"It's just a thing ... I worked so hard to get that title." And with that, her political enemies pounced. Sen. Barbara Boxer upbraided an Army general for repeatedly calling her "ma'am" in a hearing. The moment is now campaign fodder for Republican candidates, including former HP CEO Carly Fiorina.
posted by Cool Papa Bell on Dec 14, 2009 - 141 comments

Senators' STATEments: As part of Geography Awareness Week, National Geographic asked United States Senators to draw and label their home states with at least three important places.
posted by NikitaNikita on Nov 18, 2009 - 41 comments

The Twitter feed from Chuck Grassley, senior United States Senator from the state of Iowa
posted by thirteenkiller on Jun 8, 2009 - 64 comments

The second most powerful United States Senator admits, "And the banks -- hard to believe in a time when we're facing a banking crisis that many of the banks created -- are still the most powerful lobby on Capitol Hill. And they frankly own the place." [more inside]
posted by Joe Beese on Apr 30, 2009 - 55 comments

Former US Senator Claiborne Pell (D-RI) dead at 90. You may be familiar with Pell grants.
posted by brandz on Jan 1, 2009 - 37 comments

Big Bad John.
posted by nooneyouknow on Jun 18, 2008 - 9 comments

Opencongress.org is a website for keeping track of the U.S. Congress. (previously) But, now it also a social network. So, sign-up and see what your favourite Senator has been doing, track bills and, follow important issues. Then, share that information with your friends or write about it on your blog.
posted by geos on Feb 4, 2008 - 20 comments

Who'd have guessed? Turns out that Senator Ted Stevens was simply a man ahead of his time. The internet really is a series of tubes.
posted by Tubes on Jan 16, 2007 - 30 comments

Former Senator Eugene McCarthy dead at 89
posted by nathan_teske on Dec 10, 2005 - 47 comments

Princeton Students and Polticians Stage Filibuster -- Princeton students started a filibuster at the Frist Campus Center at Princeton University to protest the impending unloading of the "nuclear option" in the United States Senate. Bill Frist is a Princeton alum and his family donated the building the filibuster is in front of. It's been going on for a whopping 78 hours already and looks to at least go through the weekend. Congressman Rush Holt (D-NJ) spoke earlier today, and NJ Assemblyman Reed Gusciora was there yesterday. They've even got physicists (one and two) and a Nobel Prize winner.
posted by nathanrudy on Apr 29, 2005 - 20 comments

Boxer Go Barbara Boxer
posted by milkman on Jan 18, 2005 - 79 comments

Florida's New Senator. Bob Graham's retiring and not running for re-election of his senate seat. It's sad to see a good senator go. But not to worry because the end of this Floridian's distinguished senatorial career marks the beginning of another... Katherine Harris for U.S. Senate 2004!
posted by gregb1007 on Nov 7, 2003 - 12 comments

Forget California. The real political breakdown is in Texas with Democratic Senators still in exile after 22 days. Moveon.org has been called to help. Sen. Rodney Ellis writes to Moveon to help fight the on-going GOP power-grab.
posted by skallas on Aug 20, 2003 - 38 comments

I am happy to see that the GOP is expanding their reach to the more eclectic fringes of society. Although it may freak some other people out.
posted by EmoChild on Apr 30, 2003 - 7 comments

Sen. Paula Hawkins was at one time curious about what kind of toys Frank Zappa's children played with. Now we know: Among Dweezil's collection was a 1963 Fender Stratocaster owned, played, and burnt to a crisp by one Jimi Hendrix. Now, Dweezil is selling the thing, but not to buy a new car or house or something. He's trying to raise funds to refurbish his old man's studio. Zappa once wrote an essay about how to raise fantastic children. It seems from this story that he did exactly that.
posted by NedKoppel on Sep 17, 2002 - 12 comments

Multiculturalism v/s Democracy On this day in 1858, Senator Stephen Douglas of Illinois and Abraham Lincoln, a Kentucky-born lawyer and one-time U.S. Representative from Illinois, began a series of famous public debates on the issue of slavery, during the course of which Lincoln said:

"They [Founding Fathers] meant to set up a standard maxim for free society which should be familiar to all: constantly looked to, constantly labored for, and even, though never perfectly attained, constantly approximated, and thereby constantly spreading and deepening its influence and augmenting the happiness and value of life to all people, of all colors, every where."

I argue that when a culture values slavery, when a culture is built upon a system of basic inequality, regardless of the reasons, that culture is incompatible with Democracy and the ideals of American society, and can not and should not be embraced by Americans. Is it possible that part of the anger at the US stems from the "spreading and deepening" influence of American principles, and not just at our economic and military mistakes?
posted by ewkpates on Aug 21, 2002 - 28 comments

Senate Approves Canada Drug Imports! "Senator Orrin G. Hatch, Republican of Utah, said, "If this proposal becomes law, we are just placing our country in the hands of foreign terrorists who could easily get hold of various prescription drug products and spread desolation and disease." Really, Senator, what hallucinogen are you on, and which drug company is buying it for you? I'm sure this bill still faces hurdles, but sounds great to me.
posted by ParisParamus on Jul 17, 2002 - 22 comments

Senator Hollings makes the case for a special council to look into the Enron affair. (NY Times link). San Antonio columnist Jan Jarboe Russell argues for the same. Here's a Guardian article on the situation.
posted by Ty Webb on Feb 9, 2002 - 11 comments

Buffoon Of The Day? Sen. Joe Biden criticized the war in Afghanistan and is now being called the "buffoon of the day" by the National Review. Roll Call says he's been criticized by top Republicans and the Washington Times notes that a top fellow Democrat is pretty upset too. The New Republic has another less-than-flattering piece on Biden before he made his comments. Did Biden just kill his chance to run for president in 2004? (via Vote.com and Political Wire)
posted by flip on Oct 25, 2001 - 21 comments

So long my friends, farewell goodbye
I'd love to stay and play and sing for awhile,
But it's time to hit the road and say goodbye
So long farewell goodbye
....maybe
posted by thewittyname on Aug 21, 2001 - 2 comments

Hillary rules out running for president - ever! Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton yesterday ruled out ever running for president - a startling declaration that even seemed to leave her own aides stunned. And a domain useless...
posted by frednorman on Apr 6, 2001 - 25 comments