Congress

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Ex-Lawmakers to 2010 Candidates: Behave!

130 former legislators calls for civility on Capitol Hill in letter

(Newser) - More than 130 former members of Congress banded together to offer a message to 2010 congressional candidates via letter: Stop the "zero-sum game" partisanship that has paralyzed the legislative branch. So many former lawmakers have never spoken with one voice to all congressional candidates, but they felt prodded by...

Boring Congress Puts Boy to Sleep

But who can blame him?

(Newser) - It's hardly a newsflash that the goings-on of Congress are enough to put a boy to sleep. But there's a bit of dark humor to be found in this video, notes New York . First, it's not just any boy: The grandson of Rep. Ted Poe gets caught nodding off during...

Congress Turning Down Volume of TV Commercials

Measure clears Senate, should be law soon

(Newser) - Bipartisan agreement on the this one: The Senate unanimously passed a bill that outlaws blaring TV commercials, the AP reports. Because the House already cleared a similar measure, this one's destined to become law soon after minor differences are ironed out. Under the CALM act, TV stations have to make...

Stephen Colbert Losing Fans in Congress

Lawmakers sour on show and 'Better Know a District' bit

(Newser) - Congress seems to be getting tired of Stephen Colbert, and not just because of his in-character testimony on Capitol Hill, reports Politico . More and more lawmakers are turning down requests to be on his show—especially for the "Better Know a District" segment, which initially attracted lawmakers as an...

GOP Wants Rangel, Waters Trials Before Midterms

Ethics panel members make unusual public plea

(Newser) - The ethics troubles of Maxine Waters and Charlie Rangel have led to what both the Hill and Politico call a rare bit of public infighting on the House ethics panel. The Republicans on the panel demanded today that Democrats schedule separate trials for the two Democrats before the November elections....

Stephen Colbert Is as Bad as Those He Mocks
Stephen Colbert Is as Bad
as Those He Mocks
opinion
Sep 28, 2010 1:41 PM CDT

Stephen Colbert Is as Bad as Those He Mocks

Jonah Goldberg: He and Jon Stewart are examples of 'ironic rot'

(Newser) - Stephen Colbert's Senate testimony last week on immigration is a sad example of the "ironic rot" that's been seeping into our political system for years, writes Jonah Goldberg. That was supposed to be parody? "O'Reilly doesn't talk like that. Nor does Sean Hannity or any of the usual...

Stewart Defends Colbert Testimony
 Stewart Defends 
 Colbert Testimony 
plus: o'reilly!
Sep 28, 2010 6:28 AM CDT

Stewart Defends Colbert Testimony

It's not like Congress is achieving much else, he argues

(Newser) - Add Jon Stewart to the list of people who believe that on Friday, Stephen Colbert “ruined Congress.” Last night on the Daily Show , Stewart even agreed with Rep. Steny Hoyer, who said Colbert was probably more embarrassed than the House of Representatives by his fake testimony about farm...

Colbert to Testify Before Congress
 Colbert to Testify 
 Before Congress 
seriously?
Sep 23, 2010 8:05 AM CDT

Colbert to Testify Before Congress

But will he be in character at immigration hearing?

(Newser) - Stephen Colbert is getting serious tomorrow. Or not. The Comedy Central host will testify before Congress during a hearing on immigration , alongside United Farm Workers president Arturo Rodriguez, who appeared on his show in July. Rodriguez talked to Colbert about the UFW’s “Take Our Jobs” campaign, which...

Liberals Fast Losing Faith in Democrats

Only one-third approve of Dem-controlled Congress

(Newser) - Congress is once again playing the role of the nation's whipping boy, with its approval rating hitting a basement-dwelling 18% in a new USA Today/Gallup poll suggests. And while it's no surprise that conservatives disapprove of the Democrat-controlled Capitol, support has plummeted among left-wingers: Only 32% and 35% of those...

Dems Keep Distance From Own Party in Ads

Vulnerable incumbents shy away from party line

(Newser) - President Obama and Nancy Pelosi are showing up in lots of political ads these days—and they're almost always Republican ads, notes the New York Times . In general, vulnerable Democratic incumbents are distancing themselves from their party and legislative victories like health care—and instead portraying themselves as anti-government outsiders...

