MA001
10-30 04:35 PM
For some who are not familiar with this term see this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_bomb
When we do Google searching for word �immigration� Google engine will present the results based on page ranking. Can we do the following:
1. Create a page in Immigration voice that indicates clearly �retrogression issues�
2. Then we �users� can try to sort of �market� it so that this page becomes most hit page, and becomes first few pages that shows up on top in Google search.
I hope I am able to express myself. Comments please.
When we do Google searching for word �immigration� Google engine will present the results based on page ranking. Can we do the following:
1. Create a page in Immigration voice that indicates clearly �retrogression issues�
2. Then we �users� can try to sort of �market� it so that this page becomes most hit page, and becomes first few pages that shows up on top in Google search.
I hope I am able to express myself. Comments please.
wallpaper Kristen Stewart and Taylor
Macaca
08-16 05:40 PM
Is the Senate Germane? Majority Leader Reid's Lament (http://www.rollcall.com/issues/53_19/procedural_politics/19719-1.html) By Don Wolfensberger | Roll Call, August 13, 2007
Don Wolfensberger is director of the Congress Project at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and former staff director of the House Rules Committee.
The story is told that shortly after Thomas Jefferson returned from Paris in 1789, he asked President George Washington why the new Constitution created a Senate. Washington reportedly replied that it was for the same reason Jefferson poured his coffee into a saucer: to cool the hot legislation from the House.
Little could they have known then just how cool the Senate could be. Today, the "world's greatest deliberative body" resembles an iceberg. Bitter partisanship has chilled relationships and slowed legislation to a glacial pace.
The Defense authorization bill is pulled in pique because the Majority Leader cannot prevail on an Iraq amendment; only one of the 12 appropriations bills has cleared the Senate (Homeland Security); an immigration bill cannot even secure a majority vote for consideration; and common courtesies in floor debate are tossed aside in favor of angry barb-swapping. This is not your grandfather's world-class debating society.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-Nev.) frustration level is code red. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) input level is code dead. The chief source of all this animosity and gridlock is the Democrats' intentional strategy to pursue partisan votes on Iraq to pressure the administration and embarrass vulnerable Republican Senators. The predictable side effects have been to poison the well for other legislation and exacerbate already frayed inter-party relationships.
The frustration experienced by Senate Majority Leaders is nothing new and has been amply expressed by former Leaders of both parties. The job has been likened to "herding cats" and "trying to put bullfrogs in a wheelbarrow." But there does seem to be a degree of difference in this Congress for a variety of reasons.
While Iraq certainly is the major factor, the newness of Reid on the job is another. It takes time to get a feel for the wheel. Meanwhile, there will be jerky veers into the ditch. Moreover, McConnell also is new to his job as Minority Leader. So both Leaders are groping for a rock shelf on which to build a workable relationship. Add to this the resistance from the White House at every turn and you have the perfect ice storm.
Reid's big complaint has been the multitude of amendments that slow down work on most bills - especially non-germane amendments - and the way the Senate skips back and forth on amendments with no logical sequence. These patterns and complaints also are not new, but they are a growing obstacle to the orderly management of Senate business.
Reid has asked Rules and Administration Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) to look into expanding the germaneness rule. The existing rule applies only to general appropriations bills, post-cloture amendments and certain budget matters. The committee previously looked at broadening the germaneness rule back in 1988 and recommended an "extraordinary" majority vote (West Virginia Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd suggested three-fifths) for applying a germaneness test on specified bills. But the Senate never considered the change.
The House, by contrast, adopted a germaneness rule in the first Congress on April 7, 1789, drawn directly from a rule invented on the fly and out of desperation by the Continental Congress: "No motion or proposition on a subject different from that under consideration shall be admitted under color of amendment." According to a footnote in the House manual, the rule "introduced a principle not then known to the general parliamentary law, but of high value in the procedure of the House." The Senate chose to remain willfully and blissfully ignorant of the innovation - at least until necessity forced it to apply a germaneness test to appropriations amendments beginning in 1877.
