U.S. Senate swearing-in tomorrow...mostly.
Carla Axtman
If you want to see Jeff Merkley's swearing-in tomorrow, CSPAN2 will cover it live. The ceremony gets underway at 9AM Pacific Time and is scheduled to run for about an hour.
What you won't see is a swearing in ceremony for a bunch of other potential Senators who either have yet to have their victory sealed or their appointment completed. Or maybe they'll just be a little late to the party.
Some of this stuff has eroded what little confidence I had in Harry Reid's political ability. He's been a disaster lately.
In Minnesota, Al Franken was the confirmed winner today by the state canvassing board for that U.S. Senate race. But he won't be sworn-in tomorrow. Loser Norm Coleman is going to drag the whole thing into court, tying things up for weeks or maybe months with legal challenges. Outgoing DSCC Chair Chuck Schumer says Franken's lead is insurmountable, even with Coleman's littany of complaints. I wonder what Coleman is gaining from the party for his role in keeping Franken out of the Senate for this time period...? And why is Reid so soft on getting Franken seated?
By now, you've likely been assaulted in some media format or another by the Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich saga. The guy seems to have more balls than brains, or at least I thought so early on. Blagojevich has appointed state AG Roland Burris to replace the Senate seat vacated by Obama. But Reid and Senate Democrats have said that they won't seat anyone sent up by the guy who tried to sell Obama's seat. I've seen arguments on both sides--some claiming that Reid will have no legal option but to allow Burris to step in. Reid seems to be screwed here.
The State of New York is still short a Senator as well trying to pinpoint a replacement for Hillary Clinton. The short list includes Camelotian Caroline Kennedy and State AG Andrew Cuomo. The media scrutiny has not been kind to Kennedy, who has taken a beating. Recent polling is showing Kennedy rapidly losing ground to Cuomo (via TPM).
Colorado Guv Bill Ritter has appointed public schools superintendent Michael Bennet to the seat vacated by Ken Salazar (who was appointed by Obama to head the Interior Department). The local take on Bennet is here and here.
Finally, former U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell (D-RI) passed away at the age of 90. Pell focused heavily on education, the arts and humanities, and foreign affairs during his 36 years in the Senate. Toward the end of his Senate career, he served as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was best known as the father of the Pell Grant.
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Jan 5, '09
If you want to see Jeff Merkley's swearing-in tomorrow, CSPAN2 will cover it live. The ceremony gets underway at 9AM Pacific Time and is scheduled to run for about an hour.
And, if the past is prologue to the future for most senators (and representatives) their oath to uphold the Constitution will very likely be as meaningless as it was in the past. Let's hope Merkley will prove to be in the minority that takes this oath seriously.
10:51 p.m.
Jan 5, '09
The State of New York is still short a Senator as well.
To be nerdy and difficult here, NY is not short a Senator yet. Senator Clinton has not resigned her position, she's being rather safe about her whole appointment.
Jan 6, '09
The oath:
Jan 6, '09
Edited to succumb to Carl Fisher's difficult nerd.
:)
Jan 6, '09
Anyone who wants to watch Jeff Merkley's first and last swearing in as a US Senator, you can watch that train wreck on C-Span...I'll pass. Fortunately the Senate will only feature one freak show at a time..Merkley the Clown today, Franken the Comedian in a few weeks. Neither one of these jokers has any business serving anywhere near the US Senate...this is an embarrassing day for our state and our country...and whether or not you'll admit it..you all know it's true. What a disgrace.
8:35 a.m.
Jan 6, '09
It's my understanding that MN law doesn't allow certification while a lawsuit on the election is pending from one of the principals. While the canvassing board says he won, Franken doesn't yet have the official paper.
Jan 6, '09
Don't mince words JB. Tell us how you really feel.
Seriously though, do you have any actual legitimate criticisms or are you just pissed off that your conservative buddies lost this time around?
Jan 6, '09
(Links are not embedded because the incompetents that run BlueOregon can't put up blog software with spam filter with average quality. Change the colons ":" to slashes "/" to get the real URLs).
In this campaign, Merkley took money from the J-Street Project
www.jstreet.org:files:images:JStreetPACPostElectionSummary.pdf
and without apology consorted with AIPAC
www.theportlandalliance.org:2008:July:AIPAC.html
J-Street, one of the most successfully propagandistic PACs out there , has "condemned" Hamas, but has absolutely refused to condemn the now outlaw Israeli nation for targeting civilians
rawstory.com:news:2008:Norwegian_doctor_in_Gaza_Israel_targeting_0105.html
stopping ambulances from reaching those civilians they have seriously wounded
rawstory.com:news:2008:Red_Cross_Gaza_wounded_dying_because_0105.html
deliberately attacking journalists
rawstory.com:news:2008:Group_Israel_deliberately_attacked_Palestinian_journalists_0105.html
launching airstrikes on Gazan cities
rawstory.com:news:2008:Israel_escalates_offensive_into_Gaza_cities_0106.html
and firing on UN schools killing dozens of children
www.reuters.com:article:newsOne:idUSTRE5053R720090106?sp=true
We already know Wyden and his staff refuse to even answer any questions about whether he supports or condemns the Israeli nation for it's illegal brutality. Merkley's defenders only argument so far seems is that he has to be "sworn in", as if his morals depend on taking the oath of office. It is a serious question whether he and Wyden represent the values of Oregonians or the monied political interests to whom they owe their seats. The glee you express here Carla, and Kari expressed on KPOJ this morning, about Merkley's swearing is worse than wildly inappropriate in view of what is happening in Gaza and the utter silence of both of these men about it.
