Democrats Elect Leaders, Beat Bipartisan Drum (Again)

Z. Byron Wolf reports: Democratic Senators who will serve in the 110th Congress, which starts on Jan. 3, 2007, gathered to caucus (or caucused, if that’s a word) this morning in the Old Senate Chamber. They emerged  from a private meeting in the Old Senate Chamber 40 minutes early for a photo op and with only one new face in their senior leadership. 

At the photo op, incoming Majority Whip Dick Durbin said voters chose Democrats "message of hope." and he invoked Bush’s stump line from 2000 when he said that Democrats now have "a chance, even a challenge to restore dignity of this great institution".

Incoming Majority Leader Harry Reid repeated his pledge that, "We are going to treat the minority at they did not treat us." Reid said Democrats will include Republicans in decision-making. "The only way to accomplish anything is on a bipartisan basis."

That will be hard when it comes to the main issue (of so many) on which the Congress and the President disagree: Iraq. Reid did not today mention the Democratic plan for phased redeployment (he did that yesterday). "We’re not making any threats to the President," Reid said, imploring that the White House "work with us." But he ticked off all the reasons something must be done in Iraq — the loss of American soldiers, Iraqi civilians, and $3 billion per week of American financing.

Democratic Leaders
– Elected as President Pro Tempore is the longest serving Senator ever, Robert Byrd of West Virginia.
– Harry Reid of Nevada stays on as Democratic leader, though in the new congress he will be Majority Leader.
– Dick Durbin of Illinois, currently Minority Whip, will become Majority Whip.
– Chuck Schumer of New York, architect of the Democrats successful 2006 midterm elections in the Senate will continue as chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. In addition, Schumer will have the newly created post of Vice Chairman of the Democratic Caucus. Asked what exactly this means, Reid was at pains to explain it (so I think we can assume its not unlike a producer credit in Hollywood).

– The new face is Patty Murray of Washington, who takes over from Debbie Stabenow as Secretary of the Democratic Caucus. Stabenow ceded her role, we are told, and conveniently received a plumb seat on the Finance Committee. Quid Pro Quo, perhaps.

One interesting note — Former Capitol Police Chief Terrance Gainer will come back to the Senate as Sergeant at Arms. Gainer was chief when Rep. Cynthia McKinney got into a scuffle with (and decked) an officer. He was also here when Capitol Police removed both anti-war Cindy Sheehan and a pro-war congresswoman’s wife from the State of the Union speech for wearing inappropriate t-shirts. Gainer resigned from his post for breaking a little-known 1967 federal nepotism rule that bans the heads of agencies from hiring family members. Gainer’s son-in-law became a Capitol Police Officer in 2003. Both resigned back in March.