Democratic Leaders

Democrats back stopgap aid for automakers — The compromise plan would divert $14 billion from an existing fund to avert possible bankruptcies. To pass, GOP and White House support are needed Congressional Democratic leaders agreed Friday night to a stopgap compromise to keep the Big Three U.S. automakers afloat into early next year by diverting about $14 billion from an existing fund to retool their factories, according to senior aides.... [Tags: aides, automakers, bankruptcies, compromise plan, democratic leaders]

Congress to vote next week on autos — WASHINGTON (AFP) — The US Senate and House of Representatives hope to hold votes next week on a bailout plan to save America's teetering Big Three automakers, Democratic leaders in Congress said Friday...... [Tags: afp, bailout plan, big three automakers, congress, democratic leaders]

Auto aid chances improve as talks take place — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Efforts to provide emergency loans to struggling U.S. automakers gained momentum on Friday after a grim U.S. jobs report spurred talks between Democratic leaders in Congress and the White House.... [Tags: automakers, congress, democratic leaders, emergency loans, jobs]

Chris Weigant: Political Parties Are Not "Checks" Or "Balances" — There's an old inside-the-Beltway joke where a new House member is being shown around by a veteran of his own party. He is awed by entering the House floor for the first time, and is shown his new seat. He asks, pointing across the aisle to where the other party sits, "Is that where the enemy sits?" The older and wiser Congressman replies, "No, no, here in the House of Representatives we call our opponents 'the loyal opposition.' You're new, so you need to understand this. 'The enemy' is the Senate." This joke came to mind while listening and reading... [Tags: aisle, checks and balances, chris weigant, congressman, deliberation]

GOP Senator Pleads With Democrats To Bail Out Detroit — The auto industry's most prominent Republican backer is pressing Democratic leaders to take swift action this month to help the nation's car industry, arguing that doing nothing would have devastating economic consequences. "I believe we must work swiftly to allow the domestic automotive industry to gain access to emergency assistance," Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio) wrote to House and Senate Democratic leaders on Monday. "The risk in doing nothing is too great," he wrote.... [Tags: auto industry, automotive industry, backer, car industry, democratic leaders]

Profiles in punditry, Peggy Noonan — I love coming across great punditry like this, from Peggy Noonan in February 2006: Conservatives are always writing about the strains and stresses within the Republican Party, and they are real. But the Democratic Party seems to be near imploding, and for that most humiliating of reasons: its meaninglessness. Republicans are at least arguing over their meaning. The venom is bubbling on websites like Kos, where Tuesday afternoon, after the Alito vote, various leftists wrote in such comments as "F--- our democratic leaders," "Vichy Democrats" and "F--- Mary Landrieu, I hope she drowns." The old union lunch-pail Democrats are dead,... [Tags: alito vote, authentic voice, democratic base, democratic leaders, health care facility]

Hoyer: Stimulus Plan Can Get People Working — President-elect Barack Obama's transition team and Democratic leaders are putting together an economic stimulus program. It's designed to create more than two million jobs over the next two years. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer talks with Steve Inskeep about what could get people working again.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us... [Tags: barack obama, democratic leaders, e mail, economic stimulus, jobs]

Who was Lieberman before Lieberman was Lieberman? — Before there was The Lieberman Vote, there was The Peterson Vote. Don't remember The Peterson Vote? The link to the original article in The Hill no longer works, but here's a link to a key blockquote from Daily Kos coverage: Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) was harshly upbraided Monday night by House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) and other members of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee for failing to be a "team player," signaling that the Democratic leadership intention to impose a strict regimen of party discipline in the 109th Congress. Party leaders dressed down Peterson... [Tags: 109th congress, agriculture committee, charles stenholm, collin peterson, congress party]

Automakers should make their case — WASHINGTON: Democratic leaders ordered the United States' Big Three automakers Friday to submit what amounts to a detailed loan application to Congress so lawmakers can decide whether to give the beleaguered industry an emergency $25 billion lifeline...... [Tags: big three automakers, congress, democratic leaders, lawmakers, lifeline]

Automakers Get Deadline To Make Their Case — WASHINGTON — Detroit's embattled automakers have two weeks to show a skeptical Congress how a multibillion-dollar lifeline will help them keep the industry from imploding. A bailout-shy Congress punted a $25 billion auto industry rescue on Thursday, as Democratic leaders said they wouldn't help the beleaguered Big Three until the companies presented them with a plan showing how the federal funding would stabilize their faltering industry. "The executives of the auto companies have not been able to convince Congress or the American people that this government bailout will be its last," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. He said... [Tags: auto companies, auto workers, automakers, bailout, car makers]