Reid's suggestion to extend the rule to other matters sounds reasonable enough but is bound to meet bipartisan resistance. Any attempt to alter traditional ways in "the upper house" is viewed by many Senators as destructive of the institution. The worst slur is, "You're trying to make the Senate more like the House." Already, Reid's futile attempts to impose restrictive unanimous consent agreements that shut out most, if not all, amendments on important bills are mocked as tantamount to being a one-man House Rules Committee.
What are the chances of the Senate applying a germaneness rule to all floor amendments? History and common sense tell us they are somewhere between nil and none. Senators have little incentive to give up their freedom to offer whatever amendments they want, whenever they want. Others cite high public disapproval ratings of Congress as an imperative for reform. However, there is no evidence the public gives a hoot about non-germane amendments. Only if such amendments are tied directly to blocking urgently needed legislation might public ire be aroused sufficiently to bring pressure for change; and that case has yet to be made.
Nevertheless, the Majority Leader's lament should not be dismissed out of hand. It may well be time for the Senate to undergo another self-examination through public hearings in Feinstein's committee. When Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) chaired that committee in the previous two Congresses, he showed a willingness to publicly air, and even sponsor, suggested changes in Senate rules. One such idea, to make secret "holds" public, has just been adopted as part of the lobby reform bill.
The ultimate barrier to any change in Senate rules is the super-majority needed to end a filibuster. Although, in 1975, the Senate reduced the number of votes required for cloture on most matters from two-thirds of those present and voting to three-fifths of the membership (60), they left the two-thirds threshold in place for ending debates on rules changes. That means an extraordinary bipartisan consensus is necessary for any significant reform. In the present climate that's as likely as melting the polar ice caps. Then again ...
Don Wolfensberger is director of the Congress Project at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and former staff director of the House Rules Committee.
The story is told that shortly after Thomas Jefferson returned from Paris in 1789, he asked President George Washington why the new Constitution created a Senate. Washington reportedly replied that it was for the same reason Jefferson poured his coffee into a saucer: to cool the hot legislation from the House.
Little could they have known then just how cool the Senate could be. Today, the "world's greatest deliberative body" resembles an iceberg. Bitter partisanship has chilled relationships and slowed legislation to a glacial pace.
The Defense authorization bill is pulled in pique because the Majority Leader cannot prevail on an Iraq amendment; only one of the 12 appropriations bills has cleared the Senate (Homeland Security); an immigration bill cannot even secure a majority vote for consideration; and common courtesies in floor debate are tossed aside in favor of angry barb-swapping. This is not your grandfather's world-class debating society.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-Nev.) frustration level is code red. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) input level is code dead. The chief source of all this animosity and gridlock is the Democrats' intentional strategy to pursue partisan votes on Iraq to pressure the administration and embarrass vulnerable Republican Senators. The predictable side effects have been to poison the well for other legislation and exacerbate already frayed inter-party relationships.
The frustration experienced by Senate Majority Leaders is nothing new and has been amply expressed by former Leaders of both parties. The job has been likened to "herding cats" and "trying to put bullfrogs in a wheelbarrow." But there does seem to be a degree of difference in this Congress for a variety of reasons.
While Iraq certainly is the major factor, the newness of Reid on the job is another. It takes time to get a feel for the wheel. Meanwhile, there will be jerky veers into the ditch. Moreover, McConnell also is new to his job as Minority Leader. So both Leaders are groping for a rock shelf on which to build a workable relationship. Add to this the resistance from the White House at every turn and you have the perfect ice storm.
Reid's big complaint has been the multitude of amendments that slow down work on most bills - especially non-germane amendments - and the way the Senate skips back and forth on amendments with no logical sequence. These patterns and complaints also are not new, but they are a growing obstacle to the orderly management of Senate business.
Reid has asked Rules and Administration Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) to look into expanding the germaneness rule. The existing rule applies only to general appropriations bills, post-cloture amendments and certain budget matters. The committee previously looked at broadening the germaneness rule back in 1988 and recommended an "extraordinary" majority vote (West Virginia Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd suggested three-fifths) for applying a germaneness test on specified bills. But the Senate never considered the change.
