Tag Archive for "Senate"

Posts Tagged Senate

BREAKING: Senate passes “nuclear option” so judicial confirmations only need 51 votes

Did Majority Leader Harry Reid just win the day? The so called “nuclear option” just passed and that means that the GOP, who have been blocking judicial and executive branch nominees for years, can no longer simply block nominations to the courts. Prior to today, the GOP would simply refuse to allow confirmation hearings on Obama’s nominees and there didn’t necessarily have to be a reason. They would threaten to filibuster, and one GOP Senator is all you need to block a nomination.

Via ThinkProgress

By Syreeta McFadden • 11 years ago

“It begs the question: Who are we here to represent?”

It really does. How in holy hell does a measure that has over 90% support in the public fail in the Senate? Apparently, a reasoned approach to gun ownership and safety, or any tools to mitigate gun violence in America, is patently ridiculous to members of Congress.

Gabby Giffords sounded off in a New York Times op-ed published late yesterday skewering Congress for their failure to rise to reason and surpass partisan politics. She asked us to join the next round of the fight in the best way we know how: at the ballot box.

I am asking every reasonable American to help me tell the truth about the cowardice these senators demonstrated. I ...

It really does. How in holy hell does a measure that has over 90% support in the public fail in the Senate? Apparently, a reasoned approach to gun ownership and ...

By Lori Adelman • 11 years ago

Watch live: Senate hearing on sexual assault in the military

The Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel is currently holding a hearing on sexual assault in the military, including testimony from victims and military officials. You can watch the live stream of the hearing here. We are also live-tweeting thoughts and reactions from @Feministing using #MSThearing.

Past Feministing coverage on this topic:

Is the military labeling rape survivors as “crazy” to get rid of them?

Sexual assault of men in the military

Military rape crisis center presses US coast guard to improve sexual assault prevention and Response

Documentary about military sexual assault gets Oscar nod

By Chloe Angyal • 11 years ago

A list of dudes who oppose the Violence Against Women Act

**Trigger warning**

Welcome to the new Washington, where it’s now perfectly acceptable to take a basic sentiment, like “I think we should make life easier for women who’ve been beaten, assaulted, or raped,” and declare yourself publicly in opposition to it.

Or at least, there are some Republicans who consider it acceptable. These Senators, all of them men, have set themselves against the renewal of the Violence Against Women Act. Yesterday, they all voted not to consider reauthorizing it: they don’t even want to allow it to come to a vote. Because hey, women are only the majority of voters in this country, and they’re only incredibly likely to be beaten, assaulted, or raped over the course of their lifetimes. So ...

**Trigger warning**

By zerlina • 11 years ago

Senator Scott Brown’s staffers mock Elizabeth Warren with racist chant

How charming! Senator Scott Brown’s staffers were caught on tape chanting Indian War whoops with some tomahawk chops for good measure. The racist chant is apparently intended to mock Elizabeth Warren for her Native American roots. WCVB news in Boston confirmed that Deputy Chief of Staff Greg Casey and Constituent Service Counsel Jack Richard, State Director Jerry McDermott, special assistant Jennifer Franks and GOP operative Brad Garrett are pictured in the video.

The controversy over Warren’s Native American roots has always been silly. Warren is originally from the state of Oklahoma where either you have verifiable Native American roots or you grow up hearing about how you have Native American roots. The truth is that it’s hard to prove either ...

By Samhita • 12 years ago

Blunt Amendment tabled

Thank goodness that is over. The Blunt Amendment has been tabled by the Senate–the bill that Maya wrote about yesterday would allow your boss to decide what specific pieces of coverage and you and can’t have based on personal belief systems. This would not just be a threat to access to contraception (the most obvious benefit that would be denied by anti-choice religious types) but any service an employer deems contrary to their “moral” belief system.

You have to wonder why Republican Senators propose these bills that rarely see success. Well, it is not just because they believe that women are evil harlots that deserve to get pregnant when they have sex and should be left with no options except forced ...

By Anna • 12 years ago

The Feministing Five: Representative Tammy Baldwin

Tammy Baldwin, U.S. Representative from the 2nd District of Wisconsin, announced in September that she is running for Senate in next year’s election. Representative Baldwin is a pioneer in many ways; as the first woman ever elected to Wisconsin’s Congress, she is also the first openly lesbian Representative and first openly gay non-incumbent elected to U.S. Congress. If elected to the Senate, she would be the first openly gay U.S. Senator.

But as amazing and inspiring as all those things are, we have a ton more to look forward to with a candidate like Baldwin. Not only is she breaking glass ceilings with all of her endeavors, but her progressive values stay firmly rooted regardless of how ...