Conor Kenny's News Articles

Congresspedia’s “Congress in the News” updates, Nov. 8-Nov. 30, 2006

by Conor Kenny — January 8, 2007 - 1:30am

Topics: Congresspedia News Updates, U.S. Congress, Democracy, U.S. Government

Las Vegas police have recommended that no charges be filed against Rep. Jim Gibbons (R-Nev.) in relation to an alleged assault. (News 3 story)
Washington D.C.

The Newly Democratic House Changes Their Rules

by Conor Kenny — January 7, 2007 - 11:28pm

Last week the new Democratic House majority passed a number of rule changes aimed at the less scrupulous aspects of the previous Republican regime. The most significant is probably the "pay/go" provision that requires new spending to be offset with increases in revenue or equal reductions in spending, but also included were several new ethics measures. However, most of the ethics reforms are fairly superficial and do not deal with the revolving door or campaign contributions. For those we'll have to wait until later in the session (or potentially much, much longer). The new Democratic majority in the Senate, which is moving through the slower committee process, is expected to deliver their changes next week.

The new House rules are as follows:

Lieberman, Bush and the Generals: The PR campaign around the troop "surge" in Iraq

by Conor Kenny — January 3, 2007 - 1:19pm

Topics: Iraq, U.S. Congress, Public Relations, Rhetoric

President Bush is expected to make an announcement soon about his plan for Iraq, but a PR war has been raging for several weeks to prepare the ground for a "surge" in troop levels for Baghdad and Iraq. Bush and surrogates Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Sen.

New Committees and Stories for the New Congress on Congresspedia

by Conor Kenny — December 23, 2006 - 5:22pm

Topics: U.S. Congress, U.S. Government

We've been busy at Congresspedia updating all our information for the rollover from the 109th to the 110th Congress. The new chairs and members of the Senate committees have all been released and are fully updated in both the member of Congress profiles and on the committee pages.

Let the Campaign Begin: A Rundown of Potential 2008 Presidential Candidates

by Conor Kenny — December 20, 2006 - 1:30am

Topics: U.S. Congress, Democracy, Politics, U.S. Government

Guest blogger: Tim Malacarne

With the 2006 midterm elections just a month behind us, many political observers have already turned their attention to the 2008 presidential election. For the first time since 1952, neither the incumbent president or vice-president will be seeking his party’s nomination for the presidency. With such an open field, many politicians on both sides of the spectrum are considering bids. However, rather than run down the same list of likely candidates that everyone else on the web is doing, Congresspedia is going to be keeping track of which definite steps members of Congress and other candidates have taken to run for president. We'll be updating our page on the 2008 presidential election, but here's the current breakdown:

Congresspedia’s “Congress in the News” updates, Oct. 18-Nov. 8, 2006

by Conor Kenny — December 19, 2006 - 10:07am

Topics: Congresspedia News Updates, U.S. Congress, Democracy, U.S. Government

Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) announced that he will resign from the Republican leadership at the end of the 109th Congress. (Time story)

Rep.

Old Scandals Never Die: The Troubles of Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.)

by Conor Kenny — December 18, 2006 - 5:45pm

Topics: U.S. Congress, Democracy, U.S. Government

Three weeks ago, House Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced that neither Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.) nor Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) would be the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee in the 110th Congress. The elephant in the room during the weeks of intense speculation before the announcement was Hastings' controversial past.

To properly address the controversy surrounding Hastings, we must go all the way back to 1981; the year Jimmy Carter left the White House and Sandra Day O’Connor was nominated to the Supreme Court. In that year, Hastings, serving as a federal judge in the Southern District of Florida (he was first appointed in 1979), was indicted for soliciting a bribe from two defendants convicted of robbery in his court. Specifically, the alleged briber promised Hastings $150,000 if he kept the defendants out of prison and returned to them the funds they stole. The prosecution’s key piece of evidence was a transcript from a phone conversation (obtained through a wiretap) between Hastings and his alleged co-conspirator, William Borders. Hastings is heard saying:

"I've drafted all those ah, ah, letters, ah, for him, and everything's okay. The only thing I was concerned with was, did you hear if, ah, hear from him after we talked?"

Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) in Critical Condition; Senate Majority Potentially at Stake

by Conor Kenny — December 14, 2006 - 11:55am

Topics: U.S. Congress, Democracy, Politics, U.S. Government

Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) is recovering from surgery at George Washington University Hospital to stop bleeding in his brain caused by an arteriovenous malformation, a condition which causes arteries and veins to grow abnormally large. Johnson's condition was described as "critical" by hospital officials early this morning.

Election 2006: Democrats Extend Their Majority with Victory in Texas-23

by Conor Kenny — December 13, 2006 - 5:35pm

Topics: Election 2006, U.S. Congress, Democracy, U.S. Government

In a runoff election held yesterday in Texas’s 23rd District, former Democratic Rep. Ciro Rodriguez defeated incumbent Rep. Henry Bonilla (R-Texas), 55%-45%.

Election 2006: Scandal-Plagued Rep. William Jefferson Keeps Seat

by Conor Kenny — December 11, 2006 - 4:00pm

Topics: Election 2006, U.S. Congress, Democracy, Politics, U.S. Government

On Saturday, Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) defeated Democratic challenger Karen Carter in a runoff election, 57%-43%, to keep his seat in Louisiana's 2nd District.