The House, by contrast, adopted a germaneness rule in the first Congress on April 7, 1789, drawn directly from a rule invented on the fly and out of desperation by the Continental Congress: "No motion or proposition on a subject different from that under consideration shall be admitted under color of amendment." According to a footnote in the House manual, the rule "introduced a principle not then known to the general parliamentary law, but of high value in the procedure of the House." The Senate chose to remain willfully and blissfully ignorant of the innovation - at least until necessity forced it to apply a germaneness test to appropriations amendments beginning in 1877.
Reid's suggestion to extend the rule to other matters sounds reasonable enough but is bound to meet bipartisan resistance. Any attempt to alter traditional ways in "the upper house" is viewed by many Senators as destructive of the institution. The worst slur is, "You're trying to make the Senate more like the House." Already, Reid's futile attempts to impose restrictive unanimous consent agreements that shut out most, if not all, amendments on important bills are mocked as tantamount to being a one-man House Rules Committee.
What are the chances of the Senate applying a germaneness rule to all floor amendments? History and common sense tell us they are somewhere between nil and none. Senators have little incentive to give up their freedom to offer whatever amendments they want, whenever they want. Others cite high public disapproval ratings of Congress as an imperative for reform. However, there is no evidence the public gives a hoot about non-germane amendments. Only if such amendments are tied directly to blocking urgently needed legislation might public ire be aroused sufficiently to bring pressure for change; and that case has yet to be made.
Nevertheless, the Majority Leader's lament should not be dismissed out of hand. It may well be time for the Senate to undergo another self-examination through public hearings in Feinstein's committee. When Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) chaired that committee in the previous two Congresses, he showed a willingness to publicly air, and even sponsor, suggested changes in Senate rules. One such idea, to make secret "holds" public, has just been adopted as part of the lobby reform bill.
The ultimate barrier to any change in Senate rules is the super-majority needed to end a filibuster. Although, in 1975, the Senate reduced the number of votes required for cloture on most matters from two-thirds of those present and voting to three-fifths of the membership (60), they left the two-thirds threshold in place for ending debates on rules changes. That means an extraordinary bipartisan consensus is necessary for any significant reform. In the present climate that's as likely as melting the polar ice caps. Then again ...
isthereawayout
05-29 08:17 AM
For a EB2 position, that requires a MS with no alternate qualification accepted:
1. Does the business necessity need to show how the job duties match the course work during MS or why the job duties are needed for the company?
2. Do we need to send the business necessity at the time of applying for PERM or only when audited.
Thanks!
1. Does the business necessity need to show how the job duties match the course work during MS or why the job duties are needed for the company?
2. Do we need to send the business necessity at the time of applying for PERM or only when audited.
Thanks!
2011 Kristen Stewart and Taylor
sdeshpan
04-23 01:49 PM
I believe they promise a 15-day (business days, I assume) turnaround on Premium Proc applications. So it could take anywhere between 1 and 15 days, if not longer in certain cases.
Also, why is going to India dependent on receiving on an approval of I-140??
Also, why is going to India dependent on receiving on an approval of I-140??
more...
Blog Feeds
01-03 07:10 AM
Perhaps there is a chance we'll see some action on the DREAM Act in 2011 albeit with some major tough to accept changes. The key areas likely to change are the education requirement (mandating actually receiving a degree versus simply attending school), the ability to sponsor relatives down the road when DREAM Act finally become citizens (at least 13 years out) and criminal bars on applying.
More... (http://blogs.ilw.com/gregsiskind/2011/01/anti-immigration-center-for-immigration-studies-suggests-willingness-to-compromise-on-dream-act.html)
More... (http://blogs.ilw.com/gregsiskind/2011/01/anti-immigration-center-for-immigration-studies-suggests-willingness-to-compromise-on-dream-act.html)
ck_b2001
08-29 11:28 AM
If USCIS update says the data entry is done upto a particular date and you do not get application back in next few days, it means it is atleast accepted and now just the matter of issuing reciept. AM i right?
more...
mathranik
08-14 01:33 PM
Hello everyone!
