Angus King will become the 55th member of the U.S. Senate’s Democratic caucus when he is sworn into his new job in January, Maine’s senator-elect said Wednesday at a news conference in the U.S. Capitol.
The decision — while largely expected — puts an end to months of speculation about which party King, an independent former governor, would team up with when he arrived in Washington, D.C. The decision also helps Democrats add to their newly expanded Senate majority following last week’s elections.
King said joining the Democratic caucus will still allow him to stake out independent positions. It also positions him well to be an effective senator, he said, since the Democrats are the Senate’s majority party.
“I have decided to affiliate with the Democratic caucus because doing so will allow me to take independent positions on issues as they arise and at the same time be an effective representative of the people of Maine,” he said in prepared remarks. But, he added, “by associating myself with one side, I am not in automatic opposition to the other.”
Although King was the front-runner from the time he joined the race to replace Olympia Snowe, who is retiring from the Senate, he previously had refused to say whether he would caucus with Senate Democrats or Republicans, or any party at all. He said Wednesday it became clear he would have to caucus with one side or the other to secure assignments on committees, which is where the Senate does the bulk of its work.
If he didn’t join a caucus, King said, “it would severely compromise my effectiveness on behalf of Maine.”
The Senate currently has two independent members, Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, and both caucus with the chamber’s Democrats. With Lieberman leaving the Senate at the end of the year, King and Sanders will be the only independents in the chamber.
In his prepared remarks, King said he consulted closely with Sanders and Lieberman about their experience as independent members before choosing to caucus with Senate Democrats.
“Both confirmed that the Democratic caucus generally and its leadership in particular had consistently allowed them to maintain their independent positions and had never forced positions upon them in the name of party loyalty,” King said.
He also spoke with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and a former Senate majority leader, George Mitchell of Maine, before making his caucus pick.
“I came away from these conversations reassured that my independence would be respected, and no party line commitment would be required or expected,” he said.
Reid joined King at his news conference to welcome Maine’s incoming junior senator to the Democratic caucus.
“I embrace [King’s] independence. We as a caucus embrace that independence,” he said. “I’m confident that Sen. King will be a bridge to working with Republicans.”
King and Reid discussed committee assignments for Maine’s new senator as part of multiple conversations about his joining the Democrats, said King spokeswoman Crystal Canney.
“The committee assignments are still being worked through, and he feels very positive about them,” Canney said.
King planned to cast a vote for Reid as Senate majority leader in Wednesday’s leadership elections.
King also discussed committee assignments with Maine’s soon-to-be senior senator, Republican Susan Collins, when the two met in Collins’ Washington, D.C., office Tuesday.
Collins said in a statement that she was disappointed, but not surprised, by King’s decision to go with the Democrats.
“I am certain that we will work closely together to address the challenges facing Maine and our nation,” she said. “I look forward to having him as a colleague.”
More than his choice of party, what’s critical is that King “has made clear his intention to work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle in an attempt to build consensus and break the partisan gridlock that has enveloped Congress for too long,” Snowe said in a prepared statement, “and that is precisely what Americans are clamoring for in Washington.”
Before settling on the Democratic caucus, King said he spoke with more than a dozen senators from both parties. Those conversations included one with Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., vice chairman of the Senate Republican Conference.
Blunt and King met for about 45 minutes to discuss the possibility of King joining the Senate Republican caucus, Canney said. “It was a good conversation.”
King never spoke with the Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Canney said.
Representatives for Blunt and McConnell didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
Fantastic! Time to get things rolling.
Yes, proud of Maine, Angus King and the nation. King will do a good job for Maine.
yeah, get things rolling,
more nanny state shenanigans and more spending of money we don’t have.
great.
Tax the rich, borrow more for ‘stimulus’, print more money, doesn’t matter WHAT the sociopaths in washington come up with, the only place we are rolling is down into a stagnant depression that will take decades to dig out of…
That is Both parities .
Tax the rich, apply more stimulus and try to attract the $25 trillion sitting in offshore banks back to the US. For the future reward excellence that produces economic activity for the US and tax those who are mining US value.
Smart policy can turn this around in a decade.
Wow! What a surprise….huh..never saw that one coming….
That’s because the man is not an abject fool.
he’s a democrat through and through.
He leans left, no doubt. Though that in itself doesn’t make him a partisan hack.
No, but his record does and will.
Come again?
He can’t lean too far left or Mayor Blumberg would never have dropped serious money into his campaign. Angus is a finance capitalist through and through. His votes on attempts to curb the Wall Street hucksters will tell us how “left” he is. My guess is, not very far. One can lean without moving one’s feet.
The left supports Wall Street. The right simply supports it more.
So he didnt lick his finger and stick it up in the air
to catch a breeze and see which way it was blowing ??
Just a stubborn one whose inner guidance system isn’t attuned to the usual political channels most Mainers participate in.
I can’t imagine Angus, playing coy with Planned Parenthood or NRCM over some issue they want him to vote on; or what he will do when the Senate majority office wants him to vote one way, and some Maine interest group with clout wants him to vote the opposite way.
Ending the discord is apparently an electable theme; but on the battlefields of Congress it’s a hollow theme when money is at stake.
King is, and always has been, a Liberal. He started out as a member of Senator Bill Hathaway’s staff for goodness sake.
The lesson to be taken away from this election is that the Maine vote for King plus Dill equals 60%, the vote for Liberal Congresswoman Pingree was 60%, the vote for Liberal Congressman Michaud was 60%, the vote for Democrats in the Maine House of Representatives was 60%, the vote for Democrats in the Maine State Senate was 60%.
The vote for liberal candidates Mitchell and Elliot Cutler opposing Governor LePage in 2010 was 60%.
Do we see a trend for the future?
Actually Dill + King was 65%, but who’s keeping score?
Unfortunately for both Maine and the USA – YES!
Not really, it was a national trend of elected traditional liberals to the Senate. I feel that’s the way it should be; with the house being the source of populist ferment, and the Senate being the contemplative body, putting legislation originating in the House into a traditional perspective.
If you’re looking for a trend,you can counterbalance that with the rise and strenght of conservative House Members….go look up BLUE DOG DEMOCRATS, a fiscally conservative coalition.
Yes. Intelligent people will continue to leave the state for better jobs and opportunities. How long will liberals remain liberal when they have to foot the bill for their pet welfarees? It will be interesting to watch from afar.
LePage and the GOP obviously had their big chance. It wasn’t blown on policy (although far right politics don’t suit Maine), it was blown on style and lack of respect rendered. Fiscal moderation and Republicanism will still sell in this state, though the tea club experiment is over.
I never would have guessed it. That must be where the money is.
Angus knows who butters his bread.
What a surprise,I’m so shocked
Big suprise there!!!! The first of many years of false positioning and misleading…
Of course King is going to run with the Dems. Mainers got suckered again. Or did they? The state is lost in the progressive tide that’s washing America into the Sea of Oblivion. Come on, people. Wake up before there’s nothing left in this nation to be proud of.
No one is surprised by this. But nice try at a spin.
Oh please. We are not headed for a sea of oblivion!
People just aren’t grasping why the GOP lost the election.
you’re right,
when you have an ignorant, uneducated, lazy population that cries out for welfare programs and free handouts why would you want accountability and fiscal conservatism.
enjoy more welfare programs,
eventually you’ll come to a point when the working few can no longer support the lazy majority.
That sort of thinking is why the GOP was thumped.
If you think that is all there is to life then you are missing out on a lot of it.
When the GOP realizes they can’t continually attack the poor and the programs that are vital to the poor, then they may be relevant.
As is the GOP is not relevant neither are their attitudes.
awww, boohoo, the “poor”
well, work for what you have and you won’t be poor.
