Politics

Congress Links -- Massachusetts And More Edition

By Sunlight Foundation & Participatory Politics Foundation

The Massachusetts special election has captured the attention of the political blogosphere, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only thing people are talking about. Here’s a look at some worthwhile blog posts and articles dealing with Congress and politics:

As we previously discussed, if Scott Brown wins today’s special election, Democrats could bypass the filibuster by having the House vote for the Senate’s health care reform bill or they could start over and use the reconciliation process. There is also a third option: Democrats could try and ram the finalized health care bill through Congress before Brown is sworn into the Senate. Brian Beutler and Eric Kleefeld at Talking Points Memo look at what’s next for Scott Brown should he win today. (Talking Points Memo).

In a similar vein, The Atlantic’s Marc Ambinder pens a helpful Q&A regarding tonight’s special election. According to Ambinder, it could be weeks before Scott Brown gets sworn in as a senator should he win today’s election. (Marc Ambinder).

Even though the votes have yet to be counted, Democrats are starting to play the blame game over Martha Coakley’s campaign. POLITICO obtained a memo from a Coakley advisor blasting the White House and placing the blame for the campaign’s demise on national events. (POLITICO).

Ian Millhiser at ThinkProgress flags an eye-opening comment from Vice President Biden regarding the filibuster. Speaking at a Florida fundraiser on Sunday, Biden said, ?This is the first time every single solitary decision has required 60 senators. No democracy has survived needing a supermajority.? (ThinkProgress).

The filibuster gets plenty of attention but another Senate practice is causing just as much if not more trouble for the Obama administration. Foreign Policy’s Annie Lowrey looks at Senate holds and notes that one year into his administration, 177 of Obama’s appointees have yet to be confirmed. At a similar point in President Bush’s administration, only 70 of his nominees were not yet confirmed. (Foreign Policy).

Full post as published by Open Congress on January 19, 2010 (boomark / email).