Reuters AlertNet Lite - FACTBOX-US Senate Democrats will need some Republican help

Reuters AlertNet Full site

NEWSDESK

FACTBOX-US Senate Democrats will need some Republican help

06 Jan 2009 06:10:07 GMT
Source: Reuters

Jan 6 (Reuters) - Democrats will have to rely on help from some moderate Republicans to pass many of their initiatives this year, having failed to gain the 60 votes in the 100 member U.S. Senate to overcome the procedural hurdles known as filibusters.

Here's a look at some Senate Republicans who have worked with Democrats in the past:

* John McCain of Arizona, the failed U.S. presidential candidate, 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 measures, like those seeking to ban same-sex marriage or impose new limits on abortion. She also has voted in favor of expanded stem-cell research and providing a path to U.S. citizenship for illegal immigrants.

* 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.

* Conversely, some centrist Democrats cannot be counted on to always vote with their party. Among them are Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Max Baucus of Montana and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas.

*If Al Franken ultimately takes the Senate seat in Minnesota that has been under dispute because of a very close election result, Democrats could control 59 seats for the next two years and Republicans 41 seats.

(Sources: Reuters, The Almanac of American Politics) (Reporting by Richard Cowan; editing by Patricia Zengerle)

AlertNet news is provided by

Email this article Send comments

NGO latest

• ADRA Among 100 Most Effective U.S. and International Non-Profits
ADRA - International

• Christmas in Galveston: ADRA and ACS Bring Joy to Hundreds of Children in Texas
ADRA - International

• UMCOR Hotline for December 23, 2008
UMCOR - USA

• Year ahead: Increased forced migrations, continued lack of quality food, and water shortages, warns NGO
CWS

• UMCOR Hotline for December 16, 2008
UMCOR - USA

MORE >>

Latest news

• FACTBOX-US Senate Democrats will need some Republican help

• New US Congress set to convene, focused on economy

• India PM says Pakistan whipping up war hysteria

• India PM says Pakistan whipping up war hysteria

• North Korea shaking up cabinet, says South

MORE >>

AlertNet news is provided by

Background information

Facts & figures

United States of America

Breaking stories

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

New US Congress set to convene, focused on economy (1 minute ago)

AlertNet insight

Disaster-heavy 2008 raises pressure for climate pact, insurance (1 minute ago)

Aid agency news feed

ADRA Among 100 Most Effective U.S. and International Non-Profits (1 minute ago)

Blogs

Obama and Darfur - What to Expect (1 minute ago)

Maps

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