I haven’t had any handouts in my life, i’ve had to work 4 jobs at once before. and now i have worked my way up and into a decent paying job.
that is the american way, you pull yourself up by your boot straps and make your own way in life.
democrats and welfare rats always look for the easy way to get there.
Out of one side of their mouth the right wing nuts complain about people not working and being on welfare, out of the other side they complain about the poor job market.
Many of those on “welfare”, or “entitlements”, are retired people collecting their social security for which they paid for many years. Some are disabled veterans who deserve every benefit they get for putting their lives on the line for us. The same goes for firemen, policemen, and many other public sector retirees.
Right wing nuts cry about helping deserving Americans but love handing out money to bankers and energy executives.
Do you think your the only person in the world that has worked multiple Jobs? Talk about boo hoo,stop your damned whining and blaming everything on people who don’t agree with you. There is just as many ,or probably more people who voted for Obama who work just as hard or harder than you and a lot of our men and women in uniform voted for him too. You Right Wingers never get tired of trying to pat yourselves on the back and trying to convince the rest of the world that you are the only people who work. Get over yourselves,your really NOT special.
You are describing the corporate toadies who beg for supplements and tax breaks for the energy industry; $92 billion in 2006 compared to $59 billion for all social programs the same period.
“supplements and tax breaks for the energy industry”
sorry, but your savior angus got millions for his pet project First Wind. and now he gets to reap the benefits of our tax dollars.
Angus King made slightly over $200,000 over a 5 year period. That is a matter of public record and is hardly comparable to the million dollar bonuses coal and oil executives receive every year.
You said it right here. $59 billion for social programs! $59 BILLION!!! Obscene.
You don’t have a problem with corporate welfare for multimillion dollar international companies which show a huge profit every year?
They won’t talk about that because their buddy Bush signed the stimulus.
Woa. The stimulus was Obama’s. Bush did TARP. Not knowing this makes you a low-information voter.
Still spinning aren’t you. Come on now.
Bush is a big government progressive and as far as many are concerned, a democrat
To who, TPer’s and Libertarians. Yeah, got that.
anyone with a retirement plan is likely invested in such companies…that includes all public servants, as well as the president
so if YOU have a problem with it, take it up with Chellie and the rest of the gang
And produce oodles of revenue for the government that far outweighs their ‘corporate welfare’?
…95% of which meets a legitimate need. Do we just let those people die because the right wrecked the economy? The numbers for social programs would be half if the “job creators” did their jobs.
This is what you don’t get…you want to punish the people who are the result of bad policy instead of looking at the cause.
I also think they should end many of the tax breaks for some of the big businesses but we are all gonna get hammered with huge tax increases, there is no way around it.
59 Billion for all social Programs? I think your decimal point may be off a bit. Obama spent over 90 billion just on green energy failures over the last 4 years. More than we have ever given in subsidies to the Oil companies.
Check out this clock for a minute and tell me how you can imagine we can keep this up. Like it or not, this system will fail and when it does the freebies will stop.
http://www.usdebtclock.org/
You obviously listen to the Koch brothers and Faux news. There have been possibly two failures in green energy one of which was started under GWB, with hundreds of successes, which is considerably better than private enterprise rates of nearly 90% failure. You should have learned from the election that lying or making up stories does not sell well to the American public.
From one of your State run News sources. Hard to spin it but they try and your “facts” are off. Maybe you should try sources other than those spoon fed to you every now and then.
http://money.cnn.com/2012/10/22/news/economy/obama-energy-bankruptcies/index.html
So where is the “90 billion dollars” loss you wrote about, besides in the delusional minds of the right wing nuts?
We give more than $90 billion in subsidies EVERY year to the oil and coal industries.
By the way, CNN is not a state run news organization, and if you believe that you are a fool. You really need to stop reading and listening to Limbaugh and Fox news. Their lies have been exposed and rejected.
We do not give more than 90 billion a year to the oil companies. If your just going to come on here and lie why bother even trying to talk to you. As for State run news TASS was never as much in the bag as CNN is for Obama.
They choose to print next to nothing about Benghazi or the state murder of Americans with Drones but spend every waking moment on Adultry. They choose to ask him puff questions like what his favorite color is instead of asking him what he is planning to do to improve the economy. They do everything they can not to print stories about him while going out of their way to slander Bush at every turn.
By your logic NASA was a waste of money. If you really care about fiscal responsibility than why keep defense off the table. Romney was proposing a 15% increase that the Pentagon didn’t even want.
The pentagon talking heads right now work for Obama so saying they said they didn’t want it only says that you don’t understand who they are speaking for at this time. You wish to kill our military at the same time you kill our country fine. At some point this gravy train is going to stop. We are running out of money to give away let alone money we need to support the things that are important. You can not just keep printing more without some repercussions.
So, don’t listen to the talking heads, read the transcripts for yourself of the conversations between the consulate and their leaders. I think there’s even a tape. It doesn’t get any more real than that.
Yes the gravy train has to stop. The 1% has to either pay taxes or create jobs.
That’s 100 proof Fox Kool-Aid you’re pouring there.
Perhaps it is time for a Tax boycott.
Go for it — in terms of tax/benefit, the blue states carry the red states.
You are either part of the 1% of they have your number and could care less about you. Your politics is what is hurting America
Yup, keep at it. It is exactly that rhetoric that lost the election for Rs.
I think it is more that you don’t know why you won.
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Why should we listen to the guy that told us to practice saying President Romney? Most of what you say is garbage with no basis in reality.
Did you really expect him to caucus with the bunch of right wing nuts who spent millions trying to defeat him?
Wake up, the tea party is a bunch of loonies who have shown their true colors and will lose any influence, assuming republicans are smarter than they appear.
No we already new he was going to caucus with the nuts, who want to spend, spend spend this countryinto a hole
No, he is caucusing with the democrats, who do not start unfunded wars and give billions to the oil companies. Except for FDR, who had a world war to deal with (and resulted in a booming economy in the 1950s), republican Presidents spend much more than democrats.
So Vietnam was a “funded war”?
How about Korea?
How about WWI?
How about the civil war?
ALL started by democrats and none of which were ‘funded’
get your facts straight genius….and you may want ot research the Marshall plan as well as the Bretton Woods agreements
Your arrogance and ignorance are typical of the illiterate right wing.The civil war was started under Abraham Lincoln, a republican, and was funded by the first passage of income taxes to businesses. Korea was a direct result of WWII. WWII was started by the Japanese and the Germans, neither of which was democratic. Both wars and the Vietnam War were funded with increases in taxes and cutting of discretionary funding to other areas. The Viet Nam war was originally started under Eisenhower with the sending of “advisers” to aid the S Vietnamese government. I do not question the misjudgement of Kennedy and Johnson and was one of many who objected to the war. It was funded in part by taxes and in 1968 taxes were increased for that purpose. You could educate your self by reading Robert Hormat’s 2007 book “The Price of Liberty; Paying For America’s Wars”.
The problem with the Iraq and Afghanistan wars is that no means were instituted to fund them and consequently we and our children will pay for them.
No but double or triple the deficit, let our Ambassadors get killed. Maybe starting another war with syria,lybia, and Iran, yea right. I see our soldiers are still in Iraq and Iran. Oil, yea look what it was when he got in there and what it is now.
Obviously you cannot understand the facts. The deficit is the difference between what is owed and the income. It has decreased every year for the last 4 years.
Letting our ambassadors get killed is right out of the right wing nuts play book. There is absolutely no evidence that Obama “let” the people get killed in Libya. It so far appears to have been related to the CIA station nearby.
