#u.s. senate

[saywhat-politics]

A video showing the husband of a Republican senator refusing to shake Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris' hand took off online Monday, after the awkward moment in the Senate on Friday.

The clip, showing Senator Deb Fischer's husband Bruce turning down Harris' offer, was shared on X, formerly Twitter, by political commentator Brian Tyler Cohen, who said it showed "the level of class you can expect from MAGA".

Newsweek reached out to Senator Fischer's office via voicemail and the White House via email for comment Monday afternoon.

Why It Matters

Bruce Fischer accompanied his wife, first elected as a Senator for Nebraska in 2012, to the ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Friday and his refusal to shake hands with the vice president clearly surprised her as she oversaw the event, marking the beginning of the 119th Congress.

[deadpresidents]

Congratulations, America. It looks like Republicans will definitely win the Senate, which will allow a Republican President to push through judicial appointments much more easily, and the next President will probably appoint at least two Supreme Court justices. That's going to directly impact your life for the rest of your lives. Remember how I always say ELECTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES? These were always the consequences.

[luckydiorxoxo]

It's official: For the first time, the U.S. Senate has two Black women as members.

Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland and Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware have just been sworn in as part of the 119th Congress.

[dadsinsuits]

Tim Kaine

[thegayhimbo]

The New York Times: Senate Approves Aid for Ukraine and Israel, Sending It to Biden's Desk

[thepopculturearchivist]

From a debate on censoring literature. TIME, March 31, 1930

[griseldagimpel]

Right, so U.S. government is really fucked, but one thing that would make it less fucked is if the Democrats ditched the legislative filibuster.

It didn't use to be an issue but after Obama got elected, Republicans started filibustering everything the Democrats try to pass.

Now, there are downsides to ditching the filibuster, since it's a tool Democrats also use occasionally, but on the whole, it would benefit progressive causes, since there's a lot that needs to be changed in the U.S. government. Republicans are happy to be the party of obstinacy.

The other downside is that ditching the filibuster risks a backlash against the Democratic Party. Like I said in a recent post, the Republican Party represents the interests of the wealthy, which means the Republican Party has more money to throw around and control the narrative. (Republicans ditched the filibuster for judges back during Trump's term because they wanted to put a shitty judge on the Supreme Court. No backlash against them.)

Anyway, primaries for Senate candidates are coming up in Florida (and probably some other states, but primary schedules vary at a state level, and I don't know them all). This issue - would you support ditching the legislative filibuster - is something to press them on.

[pythiaswine]

"i dont want to vote trump or biden bc they both suck" VOTE THIRD PARTY THEN!! If we don't all do it, it reinforces the idea that our votes don't matter. if you vote for one over the other, they think they can get away w the two party system. if you don't vote at all, they won't even know the difference because they'll still have a winner and no third-party contenders. if you want the electoral college gone, VOTE THIRD PARTY! they won't listen until we make them. this is called political efficacy. stop believing it's hopeless bc that is how they have the power to keep making decisions that the people don't agree with.

[bamimilyt6]

new senate majority leader looks like he's itching to akumatize somebody

[breakingfirst]

This is UNBELIEVABLE! 🤔⬆️

[deadpresidents]

Is there a chance that many of these cabinet picks don't get confirmed?

Don't forget that this country not only gave the Republicans control of the White House, but they also gave them a Senate majority and most likely will end up keeping them in charge of the House of Representatives, so they don't need a single Democrat to confirm ANY of these awful Cabinet appointments. The best possible hope is for some of the handful of Senate Republicans who are moderate-ish or still have a few ounces of integrity to oppose some of the crazier appointees. And there are going to be even less of those Senators left after January 3rd.

But this country, in its infinite fucking wisdom, gave Trump and the GOP a mandate, so they can pretty much do what they are planning on doing. That's why we spent the past couple of years reminding people how important the 2024 election was going to be for the rest of our lives. It's not like we can turn to the courts for help; Trump has locked down the judiciary for decades, as well, especially the Supreme Court.

And, here's the thing: I'm sure Trump realizes that it's pretty unlikely that Gaetz can get confirmed as Attorney General because he's enormously unpopular with his own colleagues in the GOP. A lot of Congressional Republicans despise him, and it's not even like with how most people in Congress hate Ted Cruz but grudgingly point out that he's effective at his job and actually a pretty smart dude. With Gaetz, they just think he's a clown and are happy to be rid of him. You can bet that former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is going to put all of his efforts into defeating a possible confirmation of Gaetz as AG, and McCarthy still has significant influence in Congress because of his record as a major fundraiser for candidates in both chambers.

I bet Trump is throwing a couple of nominees out there that he knows can't get confirmed -- like Gaetz -- to make it easier to get potentially hesitant Republicans to confirm other controversial nominees, like Fox News host Pete Hegseth as Defense Secretary (!). It's like when Pablo Escobar would import a bunch of cocaine into the United States that he knew was going to get seized in order to sneak tons of it through sneakier means. They are decoy douchebags to distract from the other douchebags he's also putting into the Cabinet.

[govtshutdown]

Senate Chamber Program for Friday: Senate will resume consideration of the House Message to accompany H.R. 4366, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024. Senators should expect a live quorum at approximately 10 a.m., with the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to concur ripening at 12 noon.

The deadline for the six appropriations bills in this minibus is midnight. The Senate is expected to vote on several amendments today, all of which will be defeated, otherwise the bill would have to return to the Senate. Expect a vote early this afternoon and President will sign it this evening. This will end the drama for 30% of the Federal Government, setting their funding for the rest of the fiscal year (five and a half months).

The deadline for the other six bills is March 22nd. Two weeks away.

[dadsinsuits]

Tim Kaine