Chairs held by Senators who signed Kerry-Feingold

[ProSense]

Nine of the 13 Senators who signed Kerry-Feingold chair a committee and/or hold a position in the leadership:

Senate Chairmen Glance

By The Associated Press | November 15, 2006

A look at the new Democratic committee chairmen in the Senate when the new Congress convenes in January.

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Agriculture: Tom Harkin, D-Iowa. Harkin, 66, remains an idealistic but pragmatic liberal after more than two decades in the Senate. He was a principal author of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. His previous brief chairmanship of the committee and championing of farm subsidies helped him four years ago overpower a conservative challenger in a swing state.

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Commerce, Science and Transportation: Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii. Inouye, 82, the first Japanese-American to serve in Congress, broke racial barriers on Capitol Hill. Known as a private man, Inouye lost an arm in World War II and was awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery in 2000. He lost a bid to become Senate majority leader in 1989, but he remained a power broker -- he holds a seat on the Appropriations Committee and once chaired the Indian Affairs Committee.

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Environment and Public Works: Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. Republican-turned-independent James Jeffords is the ranking minority member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, but he's retiring. The 65-year-old Boxer, one of the Senate's most liberal members, is next in line.

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Health, Education, Labor and Pensions: Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass. Kennedy, 74, the "liberal lion" of the Senate, continues to march into contentious rhetorical battles with his ideological opposition. He is a leading critic of Bush and his decision to go to war in Iraq and has criticized Bush's health care proposals. He stood beside Bush when he signed the No Child Left Behind education reform legislation, but he has since disparaged the bill's implementation.

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Judiciary: Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. Leahy, 66, has emerged as one of the leading critics of Bush administration policies ranging from judicial appointments to combating terrorism. When he was chairman in 2001, Republicans accused him of holding up judicial nominations -- and then said Leahy worked to slow them after Republicans took over. Leahy helped draft the Patriot Act after Sept. 11, but he has criticized the Bush administration's implementation of it.

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Small Business and Entrepreneurship: John Kerry, D-Mass. Kerry, 63, the Democratic presidential nominee in 2004, can add Small Business Committee chairman to his resume -- again -- if he runs for president -- again -- in 2008. Criticized for his fuzzy stand on Iraq, Kerry in October 2005 made headlines with his call for a phased withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq by the end of 2006. And he touted the health care proposals he formulated as a presidential candidate from his post in the Senate.

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Veterans Affairs: Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii. Akaka, the first Native Hawaiian ever elected to Congress, has spent his low-key career protecting the interests of his state and Native Hawaiians. In 1995, Akaka, 82, sponsored legislation directing the Army and Navy to review service records of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders who received the Distinguished Service Cross to determine whether their awards should be upgraded. As a result of the review, in June 2000, 22 Asian-American veterans of World War II, most of them from Hawaii, were awarded the Medal of Honor, 15 of them posthumously.

Reid Announces Democratic Leadership for the 110th Congress

11/14/2006 11:14:00 AM

Snip...

Dick Durbin, Assistant Majority Leader -- As Assistant Majority Leader, Senator Durbin will serve as the Majority Leader's key aide on and off the floor, helping to lead the Democrats' fight to protect America and help working families get ahead.

Snip...

Barbara Boxer, Chief Deputy Whip -- As Chief Deputy Whip, Senator Boxer will continue to be responsible for managing and implementing Caucus efforts on the Senator floor. Working as the "right hand" of the Democratic Leader and Assistant Democratic Leader, Boxer plays an instrumental role in articulating, advancing and achieving the objectives of the Democratic Caucus.

Thomas R. Carper, Deputy Whip; Bill Nelson, Deputy Whip; Russell D. Feingold, Deputy Whip -- Serving as Deputy Whips, Senators Carper, Nelson and Feingold will play critical roles in marshalling the Caucus's forces.

link

On June 22, 2006 the Senate voted on the Kerry-Feingold amendment. Thirteen courageous Senators stood with us, and we want to thank them for their leadership:

Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI)
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), co-sponsor
Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL)
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA)
Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI)
Sen. James Jeffords (I-VT)
Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA)
Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), co-sponsor
Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR)

Plus Kerry and Feingold!

[rox63]

1. Nice to see them get some recognition

:)

[ProSense]

2. I like this:

Judiciary: Patrick Leahy

[SouthernBelle82]

9. Oh me too!

That is the ultimate "fuck you" to Cheney. Buwahaha!

[The Backlash Cometh]

3. I know the Jeopardy Question!

Who were the Democrats who didn't compromise on Democratic principles?

I'll take "Politicians in the early 21sr Century" for $500.00, Alec.

[mopinko]

4. are you drawing a conclusion from this correlation?

there is only a casual correlation here.

[blm]

5. I think she's showing that the potential for further influence on Iraq withdrawal is there.

Nothing wrong with sharing a positive outlook with your compatriots.

[mopinko]

6. ok, that is a reasonable conclusion

concluding that they are being rewarded is not.

[blm]

7. heh - I doubt anyone would think they're being rewarded after the pounding Kerry

and Murtha have been taking in the media and the undermining of them by other prominent Dems.

[karynnj]

8. No, it;'s clear these were not rewards

They were ranking members in most cases. If any were NOT assigned these positions, it would have been a story.

The point I draw is that in contrast to the party leadership, who were against this amendment. Many of those who did agree are some of the most senior Democratic Senators. These will be powerful members of the Senate in January.

I assume this was posted to show that.

[ginnyinWI]

10. kick n/t