Our soldiers have not been in Iran since the failed rescue attempt under President Carter in the 1970s. The remaining troops in Iraq are there as part of the agreement initiated by GW Bush (remember him?).
The price of oil is determined by the international market. It is an internationally traded commodity, and since China, India, and other countries are quickly increasing manufacturing, the demand has increased. The US is producing more oil than in the last 15 years and is expected to be the #1 oil producer in the world by 2020. Since there are no restrictions on who the oil companies sell to, they will most likely sell to the highest bidder, China most likely. In other words, the President of the US has nothing to do with the price of oil or gas. You should be complaining about the huge bonuses paid to presidents of the oil companies.
I would rather complain about the retirement and benefits for Congress, regardless who is in there. What was the deficit when he started, of course it has gone down because it was so high. I should remember Bush, they’ll complain about him even with the Obamacare mess that will happen.
In regard to Congress, I believe Angus King has an excellent idea; they do not get paid if they do not do their job.
We will be paying for Bush’s spend, spend, spend policies for a very long time. Past wars were funded with new taxes or increase in existing taxes. The Civil War, Spanish American War, WWI, WWII, and maybe even the Korean War were unavoidable. Afghanistan was fully justifiable because of their protection of El Qaeda. Vietnam was not justified and we got sucked into it. My point being that when wars are necessary, it is also necessary to find a way to pay for them, be it taxes, bonds, or whatever.
As I have posted before, the deficit is more relevant than the debt. As long as we have sufficient income to pay the bills it does not matter how much is owed. A reduced deficit means we are getting closer to balancing the budget. Eventually there would be a surplus (as in Clinton’s Presidency) and debt will not matter at all.
Having read your posts, it is glaringly obvious that you are detachted from reality, and live in your own preconceived world of left wing ideology.
There is no redemption.
I think it’s bigger than that. The underlying problem is we do not agree on what kind of country we want to be when we grow up.
Half the country wants to have an economy that supplies equal opportunity for all of us and is looking to address long term issues like Peace, water quality, global warming and social dysfunction which we can easily pay for with all the economic activity it would produce.
The other half is afraid of change, worships rich people without demanding a contribution of taxes or economic investment. They want to starve the beast. The beast is a sustainable society.
That is the kid of thinking that keeps us in the problems we are. The Federal Deficit needs to get under control. King will be no different than the rest. Do you really think his thoughts on if “they do not get paid if they do not do their job” will happen. Not likely, just like their pay raises. If their is a Federal Deficit how can you have a surplus. Don’t forget Clinton had at least 4 chances to get Bin Laden.
Amen!
EJ we voted for him, because we wanted someone who would caucus with the Dems. Most of us knew Dill wasn’t ready, Charlie is a Norquist hack. Our choice was clear. When you move back to Maine you get a say, but until then what you think means nothing.
If no one cares about what I said, then why are so many commenting? You included.
Votes matter — not the nonsense you spew or your spinning and wild excuses for everything.
The irony is that the right lost because of fact checkers. You have to appreciate that. I do.
what a surprise!
Of course, no ones surprised. Though the headline is poor. To caucus with the Dems would have been far more appropriate. It is not an alliance.
I see it’s been updated. Woot.
There’s a real surprise
Maine proves again that TP extremists are not in keeping with the best interests of our state or our nation. Good decision Senator Elect King.
the ‘extremists’ are the centrist freaks who are about to get stripped of their livelihoods and dignity as their precious fiat, fantasy entitlement system is going up in flames
That’ s too funny XT I enjoy mindless rants. Sorry about the woopin’ on the 6th.
50.6% of the popular vote is a “woopin”? You really have swallowed the Kool-Aid.
It was the 332 to 206 woopin which I was referring. Oops but that’s probably not a woopin either is it if you live in OppositeReallityVille?
Take a look at the national map divided by counties. Red dominates as always. Look at Ohio…88 counties, 72 of which went for Romney. The four largest cities in Ohio elected Obama. Same with Pennsylvania,,,no Philly, no Pittsburgh, no Obama.
A statement to the fine Republican gerrymandering and voter suppression, republicans prove to be both cheaters and thieves. I’d call that a success if I lived in that booming metropolitan neighborhood of OppositeReallityVille.
How do you gerrymander a county, genius? As for cheating, there were 59 precincts in Philly and 20 in Cleveland with ZERO votes for Romney yet they had votes for the Green and Libertarian candidates. Imagine that…
Pardon me your omnipotence, keep working those numbers, sounds like your on to something that will alter nothing. Time to man up and face the only fact, regardless of whatever math you use …. you lost.
And there’s a good liberal…disregard cheating, then start the name-calling.
Call voter suppression anything you like …. I say, thieves … “genius”
So why isn’t the GOP challenging it? Answer; it’s all a myth.
You lost because you ran out of angry, xenophobic, racist, old white guys.
I hope you keep that strategy for the next election.
The GOP doesn’t challenge for the obvious reasons…you leftists and your lapdog media will scream, “Racism!.” Thank God Allen West is fighting the fraud in Florida, You people are calling him an Uncle Tom as you always have.
What is racist is to make a claim without any proof. If you don’t want to be called a racist don’t make racist claims. If you have a case, get the proof and make it.
Florida is a joke. I voted absentee there and I needed to read the ballot carefully. Scott shortened the early voting to purposely discourage people from waiting in line. A few districts ran out of ballots. Friends of mine waited for hours to vote, all of it completely unnecessary except to disenfranchise voters.
Scott will be out in 2014 along with his tea party. Let’s see the GOP deal with that. Look up Uncle Tom, you don’t seem to know the meaning.
If the Republicans had gotten the results President Obama did they would be very happy, so let’s be real.
And for all that red area you speak of….many are very rural states (or have large rural areas)….a lot of land, low populations areas. That is what that is about. It doesn’t mean what you seem to think.
Gee Wiz. Could it be because the vast majority of people in this country reside in urban areas and cities tend to attract minorities? Obama won the electoral (by a landslide) as well as the popular vote. Sounds like a mandate to me! Proud to be a Mainer and American.
I’m proud to be an American and ex-Mainer who actually understands how this was once a great nation, not a divided land of makers and takers.
Your comment saddens me. It is still a great nation. I bit my tongue and dealt w/Bush for 8 years. This is a democracy and as painful
as it may be we should respect the opinions of others and move on. The ‘makers’ need to help out more and the ‘takers’ need to get off their butts and get to work. Sorry you moved away – I can’t imagine living anywhere else.
I can’t imagine living in liberal la-la land again. Ohio is a red state…it’s only the five largest cities that make it appear blue.
A liberal la-la land like the most vibrant economic times in our history IN SPITE of taxes and unions. The times that produced the most innovation and progress…up to the point that the right decided to starve it.
Read some history. The most vibrant economic time in the last 30 years was 1984-1999. What we have today is a depression by the metrics of the mid 20th century.
Who said anything about 30 years. You read some economics. A depression is defined by decreasing prices. Bush caused a recession, we are now in a jobless recovery.
The GOP’s “job creators” haven’t created a single job, just piles of offshore cash.
Deflation is a possible but rare symptom of an economic depression. More common are these (and don’t they look familiar?):
Long term downturn; abnormally large increases in unemployment; falls in the availability of credit, often due to a banking or financial crisis; shrinking output as suppliers cut back on production and investment; large number of bankruptcies including debt defaults.
You don’t understand Jack…
I have a suspicion you’ve never been outside of New England.
Wrong again. I’ve traveled all over the world as a engineering consultant and currently live in Thailand.
sorry John, but those places have more people.
