Pa., NY Dems Ignore Obama, Ready Senate Primary Bids

Hill approving fewer bills, fewer laws being signed

(NEWSER) - Non-election years are typically productive times for Congress, but not this year. As of last week, the House had passed 326 bills, its fewest in the last 10 non-election years, while the Senate had green-lit 368, its lowest total since 1995, the Washington Post observes. (For comparison, the House passed 970 bills in 2009 and 1,127 in 2007, while the Senate passed 478 and 621.) All of that resulted in 62 signed laws—or 26 fewer than Bill Clinton managed to sign when he faced a new Republican Congress in 1995. More»

Steve King, Louie Gohmert not far behind among fringe congressmen

(NEWSER) - A week after releasing its Senate Wingnut Index , the Daily Beast investigates wingnuttery in the House. Using a “semi-scientific” process to identify the most extreme members on both sides of the spectrum, the site ranks them:

1. Michele Bachmann (R-MN): From calling the president “anti-American” to warning of tyranny, “Bachmann has become a symbol of all things Wingnutty in American politics.”

But Congress, as ever, is even worse

(NEWSER) - President Obama’s approval rating dips to a new low in the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll . Just 43% approve of the job the president is doing, while 54% disapprove—including one-third of Democrats. Obama’s supporters aren’t very enthusiastic, either: Twice as many people gave him a strongly negative rating as gave a strongly positive one. More»

White House will issue a formal response soon

(NEWSER) - Republicans might be thinking impeachment , but President Obama says he "can assure the public that nothing improper took place" in regard to Joe Sestak. At his news conference today, Obama didn't elaborate much when asked whether his administration offered the congressman a cushy job to stay out of Arlen Specter's way. He said an "official response" from his administration would be coming soon, reports the New York Times . More»

Voters reject GOP, Democrat establishments

(NEWSER) - Yesterday's primary results show that incumbents from both parties are probably going to have to get comfortable with rejection. The results—including the ouster of Arlen Specter in Pennsylvania and the victory of Tea Party fave Rand Paul in Kentucky—signal a wave on anti-incumbent, anti-party establishment feeling that is likely to make Democratic and Republican leaders fret, the New York Times notes. More»