http://cache.jezebel.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/jezebel.com.png http://jezebel.com/tag/senate http://jezebel.com/tag/senate

Pete Hoekstra is running for Michigan State Senate. Also? He's pretty racist against the Chinese. Take this attack ad against his opponent Debbie Stabenow that features an Asian woman thanking Stabenow for everything she's done for the Chinese economy. Not offensive enough for you? How does the line "Your economy get very weak, ours get very good" make you feel? Like hitting the polls and voting Hoekstra, am I right? More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5882653&view=rss&microfeed=true

If you needed further proof that Congress is basically an only slightly more grown up version of high school, this should convince you: As if ordered by an exasperated guidance counselor (paging Tami Taylor), lawmakers from each party have agreed to sit next to members from across the aisle during Tuesday's State of the Union address in order to try to overcome the bitter hatred they have for one another. Sure they may seething at the start, but before long it's definitely going to be Democrats and Republicans sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G… More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5878299&view=rss&microfeed=true

Election Day is only a little more than a year away, and it's never too early to speculate about races that will be shaped by unforeseeable factors in the coming months. One yet-unknowable X factor that has some politicos excited is the role that women will play, especially in the Senate. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5851862&view=rss&microfeed=true

The US Senate has confirmed the federal judicial appointment of Alison Nathan, an out lesbian, with no Republican support. She's the second lesbian to receive a federal lifetime judicial appointment in the US and will join two other currently active gay judges in raining gay rainbow justice all over Real America. Those opposed to her appointment say she's an "activist," and is therefore unfit for the bench, but by now we all know that "activist" is Republican code for "homosexual, brown, or female." More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5849867&view=rss&microfeed=true

The Massachusetts Senate race pitting Republican Scott Brown and former Harvard Law Professor/chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel Elizabeth Warren is getting ugly fast, and both candidates recently hit each other below the belt. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5847354&view=rss&microfeed=true

Remember how the number of women in Congress actually declined in 2010, despite the feminist trailblazing of Sarah Palin, Christine O'Donnell, and Sharon Angle? New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand does. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5818059&view=rss&microfeed=true

Women in the military, or who are otherwise covered by military health insurance, have to pay for an abortion out of pocket even if they are raped or the victims of incest. Nor can they use their own money to pay for an abortion on military bases. Yesterday, a bill was introduced in the Senate to change that. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5812949&view=rss&microfeed=true

You may remember former Sen. John Ensign from the time he had an affair with his best friend's wife and was accused of campaign finance violations and obstructing justice in his efforts to cover it up. Yesterday, the Senate released a full report of his dirty dealings. Allow us to share with you some highlights. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5801722&view=rss&microfeed=true Senator Scott Brown has announced that he believes defunding Planned Parenthood "goes too far." Before you celebrate too heartily, Matt Yglesias reminds us Brown already voted for defunding when he supported the House budget. (So did Lisa Murkowski). Still. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5784565&view=rss&microfeed=true

Yesterday, the Senate rejected the House's budget bill, which includes defunding Planned Parenthood. That doesn't mean it's off the table; now the negotiations begin. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5780548&view=rss&microfeed=true

Yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Tweeted "WE DID IT" to Lady Gaga and Gaga in turn reported she cried tears of joy over the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal's passage in the Senate. Oh, brother. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5714961&view=rss&microfeed=true

It's a Christmas miracle! The final count was 65 yay!, 31 nay. All that's required now is a signature from President Barack Obama, and this shit is OVER, except for the bloggin' and talkin' from angry homophobes. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5714924&view=rss&microfeed=true DADT has never been this close to repeal: Harry Reid has scheduled a preliminary vote on Saturday, and several Republicans could bring the vote tally over 60. Maybe our soldier letter-writer will see the end to the hypocrisy yet. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5714549&view=rss&microfeed=true

The Don't Ask, Don't Tell repeal again hangs in the balance: Today, the House votes on a standalone bill, but it's unclear what the Senate will do. Meanwhile, Dan Choi has been hospitalized, and the Marine Commandant is talking shit. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5713701&view=rss&microfeed=true

O'Donnell's declaration, along with the other top ten quotes of the year, will be published in the next edition of The Yale Book of Quotations. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5712519&view=rss&microfeed=true

The dismal setback yesterday in Senate efforts to repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell — despite the support of the American public, the president, military leaders, the House — may not be the end of the story. Now what? More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5711200&view=rss&microfeed=true

Well, this is goddamn depressing: Democrats in the Senate were unable to get the votes to get the Don't Ask Don't Tell repeal to even be debated, which means the last hope of legislative repeal is dead. What went wrong? More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5710630&view=rss&microfeed=true

Top military officials are doing their part to pressure the Senate to lift Don't Ask Don't Tell in the lameduck session — because otherwise, the courts probably will. Will it work? More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5696123&view=rss&microfeed=true The Senate motion to bring the Paycheck Fairness Act to debate has failed, 58-41. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5692344&view=rss&microfeed=true

