Reuters AlertNet Full site
Homepage | Newsdesk | NGO Latest | Crisis briefings | Country profiles | MediaWatch | Jobs | Alerting | Login

NEWSDESK

FACTBOX-US Senate Democrats will need some Republican help
03 Dec 2008 19:42:32 GMT
 Source: Reuters
Dec 3 (Reuters) - With a close Minnesota race in the midst of a recount, Democrats will hold at least 58 seats in the new 100-member U.S. Senate that convenes on Jan. 6.

That means Democrats will need the help of at least a few Republicans to hit the 60 votes required to clear procedural roadblocks known as filibusters.

Here's a look at some of the Senate Republicans who are moderate on at least some issues that Democrats may reach out to:

* John McCain of Arizona, the failed U.S. presidential contender, has earned a reputation for bucking party leadership including on a bipartisan bill that would have revamped U.S. immigration laws. Unlike many Republicans, McCain also favors aggressive action to stem global warming.

* Susan Collins of Maine has opposed Republican leaders by voting to maintain a ban on oil drilling in protected areas of Alaska and against conservative social issues, like banning same-sex marriage and imposing new limits on abortion. She also has voted in favor of expanded stem-cell research and providing illegal immigrants a path to U.S. citizenship.

* Olympia Snowe, also of Maine, has broken ranks with many fellow Republicans in voting to increase the federal minimum wage. Like Collins, she has opposed many conservative social initiatives. She also breached Republican doctrine in 2004 when she argued for applying "pay as you go" budget rules to tax cuts as well as spending increases.

* Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania was instrumental in defeating Republican President Ronald Reagan's nomination of Robert Bork to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. More recently, he opposed limits Bush sought on medical malpractice lawsuits and butted heads with the Bush administration on warrantless electronic surveillance.

* George Voinovich of Ohio worked to narrow the size and cost of Bush's signature tax cuts and voted against some Republican budget plans. In 2005, Voinovich spoke out against Bush's choice of John Bolton to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

(Sources: Reuters, The Almanac of American Politics)

(Reporting by Richard Cowan, editing by David Wiessler)


AlertNet news is provided by
Email this article       Send comments

NGO latest

•  Cluster munitions treaty is a victory for humanity
Red Cross - UK

•  ADRA's 2009 Really Useful Gift Catalog; Available Now
ADRA - International

•  Ministry of Displacement and Migration Opens Returnee Assistance Center in Baghdad; International Medical Corps Offers Key Support
IMC - USA

•  Act From the Heart: Join ADRA in Commemorating World AIDS Day
ADRA - International

•  CWS, NCC call on U.S. government to stop workplace immigration raids
CWS

MORE >>

Latest news

•  FACTBOX-US Senate Democrats will need some Republican help

•  Colombian kids flee home rather than fight in war

•  US Senate Democrats will pack plenty of muscle

•  Strong quake potential remains in Sumatra -study

•  US says FBI gathering evidence in Mumbai attacks

MORE >>

AlertNet news is provided by

Background information

Facts & figures
United States of America Iraq

Related articles

Breaking stories
 FACTBOX-US Senate Democrats will need some Republican help (1 minute ago)

Colombian kids flee home rather than fight in war (1 minute ago)

AlertNet insight
 Experts call for better data on climate change migrants (1 minute ago)

Aid agency news feed
 Cluster munitions treaty is a victory for humanity (1 minute ago)

Blogs
 No Man's Land: Iraqi-Palestinians in Al Tanf Camp (1 minute ago)

Maps
 MAP: Global Incidence of H5N1 Virus (1 minute ago)


Del.icio.us Del.icio.us  |   Digg Digg  |   NewsVine NewsVine  |   Reddit Reddit   
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-11-21T141142Z_01_BAG327_RTRIDSP_2_IRAQ_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/BAG327.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-11-21T140814Z_01_BAG328_RTRIDSP_2_IRAQ_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/BAG328.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-11-21T121834Z_01_BAG319_RTRIDSP_2_IRAQ_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/BAG319.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-11-21T121347Z_01_BAG317_RTRIDSP_2_IRAQ_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/BAG317.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-11-21T120812Z_01_BAG315_RTRIDSP_2_IRAQ_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/BAG315.htm

A demonstrator slaps an effigy of U.S. President George W. Bush with a sandal during a rally at Firdos square in Baghdad November 21, 2008. Followers of Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr ...


More pictures | Galleries
Disclaimers |  Copyright |  Privacy |  Contact Us |  Feedback |  About Us |  RSS XML

Last updated:Wed Dec 3 19:44:42 2008