Welcome, Congress: 2009
January 26, 2009
President Barack Obama and a strengthened Democratic Congress have their eyes on a blockbuster first 100 days in office, hoping they will begin to break the gridlock that has thwarted liberal agenda items for decades.
The Roll Call Fabulous 50: Movers and Shakers Behind the Scenes on Capitol Hill
January 26, 2009
Former President George W. Bush, fresh from re-election in 2004, was preparing to launch his massive bid to overhaul Social Security with individual accounts carved out of the system. But some Republican leaders were wary. They dispatched staffers to advise Bush aides that jumping onto the third rail of U.S. politics was not a popular idea among segments of the GOP caucus, and that it might not pass. Better to do immigration reform first.
January 26, 2009
No one really knows what 2009 will bring — after all, who would have thought, a year ago, that we’d be talking about a depression that can’t be helped by Zoloft, or that Trig was anything other than a high-school math class?
January 26, 2009
With Democrats now in the White House and Congress, lobbyists are facing a new world order with a reinvigorated legislative agenda. Ordinarily, that would spell boom times in the industry. After all, with an unprecedented pool of money for American industry, lobbyists would seem to offer that extra advantage needed to beat out competitors for a piece of the pie.
January 26, 2009
For the first time in 16 years, Democrats control the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives. So while it’s hard to remember a time when optimism among the party faithful has ever been this high, a few voices of caution can still be heard.
January 26, 2009
The year 2009 will go down in history for many reasons, and not just because the first black president was sworn into office. In fact, this year will be full of history-making events and milestone anniversaries for a number of Members of Congress.
January 26, 2009
The 111th Congress will march forward largely under the ethics regime enacted by the previous Congress — and that may be a good thing, according to private-sector attorneys who specialize in ethics compliance. That’s because lobbyists, corporations and even Members are still grappling with how exactly to comply with the gift rules and disclosure requirements Congress imposed last year.