And more cheating. That’s been shown and here in the Columbus area, witnessed with my own eyes as the busloads of Somalis arrived at the early voting site. We are cursed with 60,000 of the parasites here, and very few are citizens, yet thousands were led into voting booths by interpreters.
Did you complain about this? how do you know they were Somailis?
Did you ask to see their papers? You don’t have to speak English to vote in this country, you don’t have to be able to read even.
We are no longer a country, run by white men, I for 1 thank god for that every day.
Believe me, much like Lewiston, in Columbus, people know what Somalis look and sound like. And yes, I filed a complaint.
Your bigotry is duly noted.
His bigotry?? Are you for real or just a troll.
60,000 Somali parasites. (there are only 40,000 Somali’s in Ohio)
This story has been completely discredited by election officials in Franklin County, OH. The rest of the nation is LAUGHING at your paranoid and delusional fantasies about the “Somali” urban myth.
There is a legal process for challenging provisional ballots and if there was even an ounce of truth to this it would be happening.
That’s right, believe the Democrat officials of Franklin County and the PC policies they follow. The story is true, just as the stories coming out of Philly and Cleveland regarding vote totals are.
As for bigotry, you probably think deer are sweet, harmless creatures…until you hit one with your car. That’s what Somalis are…deer, with the added bonuses of inbred hate, tribal ignorance and offensive body odor. That’s no myth.
Bigotry? I’m not a bigot sir, you are. I’m a white women, who has worked hard to over come the racism and bigotry, I was taught.
The GOP need to get a hold on this stuff, and take a deep look into why they lost. Believe me the reason I voted for Obama, has nothing to do with “GIFTS”, I don’t need them. I voted for him, because, I believe in him, he has done the best he could with what he was given.
You voted for him because of the color of his skin. And living in Maine, you know nothing of racism.
That’s enough! You have over stepped. I would have voted for Barack Obama if he was white.
Hit a nerve, have I? Your response simply confirms my previous statement.
So what if it were true, and I had voted for Obama because he’s Black? Which is not the case. I voted, I have never missed election, I think that’s something to be proud of. I don’t always vote Dem, I vote for who, and what, I think is right.
The guy is a nut job! Responding to his delusional rants only empowers him. I’m just grateful he doesn’t live in Maine.
I know he’s a troll, but I kind of like pushing his buttons.
Oh how some have changed their opinion on electoral votes since Gore loss.
That’s too funny because the greatest economic period of US history had taxes much higher than what Obama is going for.
One of the most vibrant economy’s in the world; Germany, has high investment and high taxes. They also have trade surpluses, a higher percentage of renewable energy, greater R&D investment and healthier, happier people. People still can get rich, they just have to do something excellent.
OF COURSE HE WILL! THAT RAT!
Big surprise. BTW, hate the new comment format.
If I were you I would hate it too because you’re gonna get a lot of dislikes.
I won’t be giving dislikes to anyone who takes the time to share their opinions even if I don’t agree with them. Dislikes are anti-American in my opinion.
Then you don’t know much about America.
Laughable. You know not one thing about me yet you say this.
One thing I do know about you is that you said “dislikes“ are un-American.
That’s nonsense.
And so, you don’t know much about America.
Having dislikes on comments is a way to discourage minority opinions from being expressed. (ie Three wolves and a sheep voting on what’s for dinner.) That’s why I don’t find it in the spirit of America where all points of view are supposed to be valued and freely expressed..
I once saw my dear friend Naran (of PPH fame) get well over 100 “dislikes” on one of her comments. It didn’t slow her down at all. Those of minority opinions won’t stop posting because they lost a popularity contest, trust me. ;)
Good. That’s how it should be.
Yeah, where is Naran hiding?
This format is still better than what PPH did. It’s a ghost town over there.
It’s far superior to what the PPH offers now or even before then. I’m very happy with how BDN handles things. Instant posting vs sometimes hours for a post to show up? Moderation after the fact is a much better way to go about it as well. I’ve seen a bit more deletion from the mods here than is probably necessary in my opinion, though still much more free and open then was PPH. Good job BDN.
Take it up with the newspaper. This is not the public square. If it was you’d have thumbs up and thumbs down and plenty of ripe tomato on the wing.
Great news!
OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!! I never thought he would!!!!! Maine is doomed!!!
puts an end to months of speculation over which party King, an
independent former governor, would team up with when he arrived –do you live under a rock?????
No, they just think we are really really stupid.
BDN
Me too, it’s clear that the people of this country cannot and will not face the real problems. Anyone that is real in Washington DC is labeled as mean and vile by democrats. So lets keep spending a trillion a year more than we take in, call it an investment in America’s future and then hug each other and smile a lot and be civil and nice. When the Chinese government asks for its money back, we can always give them a hug and promise to pay them Tuesday for a hamburger today.
bdnbdnbdnbdnbdnbdnbdnbdn
The wealthy folks like Mitt, Angles, and The Koch brothers are selling the USA to China piecemeal.
You have good reason to worry.
It’s not just in Washington DC, look at our own state.
I was listening to a radio program a few nights ago in which one of the commentators informed us that our govt’s biggest monetary debt is to itself not to China. i.e., That our govt has cross borrowed more money from fund to fund than it has borrowed from China. Haven’t had a chance yet to scope it out, but entitled4life, it was suggested that if the govt forgave itself for self owed dept there would be money to pay China.
Good question, who really holds the debt. I’ll bet it’s mostly we the people. A la Pogo, We have met the enemy and he is us.
That was the implication ref the program. If the federal govt is cross borrowing money department to department, fund to fund, it’s a false debt; an accounting trick that goes on all the time in and between organizations for auditing purposes. I was once affiliated with an organization that shuffled $2000 back and between it’s account and the accounts of the umbrella corporation dependent upon when federal monies were being doled out. During most of the year the $2000 showed in the organization’s account as usable funds. At the end of the fiscal year it was shifted back to the account of the umbrella corporation as repayment of a loan, showing a shortfall. After federal monies were collected, the money was again shifted back into the organization’s account as a loan under the guise of the corporation paying back a loan to the organization. It’s all about paper assets. If the money is shifted around fund to fund, department to department as a loan on a regular basis, the debt grows with each shift. Thinking of this in terms of departments and funds within the federal government, it amounts to one big piece of debt, that doesn’t really exist except on paper. So, Gopher63, you’d be right we hold the debt and at the same time we are responsible for the payment of such. Now, anybody care to take on the research?
According to something I read awhile ago, China holds 12-15% of our debt, so they are not the biggest lender.
The only problem is that debt is used as a political tool by the right to create fear in order to gain our compliance with the massive skim the 1% is taking.
NOBODY CARES ABOUT OUR DEBT. they care that the US remain a stable thriving leader in the world. The US has absolutely nothing in common with your household budget. It operates on a completely different principle. China is interested in us continuing to be a stable economic trading partner and I’m sure they are more concerned about the economic imbalance in America than our debt. They are impacted by the destruction of our middle class.
The only problem with America is the 1% is taking a massive skim without producing economic activity. If they are such titan’s of business, where is the proof? Where is the proof that tax cuts for billionaires produces anything but massive offshore wealth? There is proof that Obama’s stimulus produced economic activity and jobs. How many jobs were created with the $10 trillion in tax cuts?
The issues that the Chinese people care about are the same ones we care about. This is a new day, we can talk to the Chinese people and build human relationships, human community and solve problems we all face. Governments come and go, but the human community is getting smarter.
What a joke Maine has become…
That’s because of our Governor
No, it’s from decades of creating dependency. The state is a bunch of Billy Bobs on welfare.
yes but Billy bob;s tend to vote RED!
In some ways, yes, linden, it has. Hopefully, with Angus King in this seat, the world will see that not all governors of our state have been out of touch with the people here.
