.

Five CBC Members Likely to Be Cleared

The House ethics committee is likely to exonerate five members of the Congressional Black Caucus who were accused of taking an improper trip to the Caribbean, according to sources familiar with the case.

Election Doesn't Faze Moderates

House and Senate Democratic moderates insisted Wednesday that Republican victories in Tuesday’s off-year election would not influence their votes on health care reform.

Heard on the Hill: Bar Brawl

While HOH is sure plenty of Capitol Hill spokesmen have wanted to punch loudmouth reporters every once in a while, we wouldn’t recommend any of them actually slug somebody in real life.

GOP Run Over in Game of Chicken

For nearly a month, Senate Democrats and Republicans have engaged in a high-stakes game of chicken over unemployment benefits in an effort to show that they are not going to be pushovers in Senate floor action.

Former Surgeon General's Letter to Reid Raises Alarm

Former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop unwittingly set off a scare in the Capitol on Wednesday when someone hand-delivered his letter on health care reform to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.) office.

Members Back GAO Candidate

Rep. Todd Platts (R-Pa.) said Wednesday that his application to become the next comptroller general has the support of several of his colleagues — including the Democrat tasked with orchestrating the search process.

K Street Files: About That Sale

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), who chairs a House subcommittee tasked with overseeing elections, recently expressed “serious concerns” with the sale of an electronic voting machine company to another manufacturer.

Campus Notebook: Verifying Vouchers

The House Administration Committee passed a resolution Wednesday to set guidelines for reimbursement vouchers, paving the way for new standards that will be implemented in January.

GOP Ducks Role as 'Party of Yes' on Health Reform

Late in the game, Republicans are proposing alternatives to Democratic health care reform, but they’re certainly not being bold.

After Hoffman, Rubio Is Likely Conservatives' Next Challenge

The defeat of Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman in New York’s 23rd district isn’t likely to change conservatives’ plans to turn their attention quickly to Florida’s GOP Senate primary.

In Potential Fight, Obama Helps Only So Much

Returning to our look at a leadership fight between Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), where would President Barack Obama fit in?

Up, Up and Away

The latest cartoon from R.J. Matson.

New York Remains GOP Trouble Spot

Upstate New York has been a killing field for the National Republican Congressional Committee in 2009.

Commonwealth Clues: What 2009 Means

Emboldened by the results of Tuesday’s gubernatorial race in Virginia, Republican officials are expressing renewed confidence about unseating one or more Democratic House incumbents in the Commonwealth in the 2010 midterm elections.

Shop Talk: If I Were a Rich Man

Club for Growth spokesman Rich Dunn has left the anti-tax conservative group to take a gig as the deputy political director at the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

California: Fiorina Officially Launches Senate Bid

Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina (R) declared her intentions to run for Senate in California on Wednesday, after exploring a 2010 campaign against Sen. Barbara Boxer (D) for months.

Mississippi: Former Mayor Mulling 1st District Run

Despite an impressive first fundraising report and support from state and national Republicans, state Sen. Alan Nunnelee (R) may not be able avoid a primary next year in his effort to knock off freshman Rep. Travis Childers (D) in the conservative northern 1st district.

Kansas: Wagle Won't Run in 4th, Endorses Pompeo

State Sen. Susan Wagle (R) officially bowed out of a Congressional bid this week.

Kentucky: Polls Show Both Parties' Primaries Competitive

A slew of new polling numbers released this week has the two Democratic Senate candidates at odds over who has momentum just six months from the primary.

Virginia: Loyola Makes Rounds in Washington, D.C.

Ben Loyola (R), a businessman who is challenging freshman Rep. Glenn Nye (D), made the rounds in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to publicize his campaign in the 2nd district in and around Virginia Beach.

Michigan: Could State Senate Race Spell Trouble for Schauer?

Michigan’s 19th district state Senate race received some extra attention on election night from national Republicans, who hope a big win by state Rep. Mike Nofs (R) is a harbinger for the area’s 2010 House race. Nofs defeated state Rep. Marty Griffin (D) by double digits to win the open seat previously held by Rep. Mark Schauer (D). Republicans say their win in the Democratic-leaning state district, which encompasses the key counties of Calhoun and Jackson, shows that Schauer is in trouble in his first re-election bid.

You Think You Had an Outbreak?

It’s hard to imagine a time when washing hands between patients wasn’t standard practice for doctors, but in the 1840s, that was the case.

Giving Foster Kids a Chance

Lily Dorman-Colby’s story is the kind you should listen to with tissues handy. A foster child since age 12, Dorman-Colby was shuffled through five homes in two years and was subjected to the kind of instability and abuse that can permanently damage a child.

Sommelier Teaches Vino Love

Having grown up in Venezuela with parents who don’t drink, the wine director at Alain Ducasse’s downtown restaurant, Adour, is obsessed with vino. Not only does Narvaez spend his career tasting it, but he also married a wine distributor and says his house is crowded with bottles and cases of his favorite vintages.

Small Plates: Candy Cocktails For Big Kids

Equinox (818 Connecticut Ave. NW) is getting creative with leftover Halloween candy. The downtown hot spot is repurposing the treats and turning them into sinfully sweet cocktails.

Photo From the Attic: Back to the Future?

In November 1994, Republicans formally elected a new leadership team after regaining control of the House for the first time in 40 years. But Republicans at the time said the writing was on the wall one year earlier, when GOP candidates won gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia.