At the federal level we have faced continued gridlock during the past few years. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid famously refused to take up hundreds of House-passed bills, several with bipartisan support. Senate Republicans were accused of putting up numerous legislative roadblocks to the point where Sen. Reid and his Democrat senators changed the rules…
Republicans Should Help Restore Bipartisanship By Bringing Back The Filibuster
About a year ago Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid changed the rules in the Senate to remove the filibuster for confirming appointments. What was worse was how he did it. Normally rule changes in the Senate require a 67 vote majority (ending a filibuster requires just 60 votes), but Reid changed the rules with a…
Heidi Heitkamp's Posturing As The Senate's New Swing Vote Is Hard To Buy
While election night was an ugly one for most Democrats, it seems to have opened up an opportunity for rabidly ambitious Senator Heidi Heitkamp. Ever since the votes were tallied Heitkamp has been posturing herself as a key centrist in the Senate chamber. Someone to whom Democrats and Republicans alike will need cater on close…
Heitkamp Votes Against Reid As Minority Leader
In what was apparently a heated closed-door caucus meeting Senator Harry Reid was re-elected to his leadership post for the incoming Demcorat minority in the Senate. But one person who didn’t support keeping Reid at the head of her caucus was Senator Heidi Heitkamp. “This was a change election,” Heitkamp told the New York Times.…
Ouch: Heidi Heitkamp Turning On Harry Reid?
Senator Heidi Heitkamp was a major beneficiary of (now lame duck) Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s campaign largesse in 2012. In addition to $10,000 in contributions made directly to Heitkamp’s campaign, Reid’s Majority PAC spent $3.37 million on independent advertising attacking Heitkamp’s opponent Rick Berg. My how things have changed. With Democrats reeling from election…
Keystone Bill Fizzles As Three Democrat Senators Flip Flop
Earlier today I wrote a post wondering if Democrats who say they want to build the Keystone pipeline really want to build it, or if it’s just a convenient contrast point with President Obama for liberals looking to get re-elected in red states. I think the latest developments in the Senate on the bill to…
Heidi Heitkamp Sides With Reid In Minimum Wage Hike Fight
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid wants to raise the national minimum wage to $10.10 an hour, and he’s not backing down in the Senate. One of his stalwart supporters, North Dakota Senator Heidi Heitkamp who was the beneficiary of millions worth of political dollars from Senator Reid and his political action committee during the 2012…
Heidi Heitkamp's Good Friend Harry Reid Has Some Major Ethical Problems
In terms of outside spending in the 2012 Senate race in North Dakota – spending, that is, that came from places other than the candidates themselves – there was no single person who had more of an impact that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Outside of the national Republican and Democrat parties, Reid’s Majority PAC…
Heitkamp Says No To Manchin-Toomey Gun Control Bill
After much waffling, Senator Heidi Heitkamp has finally said no to the Manchin-Toomey gun control bill. Here’s the Senator’s press release: WASHINGTON, DC- Today, U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp released the following statement regarding the Manchin-Toomey Amendment: “I’ve been adamant from the very beginning of this conversation that the focus should be on mental health issues,…
With Filibuster Vote Heitkamp Proves To Be A Loyal, Bought-Off Partisan
So much for Heidi Heitkamp’s self-described “independence.” The candidate campaigned on being anything but a loyal liberal partisan, but in her first big test Heitkamp did exactly what Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told her to. The Grand Forks Herald is full of praise for Heitkamp today for not voting to gut the filibuster, and…
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