My wife has filed for my immigration and AOS around a week back. I would be expecting the biometrics appointment letter to arrive by the 25th of August. Now, I got a call from India yesterday informing me about my grandmother being admitted in the hospital, almost breathing her last. The doctors have all but given up.
My question here is whether I can go to the USCIS office with the doctor's letters and all the remaining proofs to expedite my AP well before my biometrics are done? If yes, what else would I require in terms of documents? I can just barely wait getting it done, but I dont want to leave without the AP document.
P.S.: I haven't yet received any NOAs.
Thank you.
My wife has filed for my immigration and AOS around a week back. I would be expecting the biometrics appointment letter to arrive by the 25th of August. Now, I got a call from India yesterday informing me about my grandmother being admitted in the hospital, almost breathing her last. The doctors have all but given up.
My question here is whether I can go to the USCIS office with the doctor's letters and all the remaining proofs to expedite my AP well before my biometrics are done? If yes, what else would I require in terms of documents? I can just barely wait getting it done, but I dont want to leave without the AP document.
P.S.: I haven't yet received any NOAs.
Thank you.
2010 Kristen Stewart amp; Taylor
logix
08-22 04:04 PM
What is the deal with swift? I can render a scene with 6400 polygons, and
when I try to render one with only 390 I run out of memory!
No the shape is not more complex, in fact it is almost the same scene as the
6400 only minus many of the squares. Thats all that is in the scene squares, cant render squares with out what 200+ megs of ram. Im on a G4 any advice!
when I try to render one with only 390 I run out of memory!
No the shape is not more complex, in fact it is almost the same scene as the
6400 only minus many of the squares. Thats all that is in the scene squares, cant render squares with out what 200+ megs of ram. Im on a G4 any advice!
more...
kumar_77
02-28 09:07 PM
First check if the check you or your company sent for H-1 fees got cashed , if so see behind the check ( normally banks post scanned copy of check ) the Receipt number will be written behind the check ..hope this helps
hair Kristen Stewart and Taylor
Blog Feeds
09-08 07:20 PM
The most frequent question that we receive is �How do I choose a good immigration attorney?� Our response is �Why settle for �good�? Read on. There are websites for finding excellent hotels, wonderful restaurants and great physicians. How about a site for choosing an attorney? See http://www.avvo.com During the past year, Avvo has emerged as the premier site for selecting an attorney. Avvo, short for avvocaat (Italian for attorney), is gaining not only in popularity but in usefulness. Great immigration attorneys will tell you that by the time 30% of potential clients consult with them, some incompetent attorney or �consultant�...
More... (http://blogs.ilw.com/carlshusterman/2010/09/let-avvo-help-you-select-a-great-immigration-attorney.html)
More... (http://blogs.ilw.com/carlshusterman/2010/09/let-avvo-help-you-select-a-great-immigration-attorney.html)
more...
Blog Feeds
04-30 01:50 AM
USCIS statistics reveal that only 1,000 H-1B "cap-subject" petitions were submitted each week during the second, third and fourth weeks of April. See http://shusterman.com/toc-h1b.html#1 At this rate, there will be H-1Bs available until sometime in September. However, I do not believe that this will be the case. Why not? Because, there are hundreds of thousands of F-1 students in the U.S. Many of these students will graduate from U.S. universities this June, and seek to work in the U.S. Regarding employment in the U.S., these students should consider the following: 1. They may apply for Optional Practical Training (OPT). This...
