Yahoo! News: Politics - Democratic Party

Politics - Democratic Party

• GOP loses bid for ethics probe of Dem leaders (AP)

  AP - House Democrats on Thursday stopped a Republican bid to force an investigation of Democratic leaders aimed at determining whether they covered up sexual harassment allegations against ex-Rep. Eric Massa.

  
  

• Democrats to use contentious tactic on health care (AFP)

  AFP - US Senate Democrats Thursday heralded a bitter endgame of President Barack Obama's health reform drive, announcing they would use a contentious legislative tactic to try to pass the bill.

  
  

• Senate Democrats Weigh Linkage of Student Loan, Health Care Bills (CQPolitics.com)

  CQPolitics.com - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said he is leaving it up to his caucus to decide whether to wrap a health care overhaul and a student loan bill into a single budget reconciliation package.

• House Democrats Work To Settle on Health Care Endgame (CQPolitics.com)

  CQPolitics.com - House Democratic leaders worked Thursday to assuage the concerns of nervous rank-and-file members while they awaited final budget numbers for their planned revisions to a Senate-passed health care overhaul.

• Bank reform talks fail, Dodd to go solo (Reuters)

  Reuters - Chances of a broad overhaul of U.S. financial regulation dimmed on Thursday after bipartisan Senate talks collapsed, jeopardizing a top Obama administration priority and boosting bank share prices.

  
  

• Ex-freshman, veteran kingpin equal Democratic woes (AP)

  AP - One is a former Democratic freshman little known outside his Corning-Olean-Pittsford, N.Y., district. The other, a 20-term Democratic kingpin from Harlem, is widely known to New Yorkers and anyone following tax legislation.

  
  

• Senate passes $149 billion for jobless aid (Reuters)

  Reuters - The Senate on Wednesday passed a $149 billion package of jobless aid and tax breaks, as Democrats continued efforts to lower the 9.7 percent unemployment rate before congressional elections in November.

• House bans some earmarks amid ethics concerns (Reuters)

  Reuters - Democrats in the House of Representatives moved on Wednesday to limit the ability of lawmakers to tuck pet projects into spending bills amid mounting election-year ethics concerns.

• House Democrats Prepare Tax Breaks for Small Businesses (CQPolitics.com)

  CQPolitics.com - House Democrats on Wednesday continued their efforts to promote job creation, scheduling committee action next week on a bill to give small businesses tax breaks worth about $13 billion.

• Ex-Pa. treasurer exits race for Murtha's seat (AP)

  AP - Former Pennsylvania treasurer and auditor general Barbara Hafer (HAY'-fuhr) has dropped out of the Democratic primary race for the U.S. House seat once held by late Rep. John Murtha.

  
  

• Healthcare reform: Obama's march is still on (The Christian Science Monitor)

  The Christian Science Monitor - Defying the inertia of a gridlocked Congress, President Obama is calling on Democrats to move healthcare reform in March, even if it means doing so without a single Republican vote.

• White House, Democrats Make Time for Energy and Climate Bill (CQPolitics.com)

  CQPolitics.com - Even as President Obama and congressional Democrats struggle to finish a health care overhaul, they are ramping up efforts to rally support for a comprehensive energy and climate change bill.

• Dem leader calls Massa claims 'absurd' (AP)

  AP - The House's No. 2 Democrat is dismissing as "absurd" former Rep. Eric Massa's claims that he was forced out by party leaders because of his opposition to health care legislation.

• Stupak: Health bill abortion fight can be resolved (AP)

  AP - Prospects are good for resolving a dispute over abortion that has led some House Democrats to threaten to withhold support of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, a key Michigan Democrat said Monday.

  
  

• Pa. Dems pick Critz as nominee to fill Murtha seat (AP)

  AP - Pennsylvania Democrats have chosen former congressional aide Mark Critz as the nominee for a special election to fill the U.S. House seat once held by late Rep. John Murtha.

  
  

• New poll spells potential trouble for Democrats (Reuters)

  Reuters - A new poll on Monday found signs of trouble ahead for President Barack Obama and his Democrats on national security issues such as the handling of terrorism suspects.

  
  

• Poll finds blacks motivated to vote in November (AP)

  AP - Democrats facing strong headwinds this election season have at least one reason for optimism, according to polling that found the party's large African-American voting bloc eager to stay involved even without Barack Obama on the ballot.

• Just one job now for ex-Va. Gov. Kaine — Dem chief (AP)

  AP - Tim Kaine spent President Barack Obama's first year in office pulling double duty as Virginia's governor and the Democratic National Committee chairman — and weathering criticism that he was an ineffective, absent party leader.

  
  

• Local Democrats Back Critz for Murtha Special (CQPolitics.com)

  CQPolitics.com - Democratic officials in Pennsylvania 12th district on Saturday picked Mark Critz, a former top aide to the late Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.), as their preferred nominee for the May 18 special election to replace Murtha.

• Healthcare reform: 'Fixes' to bills are first major hurdle (The Christian Science Monitor)

  The Christian Science Monitor - With a White House target date of March 18, House Democrats are scrambling to find a majority to vote for the Senate’s healthcare bill – with “fixes.”