Don't Give Up on Bipartisanship, Barack

Prez still didn't get much GOP support

(NEWSER) - President Obama promised a new spirit of cooperation in Washington, and in his relationship with Congress, he did his best to deliver, the Wall Street Journal reports. Obama left congressional leaders wide leeway in crafting the stimulus bill and stayed in close touch with members. Joe Biden stayed on pivotal senators like Susan Collins, calling her back repeatedly in rural Maine. More»

(NEWSER) - The Senate version of the bailout bill has ballooned to more than 400 pages as legislators flesh out details in hopes of gaining passage as soon as tonight, Politico reports. The marquee measure boosts FDIC coverage of individual accounts from $100,000 to $250,000, with numerous lower-profile provisions intended to speed passage and increase pressure on the House to get moving. More»

Collegiality was one of legendary senator's greatest strengths

(NEWSER) - Dick Lugar's legendary Senate career came crashing to an end last night, and NPR laments that he was ironically "undone by his greatest strength." There were many reasons Tea Partier Richard Mourdock prevailed—Lugar is 80, ran a bad campaign, and was attacked for not owning a house in Indiana, among others—but perhaps none were so decisive as the typically collegial friendship he formed with a promising young senator named Barack Obama. More»

President thinks Republican ideas will look worse in the spotlight

(NEWSER) - President Obama threw Washington a curve yesterday when he invited the GOP to a televised bipartisan health care discussion, and even though he might wind up right back where he started, it’s a good move. “It is a call-the-bluff moment, with the president daring Republicans to put their cards on the table,” writes Steve Benen of Washington Monthly . The White House apparently believes Republican ideas will look worse in the daylight. More»

Republicans have more followers, but benefits are unclear

(NEWSER) - If you think Twitter is the preserve of skinny-jeaned urbanites, think again; in the corridors of power, Republican microbloggers are leading the way. Politico reports that 101 GOP members of Congress have Twitter accounts to only 57 Democrats, and Republican legislators posted 932 messages over two weeks this summer—nearly four times the Democratic total. The most popular tweeter in Congress? Onetime technophobe John McCain, with 1.4 million followers. More»