9:53 a.m.
Jan 6, '09
For the record, I'm not aware of anyone in the Oregon blogosphere who has written as many posts criticizing the IDF assault on Gaza as I have. Heck, I'm not aware of anyone in the same who has written even half as many such posts. And I am emphatically ecstatic about Merkley being sworn in as MY Senator!
10:31 a.m.
Jan 6, '09
Neither one of these jokers has any business serving anywhere near the US Senate...this is an embarrassing day for our state and our country...and whether or not you'll admit it..you all know it's true.
Funny, but when I think of clowns and jokers in the US Senate, it's people like Inhofe, Chambliss and Vitter that leap immediately to mind. If the Republicans can survive these clowns, the Senate can certainly tolerate a couple of truly intelligent Democrats.
Simply put, JB, it isn't remotely true.
Jan 6, '09
Harry Reid's use of the technicality that Roland Burris doesn't have an election certificate signed by both the Illinois Governor AND Secretary of State could come back to haunt Al Franken. If Tim Pawlenty wanted to, he could simply insist upon withholding his signature on the Franken certificate until ALL of Norm Coleman's legal challenges are exhausted. Theoretically, this could take years. Either Reid and the Senate leadership end up looking like complete hypocrites by seating one but not the other, or they go along for quite a while two senators short.
I don't have any sympathy for Blagojevich, but Raid should have thought through the consequences of this move more thoroughly before putting his mouth in gear. Burris may not be the most capable senator, but he won't be the worst. He doesn't deserve to be treated this way, regardless of what the twit did. If he wants to try his hand at getting re-elected in 2010, let him. If the people of Illinois don't think he's the best Democratic candidate, they'll send him packing in the primary. He'll certainly have plenty of challengers from both parties.
Jan 6, '09
Over in the House a few minutes ago, Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke of looking forward and not backward. In other words, assessment of the disastrous Bush/Cheney regime, the complicity of Congress and the shame they added to the nation's reputation will not be on the table once proposed for impeachment.
11:34 a.m.
Jan 6, '09
Technically, as long as the state's SOS doesn't sign Burris' papers, then it would be against senate rules to seat him.
And big congrats to my new U.S. Senator, Jeff Merkley.
11:41 a.m.
Jan 6, '09
rural resident:
From what the news is reporting, they can't sign the paperwork until the legal challenges are through.
Jan 6, '09
The time to argue that bad executives can't make appointments was eight years ago, when George W. bush was making appointments. And no Democrat said boo then. To do so now is evidence that Harry reid suffers from Stockholm syndrome.
Joe Biden just got sworn in as Senator today, an office that he plans to vacate in just a few days...but he thought it was important because we need every Democrat we can get. Maybe a crucial vote will come up in which Senator Biden's vote will be needed, he said.
Well, maybe a crucial vote will come up in which the votes of Senators Franken and Burris will be needed. What will Reid do then? will he breathe a sigh of relief that he has an excuse for failure, and doesn't have to be dragged kicking and screaming to a place where he actually has to LEAD his party and take responsibility?
Jan 6, '09
Regarding Franken, Senator Chuck Schumer said:
"With the Minnesota recount complete, it is now clear that Al Franken won the election. The Canvassing Board will meet tomorrow to wrap up its work and certify him the winner, and while there are still possible legal issues that will run their course, there is no longer any doubt who will be the next Senator from Minnesota."
There's ample justification behind the old joke: "The most dangerous place in Washington is to get caught between Chuck Schumer and a TV camera." That headlong rush to publicity that Schumer is famous for often doesn't leave him time to get his brain in gear before he sets his mouth in motion.
It isn't at all "clear" that Franken won; "possible legal issues" means that courts will make real decisions; and there is in fact some doubt who will be the next senator from MN. Maybe Schumer will be proved right, but that will be mostly an accident.
Jan 6, '09
So what if his seat is tainted, he will not retain the seat. Seat him, move on and let Illinois refine it's laws on alleged official misconduct to avoid this problem - down-the-road.
Talk me down...
2:37 p.m.
Jan 6, '09
It isn't at all "clear" that Franken won; "possible legal issues" means that courts will make real decisions; and there is in fact some doubt who will be the next senator from MN.
Actually Tom, that's incorrect. Even with all of the challenges that Coleman is asserting, Franken's lead is unsurmountable.
Jan 6, '09
So what if his seat is tainted,...
There are very few seats in the senate that are not tainted. I saw a poll a few days ago that had Bush with a 24% favorable rating and Congress at 19%
11:15 a.m.
Jan 7, '09
There are very few seats in the senate that are not tainted. I saw a poll a few days ago that had Bush with a 24% favorable rating and Congress at 19%
<h2>This is true, I mean Ted Stevens lost re-election in a very close race and we can all agree he was tainted...and voters of Alaska still liked him enough to get the vote that close.</h2>