Drumbeat of Bad News Continues for Dems

Forecast sees GOP takeover of House

(Newser) - Democrats better fasten their rally caps. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report has for the first time in this election cycle projected a GOP takeover of the House, notes Taegan Goddard's Political Wire blog . "We are revising our House forecast to a Republican gain of at least 40 seats, the...

The 50 Richest Lawmakers
 The 50 Richest Lawmakers 
Aug 31, 2010 6:47 PM CDT

The 50 Richest Lawmakers

John Kerry, Darrell Issa, Jane Harman lead list

(Newser) - Financial disclosure forms from 2009 are in, and the Hill has ranked the 50 wealthiest lawmakers (27 Democrats and 23 Republicans) from the House and Senate. Here's the top 5:
  1. John Kerry, $188.6 million: Kerry's wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, is the source of his wealth, though the $188.6
...

Are Reps Abusing House Travel Funds?
 Are Reps 
 Abusing House 
 Travel Funds? 



investigation
Aug 31, 2010 8:09 AM CDT

Are Reps Abusing House Travel Funds?

House members failed to return leftover travel allowances

(Newser) - Another day, another House ethics investigation: This time, watchdogs are investigating a half-dozen lawmakers believed to have kept or misspent federal funds meant to pay for overseas travel, insiders say. Members of Congress are given a daily allowance—anywhere from $25 in Kabul to $250 in parts of Japan—when...

Congress Spends Its Time Naming Post Offices
Congress Spends Its Time Naming Post Offices
analysis
Aug 24, 2010 11:21 AM CDT

Congress Spends Its Time Naming Post Offices

You'd imagine they had something better to do

(Newser) - You might think the most pressing issue facing Congress is the economy, or terrorism, or global warming, or immigration. But you’d be wrong. “Nope, the biggest problem facing America today is … the desperate lack of appropriately named post offices,” writes John Merline for AolNews . He combed...

Defiant Maxine Waters: I'm Innocent

Congresswoman denies ethics charges

(Newser) - Maxine Waters made her position very clear today: "I did not violate any House rules," the California congresswoman insisted at a Washington press conference, reports ABC News . "No benefit, no improper action, no failure to disclose, no one influenced: no case." The House ethics panel has...

Ex-Congressman Dan Rostenkowski Dead
 Ex-Congressman 
 Dan Rostenkowski Dead 
obituary
Aug 11, 2010 12:24 PM CDT

Ex-Congressman Dan Rostenkowski Dead

Chaired tax committee but got ensnared in scandal

(Newser) - Former Rep. Dan Rostenkowski, the Chicago Democrat who became the leading architect of congressional tax policy in the Reagan era but later went to federal prison for corruption, died today at age 82. As House Ways and Means Committee chairman, Rostenkowski was known as a consensus builder and a master...

House Approves $26B in Jobs Aid

Republicans criticize it as another bailout

(Newser) - The House today approved $26 billion in emergency funding intended to protect the jobs of teachers and other government employees across the country, the Washington Post reports. Nancy Pelosi called the House back from August recess for a 1-day session to approve the bill, which she thinks will save 300,...

10 Failed Celeb Political Bids
 10 Failed Celeb Political Bids 
Aug 10, 2010 10:47 AM CDT

10 Failed Celeb Political Bids

Wyclef Jean will be in good company if he loses

(Newser) - Wyclef Jean is running for president of Haiti , but already things aren’t going well for the controversy-plagued singer. If he loses, he won’t be the first celebrity to suffer a failed political campaign: Time lists 10 others:
  • Norman Mailer: Despite being a literary giant, the Pulitzer Prize- and
...

Companies Fund College Endowments to Woo Lawmakers

It's easy to stroke an ego in Congress

(Newser) - Surprise, surprise: Charlie Rangel's troubles prompted the New York Times to look into the ties between academia and politics, and things don't come off squeaky clean. At least a dozen current or former lawmakers have had endowments or chairs set up in their name, and those endowments were funded (usually...

No Love Lost Between Tea Partiers and Their Caucus

Republicans co-opting the brand, they complain

(Newser) - The tea party has a voice in Congress now, and it’s not thrilled about it. To many activists, Michelle Bachmann’s new 49-member Tea Party Caucus looks like an attempt to co-opt the movement, Politico reports. “Ultimately, I worry it destroys the tea party—which started out as...

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