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Kent Conrad
Senators Concede Feeling Pressure on Deficit Issue
By not in system - AOL NewsWASHINGTON - The Democratic chairman of the Senate Budget Committee says if members of a Senate deficit group fail to come to grips soon with the deficit problem, "we won't be relevant to this discussion." But North Dakota's Kent Conrad declined in an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press" to say specifically where the so-called "Gang of Six" Democrats and Republicans stand in discussions on various debt-reduction strategies. Related Stories US Default on Debt Could Be Disastrous Choice for Economy Appearing on the same show Sunday, Oklahoma Republican Sen. Tom ...
New Mexico Sen. Jeff Bingaman's Decision Not to Run is Setback for Democrats
By Tom Diemer - Politics DailyNew Mexico Sen. Jeff Bingaman has decided against running for a sixth term in 2012, handing Democrats another challenge in their effort to hold the majority in the U.S. Senate. Bingaman, a 67-year-old lawyer, has represented the southwestern swing state for nearly three decades. The low profile senator is chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. "The end of this Congress is the right time for me to step aside and allow someone else to serve," he said on Friday. Bingaman is the third Democratic senator to take a pass on reelection, following Sens. Jim Webb of Virginia ...
'Gang of Six' in Senate Working Behind Scenes on Debt Reduction Plan
By Tom Diemer - Politics DailyWhile a high-decibel debate on immediate spending cuts rages in the House, a small group of senators that some call the "Gang of Six" is working quietly on a serious long-range plan to reduce the nation's trillion-dollar-plus budget deficits. Taking a cue from the Obama administration deficit-reduction commission, the bipartisan outline calls for higher taxes and across-the-board limits on spending, the Wall Street Journal reports. Although the plan is still in the works, it could surface as early as next month. Related Stories Deficit to Hit $1.5 Trillion in 2011, ...
Jon Kyl to Retire From Senate, Is Open to Being Vice Presidential Candidate
By Politics Daily Staff - Politics DailySenate Minority Whip Jon Kyl announced Thursday that he will not seek reelection to the Senate for a fourth term in 2012. At a press conference in Phoenix, the stalwart Republican offered no explanation for the decision "other than the fact than I think it's time." He did, however, add: "I wouldn't close my mind to being a vice presidential candidate. Having said that, I expect the chances of that are zero." Politico's Mike Allen was among the first to post the news, saying on Twitter Thursday morning that the three-term Republican "will announce his plans to retire at a press conference in ...
Florida Sen. Bill Nelson to Seek Reelection, Boosting Democrats in Key State
By Tom Diemer - Politics DailyWith word this week that two of their stalwarts are leaving the U.S. Senate, Democrats finally got some good news as Sen. Bill Nelson said he would seek a third term next year in Florida, a critical swing state in the 2012 presidential election. "My brand of politics is where Florida is," the 68-year-old moderate said at the Associated Press' annual legislative meeting in Tallahassee. "I run my own races, and we'll see how it develops." Related Stories Democrat Susan Bysiewicz to Run for Joe Lieberman's Senate Seat Nelson said he is confident President Obama ...
Sen. Kent Conrad to Retire -- Another Republican Opportunity for 2012?
By Tom Diemer - Politics DailySen. Kent Conrad, who has represented North Dakota for some three decades, plans to retire next year, giving Republicans a golden opportunity for a pickup in the conservative-leaning state. Conrad, a moderate in his fifth term, is a leading spokesman on budget and economic issues for the Senate majority. He is chairman of the budget panel and a senior member of the powerful Finance Committee. With former Sen. Byron Dorgan and former Rep. Earl Pomeroy, Conrad gave the rural prairie state influence in Congress well beyond what one would expect based on its small population. Dorgan retired last ...
Obama Needs to Call Summit on the Deficit, Top Democrat Says
By Bruce Drake - Politics DailySen. Kent Conrad of North Dakota, a member of President Barack Obama's debt commission and chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, said Sunday that the president needed to follow up the commission's report by calling a summit meeting in which he takes part. "What I think is really necessary now is that there be a summit that involves the president," said Conrad, a Democrat. "You know, when Judd Gregg and I first proposed this notion of a commission three years ago, we designed it so the president's people were at the table. The secretary of the treasury was the chairman of the commission. ...
Opinion: 6 Hidden Gems in the Deficit Commission Report
By John Merline - AOL News
(Dec. 2) -- The title of the bipartisan deficit commission's final report is "The Moment of Truth." And it's meant to set the stakes for what must be done to cope with the nation's gargantuan and growing pile of debt. "We cannot play games or put off hard choices any longer," says the preamble. "Our challenge is clear and inescapable: America cannot be great if we go broke." But while everyone will no doubt focus on the plan's seemingly controversial proposals, what's likely to get overlooked are several truths the report reveals about the federal government, health reform, the tax code and ...
Right for America or Wrong for Illegals? DREAM Act Takes Center Stage
By Jill Lawrence - Politics DailyThe most ardent proponents of the DREAM Act know their chances of victory in the next few weeks are slim, but they also know that failure is pretty much inevitable if they wait until next year. Thus we are in the midst of a full-court press on yet another cause that once had substantial bipartisan support, but may not any longer. DREAM, expected to come up for a vote in the year-end lame-duck session of Congress, is catchy shorthand for Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors. Translation: The act would offer a path to citizenship – and economic prosperity -- for undocumented ...
Congress Delays Vote on Bush Tax Cuts Until After Elections
By Patricia Murphy - Politics DailyWith a potentially bruising election less than six weeks away, Democrats on Capitol Hill came to an impasse Thursday over what to do about the Bush tax cuts. The result was a decision to do nothing, at least until after the elections, when Congress comes back to Washington for a lame duck session. For weeks, Republicans have happily watched from the sidelines as liberal and moderate Democrats have struggled to agree on the best course of action, both politically and on policy grounds, with the Bush-era tax policy that Democrats describe as a "time bomb." All of the tax cuts -- including those ...
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