“I came away from these conversations reassured that my independence would be respected and no party line commitment would be required or expected,” he said. As if this is not true of every single Democratic Senator? Despite King’s best attempt to make it seem as if the party system is the problem, and that King was the only solution, he is now affirming that it is not. The problem – still! – resides with the extreme Republicans. We’d all be much better off if King and others stopped playing the false equivalency game of calling both parties out for their failure to compromise, when it is the Republicans who have strayed so far from the mainstream, and pledged their scant virtue to Grover Norquist rather than the American people. Welcome to the real world, Senator King. You’re a good guy, but it’s been pretty bad of you to play the “beat up on both parties” game.
The really good news about the election results is that Grover Norquist, Karl Rove, and their ilk have lost all credibility with the big money GOP donors. These two total BS-artists now sit atop the ashes of the TeaCreep Party. No big $$ will listen to them anymore. Right wing talk radio will take a well deserved slapping too.
All good for the USA!
LOL…you actually think the tea-party is going away?
the lack of TP support for the middle-of-the-road mittens is the ONLY reason bam-bam won at the polls
The GOP will be looking to get these folks on-board in the next few years, and when they do, you can expect a 5 to 10 million vote upswing in GOP numbers at the next big event
as the economy gets worse and worse over these next few years, it will only make the arguments of teapartiers and limited-government minded patriots that much stronger. This is especially the case with the younger generation that is literally being robbed of their livelihoods by the morally bankrupt baby-boomers, who thankfully are being lined up with the obamacare death panels to finally get what they truly deserve out of their precious, corrupt government.
Go sell crazy someplace else.
What movie was that from? Not “As good as it gets” with Jack Nicholson??? Or was it?
No Jack is right, it was a very close election. Ultimately, Obama got 62,610,717 votes to Romney’s 59,136,717 or 51 percent to 48 percent. While a wide margin by post-1988 standards, it’s still a close election.
When you look at counties, nearly 75% of the US is RED.
When you compare Obama’s margin of victory in 2012 to 2008, it shrank from 52.4% of the popular vote to 51%.
Were it not for the hyped up urban vote… sub-studies revealed thousands of Black districts where NO ONE voted for Romney…Cleveland and Ohio are being considered for lawsuits based on racial discriminatory campaigning.
I voted for Johnson along with a whopping .98% of the country. If the Tea Club had any principle whatsoever, they would have put all their money and effort behind Johnson. They did not. They are cowardly poseurs by and large.
I donated more to Ron Paul than to Obama. I did it because I hoped that Paul would get some of his ideas serious consideration by the party that claims to follow the constitution. Paul was a huge let down. He had negotiating power which he could have used to influence the R platform. He didn’t even try.
I think we have a better chance to work with the system we have. Make some tweaks, produce some results and then tweak it some more. Any progress is going to have to come from the activism of the American people to elect good leaders and hold their feet to the fire. Libertarianism can inform this process I think. I wonder why Libertarian’s align with the right instead of the left who they have more in common with.
I know I sound like a broken record, though I still believe his running indy or 3rd party would have made for a far more interesting race – I believe he would have met the 2 parties “eligibility” requirement to enter the debates. I might have actually watched them with Ron in there. :D
I let his campaign know that I would donate to them when he announced his independent or 3rd party run, and not before. I donated in 08, though I felt like it was a waste of money, as he did the same thing. Wasn’t about to do it again. I’m done with Paul.
Though the Libertarian economic platform is far too extreme, there is a lot to like otherwise. As I’ve said before, they out-liberal the liberals in several very important areas.
Looks like it went away in Maine. Wait and see what happens in Florida. Scott is gone. The tea party is going the way of McCarthyism. Another extremist experiment to obtain power through fear.
Really? I guess Reed already gave him his windpower money.
The Republican bubble is imploding, collapse is imminent. Hit the red button and alert the Conservative Entertainment Complex, they’ll have plenty of hot air to pump up your tires.
cool, i can’t wait for the dems to set up more programs we can’t afford that the taxpayers have to foot the bill for.
maybe some more welfare programs, let even more people live off the system while there are fewer and fewer people working.
the democratic utopia is at hand!
It beats the Corporate Utopian state the extremists pray for daily.
i’m fairly certain that most republicans don’t believe in any form of a Utopian state, because we know that it doesn’t exist. corporate or not.
the real world isn’t pretty, as much as you democrats want it to be.
nothing is free, the social programs that the dems set up are unsustainable and will eventually result in the collapse of our once-great nation.
You delude yourself had your man without a plan been elected you would have found out first hand what Corporate Utopia looks like. What is unsustainable is allowing the 1% to skate on paying taxes. Watch as President Obama extracts what is owed to the US from the elite owners of our country. Payback time!
We would have had the Truth. Not lies….
You will never have the truth as long as your fundamental view of politics is truth and lies, when it’s neither …. it’s compromise.
I would add that it’s not just their skating on taxes they are also extracting wealth and value instead of creating it.
Even the gilded age saw more investment and value creation. There has always been a willingness to let the titan’s take a big chunk for themselves, but they were building steel mills and reinvesting in America.
They didn’t build the value of America and they have no right to cash out. If they were reinvesting it would be different. They are taking a massive skim without producing any benefit.
Taught to you by fox and friends.
Many news sources teach. We are sure you are devoted to MSNBC. Canada Free Press is most informative.
“they just want free stuff” That is the new tea party excuse for losing.
That seems to be all they’ve got left to say.
The social programs have nothing to do with the engine that powers our economy. Many other countries pay twice what we do for social programs yet still have stable economies, trade surpluses, and healthy investment. They are focused on extracting the benefits that can come from globalization instead of picking their own bones.
Yeah, its a shame they might want to take some of that money from the oil company supplements to actually help people in need. How are the energy companies going to keep giving million dollar bonuses to their executives and contributions to the republicans?
like king and first wind?
Instead of harping on King why don’t you do a little research and see how much the oil and coal industries have received from the taxpayer through tax breaks and supplements for the last 100 or so years. Any thing the renewable energy companies have received in the last couple decades is peanuts compared to that. Look at the coal industry, which buys OUR coal from PUBLIC lands at about $1 (one dollar) per ton and sells it to China for over $100/ton.
One of the largest, if not the biggest welfare program is giving financial sustenance to the extremely wealthy.
The Bush tax cuts for these people hang like the sword of Democoles over this country. McConnell and Boehner retain the tax breaks with a threat of blocking any legislation that would help the country’s infrastructure and the people who work.
Curtailing the funding of the wealthy would provide the bulk of the revenues needed to run the country.
But the threats that kept the country in a straight jacket for four years have been weakened by a powerful electorate, which has opened the eyes of the bubble people.
The president must stick to his guns on killing the Bush tax cuts so that we can get into gear and move forward.
Don’t you just love seeing your tax dollars go to the young teens who get pregnant and jump into the Entitlement System. Old democrat hippies still pray peace and love. that is all good except that we have to pay for Free Riders.
Obviously, paying for the “Free Riders” is nothing to you when it entails massive tax cuts for the very wealthy?
Why defend tax cuts for the wealthy? Tea party cronyism indicts the poor and working class, but looks the other way for their over stuffed wealthy friends. Romney, Ryan, and $133 million raised by Karl Rove and his rich friends to attack elders and working people, fell dismally short of its target.
Tea Party attacks against Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid, lost the election. Plutocracy faces a long road ahead. No wonder the teapublicans are in a stew.
Time and time again it is pointed out that the “free riders” are about 5% of the cost. 95% are legitimate consumers of assistance. The unemployed want to work as evidenced by the thousands of applications that respond to any decent job ad. How can you continue to look at this when the 1% is extracting trillions and parking it offshore?
