Juan Williams from The Hill wrote an excellent piece about one of our favorite Senators, Jeff Merkley (D. OR), naming him as 2013's top political player on Capitol Hill:
http://thehill.com/...
The junior senator from the Beaver State showed a lot of political bite, in the form of persistence, and has become a left-wing hero as a result.
Merkley, with a big assist from Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.), won the biggest vote of the year on Capitol Hill by convincing Democrats they were being trapped by Senate tradition into acquiescing to GOP obstruction.
The two first-term senators successfully argued to the Democratic caucus that the GOP’s use of more than a quarter of the filibusters in history against President Obama’s nominees was one of the root causes of today’s dysfunctional Congress.
They charged GOP obstruction with undermining the right of the Democrats’ in the Senate to govern — and also with undercutting the voters’ choice of Obama in two presidential campaigns.
Merkley and Udall also made the case that resentment caused by the GOP’s frequent use of “holds” and filibusters polarized the Senate and led to the failure to deal with major issues from job growth to a defense authorization bill to immigration reform.
At year’s end, the facts bolster those persistent arguments. Only 56 pieces of legislation have been passed by the 113th Congress and signed into law by the president. By comparison the 80th Congress, which was called a “Do-Nothing Congress” by President Truman, passed 906 laws.
Merkley and Udall’s years-long effort in calling for filibuster reform finally prevailed in late November. That vote opens the door to a newly active Senate and a rush of votes on judicial nominations and agency heads. The entire government is about to get new life.
“This is a terrific vote for the U.S. Senate,” said Merkley at a one-man press conference in front of the U.S. Capitol after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) put legislation forward calling for a simple majority vote to confirm a president’s nominees. (The new rules do not apply to Supreme Court nominations or legislation.)
“The American people want this institution to function,” Merkley explained. “They want to see it take on the big issues. They don’t want to see the entire calendar of the year eaten up by paralyzing process on nominations.”
The key to Merkley’s victory was getting senior Democrats, particularly Reid, to see changing the filibuster rules as a necessary response to corrosive, extremist politics. - The Hill, 12/9/13
Merkley's had a quite a year of accomplishments besides filibuster reform. He lead the call to kill the Monsanto Protection Act, he got the Senate to pass ENDA and he lead the effort to successful kill larry Summers nomination to run the Federal Reserve. Of course his work is far from over. His next big goal is to end the war in Afghanistan which you can read about here:
http://www.dailykos.com/...
His environmental record has also earned him the endorsement from the League of Conservation Voters:
http://www.lcv.org/...
Senator Merkley has introduced legislation to increase production and use of electric vehicles, and he’s voted to end Big Oil’s taxpayer-funded subsidies. He also fought for improved fuel efficiency standards, and introduced a bill to bring Oregon-based energy efficiency efforts to the national level, helping homeowners and business owners conserve energy and save money.
He’s also led efforts in the Senate to stand up for consumers and protect public health. Senator Merkley co-sponsored legislation that would ban so-called Frankenfish - genetically engineered, manufactured salmon – unless it was deemed safe by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He’s also helped lead efforts against legislation allowing special interests to ignore a court order on genetically-modified seeds that’s designed to protect other farmers, the environment, and human health.
Senator Merkley also supports the EPA’s proposed limits on carbon pollution from new power plants, which would help combat the climate crisis and protect public health. Power plants are the largest individual sources of carbon pollution, the driving force behind changes in our climate that are worsening extreme weather.
He is the only Senator to earn a 100% lifetime score on LCV’s National Environmental Scorecard. The non-partisan Scorecard is a nationally accepted yardstick used to rate members of Congress on environmental and clean energy issues. Based on key environmental votes in the House and Senate, it is often used by the media to quickly describe a Member’s position. For more information, visit http://scorecard.lcv.org.- League of Conservation Voters, 11/25/13
And he's also pushing to create more jobs:
http://pamplinmedia.com/...
Merkley has introduced three bills he is calling the “Manufacturing Jobs for America” package. The Senate Democrat touted them at two local press conferences over the past few weeks. One was Nov. 15 at Indow Windows in north Portland. The other was outside the closed Blue Heron paper mill in Oregon City on Nov. 26.
At both appearances, Merkley stressed that manufacturing jobs pay more than average jobs.
“For far too long, Oregon’s factories and mills like Blue Heron and their workers have been hurt by foreign competition that lowers their prices by cutting corners,” Merkley said. “We can and must bring back jobs to our shores by cracking down on unfair trade practices while rewarding companies that play by the rules and treat their workers well.”
Some people might argue with that reasoning, however. Neighbors and environmental activists are currently complaining about emissions from several manufacturing plants in the region. They charge the emissions threaten public health and the environment, and accuse federal and state environmental regulators of not doing enough to rein them in.
The most prominent fight is over the new air quality permit being sought from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality by Intel, the large semiconductor manufacturer with plants in Aloha and Hillsboro. Other companies targeted for criticism in the recent past include Esco in northwest Portland, Freightliner in north Portland and Precision Castparts in Clackamas County. All have been accused of violating federal and state clean air standards — charges the companies deny. - Hillsboro Tribune, 12/6/13
If you would like more information, please contact Senator Merkley for more details:
(202) 224-3753
http://www.merkley.Senate.gov/...
Of course, Merkley has been attracting a lot of GOP opponents who are itching to get rid of him next year:
http://www.oregonlive.com/...
Monica Wehby, a pediatric neurosurgeon from Portland, is keeping the focus on the new federal health care law. She charged that Merkley has been avoiding public discussion on the law's problems and she invited him to join her at a Young Conservatives of Oregon event at Portland State University Saturday night to talk about health care.
Meanwhile, Rep. Jason Conger, R-Bend, decided to focus on timber policy by criticizing Merkley for not jumping into the fight over legislation on the management of the Oregon & California Railroad grant lands in western Oregon.
Not surprisingly, Merkley declined the invitation to spend Saturday night talking health care with Wehby in front of a Republican audience, and his staff released a list of his recent public events in Oregon.
Merkley has also said he's ready to work with Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden -- who chairs the committee with jurisdiction over federal forest lands -- and the others on a solution to the O&C issue.
For Wehby and Conger, their different approaches say something about where they come from in the race. Wehby is a first-time candidate whose main credential is her medical career. Conger comes from a more rural part of the state and has a record in the Legislature of supporting higher timber harvests on public land. - The Oregonian, 12/5/13
Of course we're not going to let the GOP defeat Merkley next year. As a way of congratulating Merkley on his title, please do consider donating and getting involved with his campaign:
http://www.jeffmerkley.com/