Busy, Busy... Pelosi and the new Mr. Speaker

DC was busy, busy today.  The Democrats and the Republicans elected their new leadership in the House, the new GOP canceled their Slurpee summit with the President on the Bush tax cuts and Senator Harry Reid vows to push forward with an agenda in the Lame Duck that the American public does not want.  What's new and what's changed?

DEM Leadership 
On the DEM side Queen Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) beat challenger Heath Shuler (D-NC) 150-43 for Minority Leader in the House. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) is the DEM whip and Jim Clyburn (R-SC) takes the new #3 "made-up" spot.  No big surprises, but I'd like to get a list of those 43 Dems who did not vote for Pelosi.  They are not all Blue Dogs, but maybe they are now!?

GOP Leadership
On the GOP side... it's Boehner, Cantor, McCarthy and company.  What to learn more?  Read the TIME magazine article "Mr. Speaker" and the 1,000 other articles on how John Boehner will rule the House.

GUITERREZ on Fox News today 

Luis Guiterrez (D-IL) was on Fox News this morning talking about his meeting yesterday with President Obama.  Luis says the DREAM Act is a "down payment" and "we had 11 GOP cosponsors, plus Rupert Murdoch, we have broad business support, plus military and religious support" he says that the DREAM Act is "where the consensus is today."  Guiterrez says Obama still believes in Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR) and the DREAM Act is one part, one step in the right direction.

REID goes for it on the DREAM Act

During his re-election campaign in Nevada, Senator Reid said he would try again to pass the DREAM Act, and in a Twitter message on Wednesday evening, his office said he would try to do it in the Lame Duck as a stand-alone bill.  

Latino voters helped Reid keep his Nevada Senate seat.  Election night polls by Latino Decisions, a nonpartisan research group, showed that Latinos cast 10 percent of the votes in Nevada’s Senate race, with 90 percent backing Reid.  He defeated Republican Sharron Angle, 50 percent to 45 percent.

The DREAM Act would offer an amnesty to illegal aliens who attend college or serve in the military, but would open the door for massive legal immigration through Chain Migration and encourage future incentives for more illegal immigration.  And oh yeah, the age limit is 35!

Reid tried to attach similar legislation as an amendment to a big military DOD bill before the midterms, but Republicans blocked the bill in part because of procedure and they said the Democratic leader was using it for campaign purposes.  Either way, its a walking nightmare. 

Senate Targets

Reid is making a major push targeting certain Republicans to cross the aisle and work with him on the DREAM Act.  Targets are --> George Lemieux of Florida, Robert Bennett of Utah, Judd Gregg of New Hampshire and George Voinovich of Ohio.

Five to seven Republicans would most likely be needed to push the DREAM Act through the Senate because not all Democrats support it, said Frank Sharry, executive director of America’s Voice, a Washington group that backs a comprehensive overhaul of immigration law.

Sharry said his group and other supporters will lobby Republicans who have shown support for the measure in the past, as well as those who are retiring. That includes Robert Bennett of Utah, Judd Gregg of New Hampshire and George Voinovich of Ohio.

Tick Tock... Tick Tock 

Congress will break for Thanksgiving week & return Nov 29, or so I'm told.  Real legislating is expected to occur then on big issues, including resolving how to extend the Bush tax cuts, resolving (or not resolving) the fiscal year 2011 appropriation bills & determining whether to hold votes in the House and Senate on the DREAM Act and DADT.