Programs such as the Prescription Drug Program introduced and brought to fruition by President Bush or the 800 ship Navy created by President Reagan when the Soviet Union was about ready to collapse? And I’m a registered Republican headed for the independent roles. They all spend lots of money!
Wrong, this is energizing Republicans. We will not work with DEMOCRATS. United we stand and we will try and Block everything Dems do.
Which is why the republicans will be a footnote of history. The US was set up on the basis of cooperation and compromise so that everyone gets something, even if it is not everything they want.
Try as you may, this time the Dems got your number which diminishes everyday.
Life in the USA should not revolve around political parties who block each other and the People are the losers. Both parties need to put up and work together. That is what they were elected to do.
Then do America a favor and call Boehner and McConnell and tell the to stop the BS.
I suggest you start at the White House and Demand the Truth. Open door policy? what a croc.
It doesn’t, don’t forget the Entertainment biz. I agree we have to work together but why now after four years of doing nothing is the Republican Party now willing to do something? Can we agree Mitch failed his party and didn’t stop Obama from being elected?
I agree with all but Mitt failing his party. I believe he is a truthful and honest man who loves his country. No matter who has won, it is How they do their job. That is what counts in my book. Take a look at the 5 years olds and visualize the debt they will inherit. We have to work together and I know that many of us will be reminding our elected to do just that. To get our budget balanced would be a dream come true.
Mitch – Mitch McConnell.
oops,
I agree with you on that too………… hope you are still sitting……..
now that’s a compromise :)
The basic problem the right has is they only just started caring about the debt the day Obama took office…after they created most of it. Lepage’s first official act was to eliminate $500 million in revenue. Not the act of someone concerned about debt. It was the act of someone who has given up on our process and made a move to starve us into submission. Starve the beast.
Most people understand that corrections have to be made, but we already have ten years of tax cuts at a cost of $10 trillion and nothing to show except $25 trillion parked offshore. How long do we have to wait to correct this mistake.
I’ve asked before; how many jobs, how much new investment has occurred as a result of the tax cuts? Answer; none.
Are you some sort of office holder? You won’t be doing jack squat.
Good luck with that. That is one of the main reasons your party lost big time. Also, the American people have said they will blame the Republicans if the fiscal cliff and budget matters are not resolved.
Nice unAmerican comment. Since you are a 1%er, get ready. It is time for you to do what you need for the country, which should have happened long ago. You can only blame the repubs for going over the fiscal cliff.
More liberal millonaires than repubs
Can’t say you haven’t been warned..
No doubt Chuckles would have been a better obstructionist?
“King said joining the Democratic caucus would still allow him to stake out independent positions.” And he said that with a straight face?
Everyone figured that out a long time ago.
Shock and Awe!
Remember that time he spent 12 million dollars on laptops? Yeah, that was great…
BDN
Absolutely. If King did one great task as Gov. it was to get those laptops in our schools.
Say it isn’t so!
And this is newsworthy and shocking because….?
I’m sure King Angus will fit right in. He already has experience stealing money and running green energy scams.
His reputation will interfere. Many will see the truth about his green wind.
This was expected. Good will triumph. :)
Another joke Maine has to endure from the moonbat club.Wonder when SNL will do a skit on this fool hardy move.How about angus standing in the unemployment line with a windmill on his hat.That just about covers Maine.
SNL could do a lot with King.
Hmmmm….Benedict Arnold comes to mind….
Headline angus gets wind power money for mass.Mainer moonbats rejoice.Do not get to close you will be used for cover for this lying admin if need be.
Of course!
Side with the guys, Obungle & Co who are intent on raising 1.6 TRILLION in new taxes.
No doubt the kool ade sippers who voted this gang of idiots in are happy now…yessir, more taxes, that’s the ticket.
Did you notice that anyone Non Dem, gets the negative arrow. Rabid dems leave no room for debate. that is what is wrong in DC. it is Dems way or the highway. Think they are in for a whopper of a surprise.
Right you are!
You might be on to something, it maybe conspiratorial .. but I bet it’s because moderate views are a tad less frighting? Tell you what, I’m going to push your down arrow and then I’ll push mine and what you said won’t be true … OK
FYI – this new system allows you to push your own like button ^ if you like.
It sort of makes stuff more obvious, but they will never get a clue that their words are what is bringing them down.
“The Dems way of the highway” is so far from reality. The Dems are still the Dems, while the right has been taken over by the extremist tea party. Dems are still the party of FDR while the right morphs into Neocon’s then tea baggers and they are so far from their own roots.
The current focus of the right is redistricting, silence the unions, disenfranchise voters, reward greed over excellence and do it all by creating fear that if we don’t do what they want, the boggy man will get us.
Dems way or highway IS most definately REALITY. tea party has been bashed beyond trash by Dems.. Thanks for sharing the focus of the Right, I speak for myself, I want truth and fairness in this country and Obama has a chance to do that and be a leader. Let’s hope he fills those shoes.
I’d have no problem with raising some taxes as long as meaningful spending cuts are enacted simultaneously. Alas, it doesn’t appear that this is being seriously considered by the Democrats. Raising the taxes on higher earners without spending cuts won’t even put a dent in the debt. Unfortunately the GOP plan is just as faulty. :
Least the R;s were honest about caucusing, not like King Angus.
AFTER Snowe and Collins got done talking with him, he is going with the Democrats.
What in the Sam Hill did they say to him for crying out loud?
RE “ ‘The committee assignments are still being worked through and he feels very positive about them,’ Canney said.”
Why would the Democrats give him choice committee assignments and/or do favors that required taking away from cohorts who Angus demeans with his implication that party affiliation makes them beholden to party dogma and special interests in lieu of serving the overall public good?
It’s quite the tightrope act isn’t it?
Almost as entertaining as the politicians that supposedly want to dismantle government by working for the government their entire lives, but not quite. :D
I didn’t see that one coming! :)
But, he added, “by associating myself with one side, I am not in automatic opposition to the other.”
He was in opposition from the start. Running as and I was his only shot at getting elected here. He is D to his soul.
Months of speculation? The BDN really has to be kidding.
I kept reading it was assumed King would likely caucus with Democrats which is why I felt comfortable voting for him over Dill. Mostly, I was against Summers, as I would have been with anybody from our poopyhead gubna’s staff.
Most states have two senators. Maine has a senator and A. King. :)
If he models himself after, and aligns himself with, Independent Bernie Sanders of VT,
Maine can be very proud.
He is an opportunist, nothing more. If Republicans would have won, he would have gone Republican. Instead, he chose to hitch up to the liberal wagon, which is where he belongs.
Whichever way the political winds blow, so blows King.
the sky is up…water is wet….and angus is a democrat.
I am SHOCKED…. shocked I tell you!
Ya I was floored —not.
Committee assignments? Those are usually party of the deal in situations like this and should have been resolved by now..
By now? Like before an election? How does that even make sense?
Committee assignments are re-done after every election. What are you talking about?
I am soooooooooooooo surprised by this announcement. How many times do you really think “independant” King will cross the aisle? Only when a vote won’t count.
OMG, what a surprise. Guess how he’ll vote, too.
Maybe he is so old that he needs to support the party he thinks will provide him with the best health care and a free scooter from “The Scooter Store”. Maybe they will even throw in a GPS for his scooter.
What’s wrong with scooters? Mine gets 100mpg. Maybe we should give everyone a free one.
people are funny. Liberals giving away taxpayer money is supposed to save the country? Look at Greece 48.5% income tax on everyone along with 28% sales tax.. I don’t much care what happens to people who think they are going to be saved by so called compromise, because I’m ready for the fall of the Federal Reserve note.. You see instead of saving the countries poor people from the evil republicans, the liberals are going to bankrupt the country and all of the poor are going to be cut off at once.. As a working Democrat I will stand in the food lines with you, just to hear you whine..