Here are some correctly spelled ballots cast for Lisa Murkowski that are being challenged by Joe Miller. It's been suggested that they all have traditionally female handwriting, but Miller's spokesman told a Talking Points Memo reporter the idea was "ludicrous." More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5688379&view=rss&microfeed=true

If Murkowski is declared the winner this week, it'll be because Alaskans like federal money more than they like the prospect of putting Tea Party rhetoric into practice. Oh, and Senate seniority. It's all rather sensible. Write-in counting starts Wednesday. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5684390&view=rss&microfeed=true

Patty Murray has kept her Senate seat in Washington State. Sorry, Republicans. And Lisa Murkowski is thanking supporters for her win, although she won't actually know if she won until next week. Sorry, Tea Party and Sarah Palin. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5682425&view=rss&microfeed=true

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sharron Angle really likes her macho talk. First she was telling Democratic rival Harry Reid to "man up," and now this. Up next: Sharron Angle's "Blitzkrieg of the Beltway." (She's still a mother and grandmother, though.) More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5677906&view=rss&microfeed=true

This is an mailer that Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski sent to appeal to women voters. But not everyone is buying it. Meanwhile, women voters are unimpressed by Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina. What's wrong with you chicks? More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5673707&view=rss&microfeed=true

Since even Sharron Angle's people realized her own ignorance was getting her in trouble, Angle has taken to evading the press by tricking them into waiting by the wrong entrance. Why not just hire an Asian woman as a decoy? More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5673589&view=rss&microfeed=true

It's challenging to stand out as a bigoted crackpot this campaign season, but Sharron Angle deserves a gold star, says Rachel Maddow, for having the most "overtly racist" ad this year. Is she also the most bigoted major-party nominee? More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5672750&view=rss&microfeed=true

Yesterday's Delaware Senate debate showed how much Christine O'Donnell has learned from her Mama Grizzly mentor, Sarah Palin. Here, five ways she read from Palin's playbook. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5663683&view=rss&microfeed=true

More details have emerged from that rape case Colorado Senate candidate Ken Buck declined to prosecute. Namely, that the alleged perpetrator acknowledged that it was rape in a taped phone call. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5662177&view=rss&microfeed=true Carly Fiorina would rather appear alongside John McCain than Sarah Palin. Snap? More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5661892&view=rss&microfeed=true

In damage control mode, Christine O'Donnell is cutting off access to the mean press. Hence, this "tightly-controlled" Republican event. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5658422&view=rss&microfeed=true

Some things you need to know about Christine O'Donnell this morning: She is not really a witch, she's you — and her father is not the ur-Bozo the Clown. Sideshow, anyone? More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5655941&view=rss&microfeed=true

More for the annals of "government-employed homophobes' comeuppance": An aide has been fired from Georgia Senator Saxby Chambliss's office for commenting, "All faggots must die" on a gay-rights blog. His name hasn't been released, and he won't be charged. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5653195&view=rss&microfeed=true

Senators Tom Coburn and Jim DeMint won't let the Smithsonian lease space to a women's history museum — because the ladies already have their quilting museums, and because someone told them the museum was going to be pro-abortion. Seriously. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5651191&view=rss&microfeed=true

Lisa Murkowski's write-in candidacy in Alaska after a Tea Party upset has transformed her from "establishment incumbent to renegade underdog." She could win. Or she could just split the Democratic vote. Or the Republican. No one actually knows. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5649910&view=rss&microfeed=true

Georgia Senator Saxby Chambliss's office has determined that a comment reading, "All faggots must die" came out of its office, though it doesn't know which employee wrote it. Rogue bigot or simply taking his/her boss's views to a logical conclusion? More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5645816&view=rss&microfeed=true

Watch out, world. Lisa Murkowski is running as a write-in candidate, and she doesn't care who she pisses off. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5644813&view=rss&microfeed=true

"The woman Democrats love to hate" was how Sean Hannity introduced Christine O'Donnell last night. Correction: Democrats love her, as long she stays 15 points behind. So how'd it go? Well, she's a PR person, and she knows that much. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5644731&view=rss&microfeed=true

Gay rights blogger Joe.My.God traced the IP address of a hateful comment to... a "United States Senate" ISP, and possibly to "the neighborhood of GOP U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss' Atlanta office." Chambliss used more official language to express his homophobia. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5644255&view=rss&microfeed=true

Lady Gaga was unable to convince the Maine senators: a Republican filibuster threat meant the Senate didn't vote on the defense authorization bill that would repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Democrats got 56 votes, four short of the needed 60. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5644131&view=rss&microfeed=true

"We in the Senate refer to Sen. Gillibrand as the hottest member," said Harry Reid at a fundraiser for Kirsten Gillibrand. Previously, a Republican rival, asked in a debate to say something positive about the Senator, called her "attractive." More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5643836&view=rss&microfeed=true