Politics

Watch Congress

By Matt Cooper

All eyes are on Pennsylvania and the remaining states. But watch Congress both for its pivotal role in determining the Democratic nominee and in shaping the Democrat v. McCain race. First, all the Democratic members of Congress are superdelegates so it's the place to campaign, a forum as delegate rich as Pennsylvania. Second, any number of bills and debates in the coming months could shape the race since the remaining candidates are all sitting senators. The South Korean Free Trade Agreement could be one big rift either between the Democrats or between McCain and whoever emerges as his rival. Does Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid keep throwing minimum wage votes at McCain? What if the House Republicans slyly move to put Obama's health care plan or Hillary's up for a vote? They could get it scored and priced and priced by the Congressional Budget Office and force Democrats to actually take a stand on a mammoth tax hike before the ground work had been laid for supporting such a radical overhaul of the nation's health care. In other words, anything can and will happen in the Capitol.

McCain has said he'll remain in the senate, unlike Bob Dole who left the Senate after he sewed up the GOP nomination in 1996 so no one's going anywhere.

And that's the Senate as a whole. When it comes to committees, Hillary and Obama both have powerful allies who can help shape the agenda. Ted Kennedy, Obama's big patron, could use his Environment and Labor committee to focus on Obama's agenda. Senate Whip Dick Durbin, Obama's first backer in the Senate, could help steer things his way. And let's see how the Florida and Michigan delegations stand on what to do about those two states now that the Democratic National Committee is denying their being seated because they held their primaries earlier than party rules allow. John Conyers, the House Judiciary Chair, could hold hearings on disfranchisement of Michigan voters if he wanted. Welcome to Congress: It's a theatre and a primary.

Full post as published by Portfolio.com: Capital on March 05, 2008 (boomark / email).