Does that me your going to stop whining ’til then?
Stop repeating the lie that liberals are the big government spenders when we know that’s not true. This is about reducing the debt without creating another recession. The US economy is nothing like Greece’s. We are still the biggest economy in the world.
Give King a chance to establish a record.
I really don’t believe anyone can fix the country. to many people bought and paid for. Reed and Obama already paid Angus off. Repubs not much better. The people are Scrowed.
I get that, but I believe we can fix the country because the country is us. Money does have too much influence, I agree…but I think what won the election was information. We have unprecedented access to information. The right spawned a whole new industry of fact checking. Nate Silver nailed the statistics in all 50 states.
What that demonstrates to me is that smart people can think outside the box and make things happen without denying grassroots inputs. There is nothing wrong with our country. The system works when all of us get involved.
Our economy needs a correction, but remember that all of these effects; debt, unemployment, inflation, recession, all result from very small percentage changes in the big picture. GDP is dependent on a few percent growth, any more and were fighting inflation. I’m not a lover of central banks or our dependency on growth, but this is the system we have and it appears to be working.
I spent my career as a trouble shooter, dropped into desperate situations that appeared to be unsolvable. My secret weapon was to listen to everybody, build consensus to try some corrective action. If it worked everyone jumped on-board. Results are loved by everyone.
Our country works in spite of some imperfections. It works best when conservatives and progressives hammer out solutions without all the fear. .
I greatly appreciate the process he used before making his decision. And like that he feels he will have the support to be truly independent. Go Angus!
I believe King isn’t the first bi-political elected official; just the one who’s played the ‘will I or won’t I’ game the longest and the one who’s never given us a clue as to over which issues he would disagree and the depth of that disagreement, i.e. conscience, core values, things near and dear to Mainers, etc.
The delegation has many times differed with their party leadership and because of some unity over things Maine def. needs; but with King his vote may not be essential so I feel he will issue a defense of these votes to please the ‘folks back home’ but which were done deals anyway.
Bi-political or Bi-polar?
I’m happy to hear of his well thought out choice and hope he will help tackle the problems this country is facing.
Surprise? YGTBKM!
Angus went through an elaborate attempt at building a “cover” but he is a tax and spend democrat through and through!
should we be surprised?
Good for him.
I’m still suspicious of where King will side when it comes to issues near and dear to my own heart. That’s why I didn’t vote for him.
He will vote and side with the people handing out the bux.
Now on to the other caucuses you can see King Join or not, as he sees fit:
2015 Caucus (2006
21st Century Health Care Caucus (2006
30 Something Working Group
4-H Caucus (2006
9/11 Commission Caucus (2006
Addiction, Treatment and Recovery Caucus (2004–)
Afterschool Caucuses (2005-)
Alzheimer’s Disease Congressional Task Force (1999–)
Americans Abroad Caucus (2007–)
Anti-Value Added Tax Caucus, The (Anti-VAT Caucus) (2006
Appalachian Caucus (2006
Armenian Caucus (1991-)
Army Corps Reform Caucus (2006
Bangladesh Caucus (2002-)
Bike Caucus AKA Bicycle Caucus
Biomedical Research Caucus
Bipartisan Disabilities Caucus (2006
Bipartisan Working Group on Disaster Recovery and Response, The (2006
Blue Dog Coalition (1994–***mostly fiscally conservative House Democrats)
Congressional Bourbon Caucus (2009–present), founded by Brett Guthrie and John Yarmuth
Building a Better America Caucus (BABC) (2006
California Democratic Congressional Delegation (2006
Caribbean Caucus (2003–)
Center Aisle Caucus (2006
Chesapeake Bay Watershed Task Force (2006
Children’s Environmental Health Caucus (2006
Coalition on Autism Research and Education (2006
Community College Caucus (2006
Community Solutions and Initiatives Caucus (2006
Congressional Anti-Terrorism Caucus (January 2007–present), founded by Sue Myrick, Bud Cramer, Kay Granger, and Ben Chandler
Congressional Arts Caucus ( January 1981–present)
Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (May 1994–present)
Congressional Automotive Caucus (1985–present) (formerly Auto Industry Task Force)
Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus (2006
Congressional Battlefield Caucus (2006
Congressional Bicameral Arthritis Caucus (2011–present)
Congressional Bike Caucus (CBC) (2006
Congressional Biomass Caucus (2011–present
Congressional Biotechnology Caucus (2006
Congressional Bipartisan Cerebral Palsy Caucus (2006
Congressional Black Caucus (1969–)
Congressional Boating Caucus (2006
Congressional Border Caucus (2006
Congressional Brain Injury Task Force (2001–), founded by Bill Pascrell
Congressional Brazil Caucus (2006
Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues
Congressional Caucus for Bosnia (2005 -)
Congressional Caucus on Central America (2006
Congressional Caucus on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (2006
Congressional Caucus on Global Road Safety (2004–)
Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues (2006
Congressional Caucus on the Judicial Branch (2006
Congressional Caucus on the Netherlands (2006–present
Congressional Caucus on Prescription Drug Abuse (2010
Congressional Caucus on Sri Lanka and Sri Lankan Americans (2006
Congressional Caucus on Turkey and Turkish Americans (March 2001)
Congressional Caucus on Uganda (2006(?)–)
Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues (1977–) Note: this was formed as the Congresswomen’s Caucus, before changing its name in 1981.