Congress Stalls Automakers' Bid For Relief — After the Big Three auto executives spent two days seeking support on Capitol Hill for a bailout, the grand finale is no finale at all. Democratic leaders say they are delaying a vote until the auto companies present a plan on how they will restructure their business.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us... [Tags: auto companies, auto executives, automakers, bailout, capitol hill]

Democrats postpone crucial vote on auto bailout — Democratic leaders in Congress sidetracked legislation to bail out the auto industry Thursday and demanded the Big Three develop a plan assuring the money would make them economically viable.... [Tags: auto industry, bailout, congress, democratic leaders, democrats]

Congress wants business plan from automakers — WASHINGTON — Democratic leaders in Congress have put off a vote on bailing out the auto industry until next month, and want the top companies to present a plan showing the money will make them financially viable. "The executives of the auto industry have not been able to convince the American people or the Congress that this bailout would be their last," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said at a news conference. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said: "Until they show us the plan, we cannot show them the money." The industry has been asking for $25 billion in... [Tags: auto companies, auto industry, automakers, bailout, car companies]

Democratic Leaders Push Auto Bailout to December — ... [Tags: bailout, democratic leaders]

Auto Industry Execs Hammered By Congress, Bailout Looking Increasingly Unlikely — The heads of the Big Three automakers of Detroit pleaded on Tuesday for emergency government aid to stave off potential collapse, but after four hours of testimony, it appeared they had not persuaded enough lawmakers to move quickly on a bailout. Senate Democratic leaders said they had not been able to muster the support for legislation that would provide $25 billion to the troubled auto industry from the Treasury Department's $700 billion economic rescue fund.... [Tags: auto industry, bailout, big three automakers, collapse, congress]

David Sirota: Should We Be Surprised? — A question in the aftermath of Chairman Lieberman's heroic return to the welcoming arms of the Senate Democratic club: Should we be surprised? No, really, this is a serious question. With its congressional majority, the Democratic Party has refused to seriously try to end the war, to stop the bailout and to stop the trampling of civil liberties, just to name a few off the top of my head. In fact, with their votes, they have aggressively worked to start and continue the war, pass the bailout and destroy our constitutional rights to privacy. So, are we really surprised that... [Tags: appendage, bailout, chairmanship, civil liberties, congressional majority]

Lieberman Keeps Committee Chair In Senate Vote — WASHINGTON — Sen. Joe Lieberman will keep his chairmanship of the Senate Homeland Security Committee despite hard feelings over his support for GOP nominee John McCain during the presidential campaign. The Connecticut independent will lose a panel post on the Environment and Public Works panel as punishment for criticizing Obama this fall. Lieberman's colleagues in the Democratic caucus voted 42-13 Tuesday to approve a resolution condemning statements made by Lieberman during the campaign but allowing him to keep the Homeland Security Committee gavel. Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said he had been very angry by Lieberman's actions but that "we're... [Tags: al gore, barack obama, chairmanship, committee chair, democratic leaders]

Joe Lieberman: Remembering The Love — Jay Newton-Small brings word of the wrist slap that Lieberman is expected to suffer for spending the last year calling Democrats a threat to national security. (He will keep his principal committee chairmanship and still caucus with the Democrats.) So what better time to remember all the love Lieberman has showered on Democrats in recent months? Here are some of my favorites: In the Wall Street Journal, May 2008 By considering centrism to be collaboration with the enemy – not bin Laden, but Mr. Bush – activists have successfully pulled the Democratic Party further to the left than it has... [Tags: al gore, barack obama, centrism, clinton al, cnn]

Dem Leaders Split Over Heated Committee Chair Race — The top two Democratic leaders in the House are expected to vote for different lawmakers to lead the Energy and Commerce Committee in the next Congress. Both House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) have taken neutral public stances in the high-profile contest between Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.) and his challenger, Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.). But lawmakers, aides and lobbyists following the race believe that Pelosi will vote for Waxman and Hoyer will back Dingell when the vote takes place later this week.... [Tags: aides, chairman john, challenger, commerce committee chairman, committee chair]

Senate Debates Bailout For U.S. Automakers — Help for the auto industry is a top priority for Democratic leaders, and it was the opening item of business as the U.S. Senate resumed its duties after a six-week break. But many senators appear to be feeling bailout burnout.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us... [Tags: auto industry, automakers, bailout, burnout, democratic leaders]