USA wetgeving banken herzien?

[Cees Binkhorst]

REPLY TO: D66 at nic.surfnet.nl

Jammer dat Senator Dodd besluit zich niet verkiesbaar te stellen, nadat
hij eerst voorstelt de wetgeving rond banken te herzien
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-12-16/rebuilding-the-wall/

Groet / Cees

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/07/us/politics/07dems.html
January 7, 2010
Democrats Wary as Two Senators Decide to Retire
By JEFF ZELENY and ADAM NAGOURNEY

WASHINGTON — The sudden decision by two senior Democratic senators to
retire shook the party’s leaders on Wednesday and signaled that President
Obama is facing a perilous political environment that could hold major
implications for this year’s midterm elections and his own agenda.

The rapidly shifting climate, less than a year after Mr. Obama took office
on the strength of a historic Democratic sweep, was brought into focus by
the announcements that Senators Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut and
Byron L. Dorgan of North Dakota would retire rather than wage uphill
fights for re-election.

With the chances growing that the election in November would end the
60-vote majority Democrats enjoy in the Senate — the practical threshold
for being able to overcome united Republican opposition — the president
and his party face additional urgency to make progress on his agenda this
year.

There was no immediate sign that the developments would further complicate
White House efforts to secure final passage of Mr. Obama’s main domestic
priority, the overhaul of the health care system, but the political
pressure on Democrats from competitive states and districts will not make
it any easier.

Following on the heels of the news of the senators’ retirements, Gov. Bill
Ritter Jr. of Colorado, a Democrat, also announced Wednesday that he would
not seek a second term.

Together, the developments heightened a perception that a conservative
push against the president’s ambitious agenda, a sluggish recovery from
the deep recession and an outbreak of angry populism have combined to
deplete Mr. Obama’s political strength and give Republicans a chance for
big gains in this year’s races for the Senate and the House.

To the degree that the retirements reflect increasing skepticism among
voters about the direction Democrats are pushing the country, Mr. Obama
could face a tougher time winning legislative support as he presses ahead
with initiatives on climate change, financial regulation, education and
other issues.

Republicans seized on the resignations as a way to raise money and
generate enthusiasm among voters in their conservative base.

“Voters and donors out in the country see two senior Democrats, both of
whom were perceived to be safe a year ago, now retiring for fear of
losing,” said Rob Jesmer, executive director of the National Republican
Senatorial Committee. “This further underscores our belief that with each
passing day, the environment is getting better and better for Republicans,
which energizes our people and demoralizes theirs.”

The White House and Democratic Party leaders reached out on Wednesday to
reassure other potentially vulnerable Democrats in an effort to prevent
any more retirements or party-switching. Obama aides played down the
developments, saying it would be foolish to make predictions now about the
November elections before Mr. Obama had even delivered his State of the
Union address. If health care legislation passes and the economy improves,
advisers believe the president and the party will be in a stronger
position by fall.

“We’re weathering the greatest economic downturn since the Great
Depression,” said David Axelrod, a senior adviser to Mr. Obama, “so it’s
not a hospitable environment for incumbents generally. We’re in the
majority party, so the brunt of that falls on us.”

“There’s not an election tomorrow,” he said. “There’s not an election next
week. There’s not an election for 11 months.”

The effects of the retirements are not entirely negative for Democrats.
Mr. Dodd had been widely expected to lose if he had stayed in the race;
his departure clears the way for Democrats to put in a stronger candidate
— Richard Blumenthal, the state attorney general, who announced Wednesday
that he was running.

Mr. Dorgan was facing tough going as it was; his departure, Democrats and
Republicans said, left the Democrats with an uphill battle to hold on to
the seat in North Dakota.

While Democrats seemed confident about holding on to a majority in the
Senate, they acknowledged that keeping their 60-seat majority would be
difficult and that 51 votes are not enough to advance most legislation in
the face of united Republican opposition.

For Mr. Obama, that means the legislative clock is ticking. Senator Robert
Menendez of New Jersey, the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign
Committee, said the retirements of Mr. Dodd and Mr. Dorgan would not
create a ripple effect among other senators facing re-election. Mr.
Menendez said the senators were hiring campaign staff and raising money
with an eye toward November.

“They are all in it to win it,” he said.

Still, seldom has a week passed in the last few months when a House or
Senate Democrat, fearful of the outcome in the midterm elections, has not
switched parties or retired. And the image of Democrats struggling could
have the effect of encouraging other Democratic officeholders worried
about the political climate to step aside. “We should be concerned,” said
Gov. Edward G. Rendell, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, “and we should
develop our plans and our policies and the programs we are going to push
for with an eye to 2010. But there’s no reason to panic.”

While Republicans appear to be in a position to make strong gains in
Congress, analysts say they appear unlikely to regain control of either
the House or Senate, given the strong margins Democrats built in 2008. In
the Senate, Democrats hold 58 seats, and two independents align themselves
with the Democrats; Republicans hold 40 seats. About seven Democratic
seats and four Republican-held seats appear to be in play now.

In the House, Democrats have a 256-to-178 seat majority. Analysts on both
sides say Democrats could lose from 20 to 25 seats in the current climate,
though obviously a whole host of factors — the strength of the economy,
public views of Mr. Obama’s health care plan, another attempted terrorist
attack — could reshuffle that deck.

Despite the focus on the Democrats’ problems, Republicans are faring worse
this year in terms of resignations putting seats in play. In the House, 14
Republicans and 10 Democrats are retiring, and Representative Robert
Wexler, Democrat of Florida, has resigned, leaving one vacancy. In the
Senate, six Republicans, including several in swing states requiring
expensive campaigns, and four Democrats, including Mr. Dodd and Mr.
Dorgan, are retiring.

Republicans have to defend open Senate seats in New Hampshire, Ohio and
Missouri, after a spate of retirements last year.

When the Republican Party’s national chairman, Michael Steele, was asked
on Sean Hannity’s syndicated radio program earlier this week if he
believed Republicans could win the House, he replied: “Not this year.”

One day later, after facing considerable criticism from his own party, he
revised his assessment in an interview with MSNBC. “Yes, we can,” Mr.
Steele said.

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