Congressional Caucus on Youth Sports (2006
Congressional Entertainment Industries Caucus (2006
Congressional Caucus to Fight and Control Methamphetamine (2006
Congressional Children’s Caucus (2006
Congressional China Caucus (2006
Congressional Climate Caucus (2006
Congressional Coal Caucus (2010-)
Congressional Coalition on Adoption (2006
Congressional Coastal Caucus (2006
Congressional Complementary and Alternative Medicine Caucus (2006
Congressional Constitution Caucus (2006
Congressional Correctional Officers Caucus (2006
Congressional Croatian Caucus (2006
Congressional Czech Caucus (2008–)
Congressional Diabetes Caucus (2006
Congressional E-911 Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Farmer Cooperative Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Fire Services Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Fitness Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Food Safety Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Forest Task Force (2006(?)–)
Congressional Former Mayors Caucus (2006-) – cofounded by Mike Capuano and Mike Turner[7]
Congressional Fraternal Caucus (summer 2002-)[8]
ongressional French Caucus (October 2003–present)[9]
Congressional Friends of Denmark (CFD) (2006(?)–)
Congressional Gaming Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Gulf of Mexico Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Hearing Health Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Hispanic Caucus (1976–)
Congressional Hispanic Conference (2003–)
Congressional HUBZone Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Hockey Caucus
Congressional Horse Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Human Rights Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Humanities Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus (1999–)
Congressional Insurance Caucus (2006(?)–)
Congressional Intelligent Transportation Systems Caucus (2006
Congressional International Anti-Piracy Caucus
Congressional Internet Caucus (2006
Congressional Iraqi Women’s Caucus (2006
Congressional Kidney Caucus (2006
Congressional Labor and Working Families Caucus (2006
Congressional Life Science Caucus (2006
Congressional Management Caucus (2006
Congressional Manufacturing Caucus (2006
Congressional Manufacturing Task Force (2006
Congressional Medical Professionals Caucus (2006
Congressional Men’s Health Caucus (2007-)
Congressional Mental Health Caucus (2006
Congressional Mentoring Caucus (2006
Congressional Mine Warfare Caucus (2006
Congressional Mining Caucus (2006
Congressional Missing and Exploited Children’s Caucus (2006
Congressional Morocco Caucus (July 2003) (formed as Morocco FTA Congressional Caucus)
Congressional Nursing Caucus (2003–present)
Congressional Organic Caucus (2003–present)
Congressional Pakistan Caucus (2006
Congressional Port Security Caucus (2003–present) – founded by Chris Bell
Congressional Prayer Caucus (2005
Congressional Progressive Caucus (1990-)
Congressional Pro-Trade Caucus (2009-)
Congressional Real Estate Caucus (2006(
Congressional Rural Caucus (2006
Congressional Rural Housing Caucus (2006
Congressional Scouting Caucus (2006
Congressional Savings and Ownership Caucus (2006
Congressional Second Amendment Caucus (2006
Congressional Serbian Caucus (2003–)
Congressional Shipbuilding Caucus (2006
Congressional Ski and Snowboard Caucus (2006
Congressional Singapore Caucus (2006
Congressional Spina Bifida Caucus (2006
Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (2006
Congressional Steel Caucus (2006
Congressional Stop DUI Caucus (2006
Congressional Submarine Caucus (2006
Congressional Taiwan Caucus (2002–)
Congressional Taskforce on International HIV/AIDS (2006
Congressional Tourism and Travel Caucus (CTTC) (2006
Congressional TRIO Caucus (2006
Congressional Ukrainian Caucus (1997–)
Congressional United Kingdom Caucus (2006
Congressional Victim’s Rights Caucus (2006
Congressional Waterways Caucus (2006
Congressional Western Caucus (1992–)
Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus (2006-)
Congressional Working Group on Parkinson’s Disease (2006
Congressional Zoo and Aquarium Caucus (2006
Consumer Justice Caucus (2008-) – founded by Keith Ellison
Diversity and Innovation Caucus (2007–present)
Democratic Israel Working Group
Duma-Congress Study Group (1997–present), originally established as interparliamentary Russian-U.S. group on energy
Senate Economic Competitiveness Caucus (2006–present)[21]
Electronic Warfare Working Group (1999–)
Financial and Economic Literacy Caucus (2005–present)]
Flat Tax Caucus
Friends of Norway Caucus (1999–present)
House Friends of Scotland Caucus (2006–present)
Senate Friends of Scotland Caucus (2009–present)[26][27]
Friends of Switzerland Caucus (2003–present)[28]
Future of American Media Caucus (2005–present)[29]
German-American Caucus (2010–present)[30]
Global AIDS Emergency Task Force (May 2003–present)[31]
Hudson River Caucus (2004–present)[39]
Hungarian American Caucus (June 4, 2003–present)[40]
India Caucus (2004–)
Indonesia Caucus (2004–)
International Conservation Caucus (2006(?)–)
International Workers Rights Caucus (2006(?)–)
Interstate 69 Caucus (2006(?)–)
Intelligent Transportation Caucus (2002-)
Kenya Caucus (2006(?)–)
Kurdish American Caucus 2007-
Latino-Jewish Congressional Caucus(2011–)[41]
Law Enforcement Caucus (1994–)
LGBT Equality Caucus (2008–)
Liberty Caucus (2000(?)–)
[edit]M
Minor League Baseball Caucus
Multiple Sclerosis Caucus (2007-)
National Guard and Reserve Components Caucus (2006(?)–)
National Landscape Conservation System Caucus (2006(?)–)
National Service Congressional Caucus (2006(?)–)
Navy-Marine Corps Caucus (2006(?)–)
New Democrat Coalition (1997–)
North America’s Supercorridor Caucus (2006(?)–)
Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition (2006(?)–)
Northern Border Caucus (2006(?)–)
Nuclear Issues Caucus (2006(?)–)
Out of Iraq Caucus (2006-)
Passenger Rail Caucus (2006(?)–)
Ptriot Act Reform Caucus (2006(?)–)
Pell Grant Caucus, The (2006(?)–)
Physics Caucus, The (2006(?)–)
Populist Caucus (2009-)
Public Broadcasting Caucus (2006(?)–)
Public Service Caucus (2007-)
Qatari-American Economic Strategic Defense, Cultural, and Educational Partnership Caucus (2006(?)–)
Recording Arts and Sciences Congressional Caucus (RASCC) (2004–)
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus (1996–)
Republican Study Committee (1973–)
Research and Development Caucus (2006(?)–)
River of Trade Corridor Congressional Caucus (2006(?)–)
Sex and Violence in the Media Caucus (2003–)
Saui Arabia Study Group, The (2006(?)–)
Senate Afterschool Caucus (2005-)
Senate Oceans Caucus (2011-
Senate Taiwan Caucus (2003-)
Sexual Assault Violence Elimination (SAVE) Taskforce (2006(?)–)
Shellfish Caucus (2005–)
Silk Road Caucus (2001)–)
Special Operations Forces Caucus (2006(?)–)
State Maritime Academy Caucus (2006(?)–)
Stop DUI Caucus (2004-)
Sudan Caucus (2006(?)–)
Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) (2009-)
Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare (2006(?)–)
Tea Party Caucus (2010–)
TEX-21 Congressional Caucus (2006(?)–)
Unexploded Ordnance Caucus (2005–)
U.S.-Afghan Caucus (2006(?)–)
U.S.-China Working Group (2006(?)–)
U.S.-Mongolia Friendship Caucus (2006(?)–)
U..-New Zealand Congressional Caucus (2006(?)–)
Victim’s Rights Caucus (2007-)
Victory in Iraq Caucus (2006(?)–)
Wounded to Work Congressional Caucus (2011–Present)[42]
Youth Challenge Caucus (2006(?)–)
Zero Capital Gains Tax Caucus (2006(?)–)
Holy toledo, that’s a lot of committess.
No, that is a lot of Caucuses…. (a group of people with shared concerns within a political party or larger organization.)
As opposed to Committees (a group of people appointed for a specific function, typically consisting of members of a larger group)
Any of these that begin with “Congressional” are for House members, not Senate.
If and when the Republicans take back the Senate King will be on the outside looking in and Maine will once again be the one to suffer.
GOOD
Jeez, what a surprise.
When it comes to voting, independent or not, one learns quid pro quo pretty fast. “Vote for my stuff, I’ll vote for yours.”
Seriously? Now his true colors comeout. I am sorry for the sheeple of Maine.
The GOP lost Olympia Snowe’s “safe” senate seat.
Yessah
It is amazing how few if any are mentioning the real issues here. It makes little difference which party is in control at this point. We have been sent down a path that has extreme pain and suffering for all. Prepare yourselves and your families. There is a storm of historic levels brewing.
Did you really expect anything different from this lying wind power sleazeball?
If you did , then you will get what you voted for.
He is drooling at his new opportunities to fleece the Maine and federal taxpayer , and laughing all the way.
Thank God , the best thing that could ever happen to the Dem’s is having King hanging with them!
Always knew the King was a Dem!
Yeah, no surprise, but why would he (or anyone for that matter) align themselves with a party that spent a ton of campaign dollars AGAINST them?
As Maine goes….
Was their really ever any doubt? Who would want to get stuck in a room filled with Republicans? Yuck.
Angus “Wind Mill” king is a democrat, shocking absolutely shocking!
King Angus will not protect Maine.
And yet Dill still tows the party line like a mindless zombie!?!?!
I’d have a lot more respect for King if he said all along he was going to caucus with the Dems. Instead he has to lie and say he didn’t know. Anyone with a clue knew that he was going Dem and thats his choice, no issue with that but why lie and say he didn’t know??? Lost any respect he had with me