Senate 2010 News-- Women Take Center Stage

A very mixed bag

Do women make better members of Congress than men? Let's define "better" as willing to stand up for working families instead of representing the interests of Big Business. On the Senate side, only one woman (out of 15 non-freshman), Barbara Boxer, ranks in the top 10, while 3-- Claire McCaskill, Blanche Lincoln and Mary Landrieu are in the bottom heap among Democrats. Obviously no Republicans are family friendly and all-- even relative moderates like Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, primarily serve the interests of their corporate paymasters. The only other Republican woman in the Senate is Texas' Kay Bailey Hutchison and she rates as a devoted and deadly enemy to the aspirations and livelihood of working families, right down in the political toilet between David Diapers Vitter and Bob Corker, two of the Senate's absolute worst corporate shills.

Over on the House side, most of the best legislators are women. The top 10 (among non-freshmen) includes Donna Edwards (D-MD) at #1, Niki Tsongas (D-MA), Jackie Speier (D-CA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Barbara Lee (D-CA), and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), with Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Linda Sánchez (D-CA), Hilda Solis (D-CA), Betty Sutton (D-OH) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) virtually tied for #10. When you look at the really worst Democrats, the ones who serve Big Business and stomp on working families, there are few women in the ranks. The only women who come close to the shame that is Dan Boren (OK), John Barrow (GA), Jim Marshall (GA), Gene Taylor (MS), Collin Peterson (MN), John Tanner (TN), Allen Boyd (FL) and Chris Carney (PA) are corrupt Blue Dogs Melissa Bean (IL), Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (SD) and Jane Harman (CA). Among the Republicans, there are no women even relatively working family friendly and at the bottom of the cesspool that is the GOP House caucus you find women extremists and fringe maniacs for whom a day isn't complete unless a hard working American family is further damaged-- the worst of the worst being Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) at #1 worst, Virginia Foxx (R-NC), Michele Bachmann (R-MN), Sue Myrick (R-NC), and, of course, Mean Jean Schmidt (R-OH).

Among its freshman class, the Democrats have outstanding progressives like Mary Jo Kilroy (D-OH) and Chellie Pingree (D-ME) as well as a few party hacks we'll have to keep an eye on. So far the only Democratic freshmen who have served notice that they intend to vote as though they are Republicans are 3 men: Bobby Bright and Parker Griffith of Alabama and Walt Minnick of Idaho. It's too early to form an informed opinion about how the freshman senators will turn out but my guess is that Kay Hagan and Jeanne Shaheen will build up moderate voting records and that progressive leadership among the freshmen will come from Jeff Merkley and Tom Udall.

This morning Erin McPike did an excellent job in CongressDaily pointing out that women make up a disproportionate number, refreshingly so, of the front runners for the avalanche of senatorial seats being abandoned by dispirited retiring Republicans. There is every reason to believe that Kit Bond (R-MO), Sam Brownback (R-KS), and Mel Martinez (FL) will be replaced by Democratic women and that there's also a good chance that Democratic women will take over for George Voinovich (R-OH) and Jim Bunning (R-KY).

Even Republicans say [Robin] Carnahan would be a daunting challenger against any [Missouri] GOP candidate. Democratic officials said they expect Carnahan will announce her candidacy soon and that move would probably clear the primary field for her.

Former House Minority Whip Roy Blunt is seen by Washington insiders as the strongest potential GOP candidate. If Blunt runs-- and one GOP operative said he was virtually certain to-- former Republican Sen. Jim Talent would probably not. Talent defeated Robin Carnahan's mother, Sen. Jean Carnahan, in 2002 but lost to now-Sen. Claire McCaskill in 2006.

In Kansas, [Kathleen] Sebelius is viewed as perhaps the only Democrat who might be able to wrest Brownback's seat from the GOP. Sebelius is knee-deep in the state's budget, so Democrats don't anticipate hearing anything definitive from her for several months.

"The fact that she didn't take a job in the Obama administration is a good sign," said one Beltway Democrat. Republicans are closely watching Reps. Todd Tiahrt and Jerry Moran and hope to avoid a nasty primary.

In Florida, Democratic Rep. Kendrick Meek will officially announce his Senate candidacy this morning. Democratic sources say Alex Sink is the candidate of choice for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Like Sebelius, Sink has been trying to keep the press at bay while she deals with the state's budget, but some Democrats urging her to jump into the fray believe that she'll probably be in the race by the end of the month.

In Ohio, where the news of Voinovich's retirement is fresh, [Secretary of State Jennifer] Brunner might face competition from Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher and Reps. Timothy Ryan and Betty Sutton.

Kentucky's Jim Bunning hasn't announced he's retiring yet but he's in an advanced and debilitating state of senility and was unable to campaign six years ago. Even if he doesn't die or drop out and runs again, he's very likely to lose and all polls show Kentucky voters are finished with him and his clueless obstructionism. Although State Attorney General Jack Conway and Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo are squaring off for a primary, everyone's #1 choice to run for the seat is State Auditor Crit Luallen, who hasn't made her attentions known.

Two other Republicans on the endangered list for 2010 are Arlen Specter (PA) and Judd Gregg (NH), each of whom could well wind up facing a woman opponent. And I wouldn't rule out Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano taking on a doddering and out of touch John McCain in Arizona either.