More... (http://blogs.ilw.com/carlshusterman/2009/04/h-1b-advice-for-students-and-their-employers.html)
More... (http://blogs.ilw.com/carlshusterman/2009/04/h-1b-advice-for-students-and-their-employers.html)
hot Kristen Stewart, Taylor
goel_ar
05-18 08:54 PM
www.analystforum.com is the right place for it.
more...
house View 30 Photos ›
dkshitij
04-14 10:39 AM
I went on March 11. I went in for 10 am appointment and was out at 10.10 am. Fulltime, first time H1B stamping. Simple questions - where did I do my education, what do I do in my current job, then the officer asked for W-2s from last two years and that was it.
tattoo New Moon, Kristen Stewart and
saibaba
12-18 02:48 PM
I131, APPLICATION FOR USCIS TRAVEL DOCUMENT
Current Status: We mailed you a notice requesting additional evidence.
hi friends...
I got RFE on my wife's 131...
Last time we took our photos at Ritz Camera...they accepted mine but held her case due to these photo issue...
My attorney received this RFE and he scanned it for me..
Do we have to submit the entire app now?
advise me
Thanks
Current Status: We mailed you a notice requesting additional evidence.
hi friends...
I got RFE on my wife's 131...
Last time we took our photos at Ritz Camera...they accepted mine but held her case due to these photo issue...
My attorney received this RFE and he scanned it for me..
Do we have to submit the entire app now?
advise me
Thanks
more...
pictures Kristen Stewart and Taylor
toxigirl
04-06 04:32 PM
I'm currently getting everything ready to mail my forms to get a green card through marriage. I've heard that I would have to send an employment verification letter from his boss. But some people say it's optional, I only send it if I want to because he's already got his taxes done proving he can afford to support me.
If I do have to send the letter, do I need anything else along with it as proof? Either to mail them alongside the letter or for the interview?
Any help will be much appreciated. I've heard conflicting stories and don't know what to think.
Thanks!
If I do have to send the letter, do I need anything else along with it as proof? Either to mail them alongside the letter or for the interview?
Any help will be much appreciated. I've heard conflicting stories and don't know what to think.
Thanks!
dresses Taylor Lautner - USA TODAY
ravi98
04-22 01:55 PM
what are the security checks involved with the green card process, and when do they come up?
more...
makeup Kristen Stewart amp; Taylor
gtg506p
11-16 11:49 AM
Dear IV members
This is for my wife. Her 485 is pending with TSC. PD is EB2 India March 15 2004. Has been current since September 1. After the USCIS website update recently received Document production or Oath Ceremony status update online. And message saying a document has been sent etc.
Since she was current we thought it might be good. 30 days later nothing received. Raised SR since we didnt receive anything. The customer service rep as usual didnt know anything. Said they haldn't received anything back. They opened SR. We got response 3 weeks later.
In the response letter it says that another notice will be forthcoming to tell you to go to local ASC.
Havent received anything. Do you think right now should I again pursue after them by writing to Ombudsman etc especially since case is current? Mainly I am afraid that since the status says Document production would some IO think that the case is already approved and so stop working on that case? Please advice. Thanks in advance.
Amar
This is for my wife. Her 485 is pending with TSC. PD is EB2 India March 15 2004. Has been current since September 1. After the USCIS website update recently received Document production or Oath Ceremony status update online. And message saying a document has been sent etc.
Since she was current we thought it might be good. 30 days later nothing received. Raised SR since we didnt receive anything. The customer service rep as usual didnt know anything. Said they haldn't received anything back. They opened SR. We got response 3 weeks later.
In the response letter it says that another notice will be forthcoming to tell you to go to local ASC.
Havent received anything. Do you think right now should I again pursue after them by writing to Ombudsman etc especially since case is current? Mainly I am afraid that since the status says Document production would some IO think that the case is already approved and so stop working on that case? Please advice. Thanks in advance.
Amar
girlfriend Pic of Kristen Stewart, Taylor
pussyket
11-10 03:37 PM
Hi,
I have been married to a US Citizen for more than 6 years and my green card was issued 5years ago. My green card was issued thru marriage. On the N-400 application form for citizenship what should I use as my eligibility? marriage or being a lawful permanent resident for at least 5 years? Thanks :)
I have been married to a US Citizen for more than 6 years and my green card was issued 5years ago. My green card was issued thru marriage. On the N-400 application form for citizenship what should I use as my eligibility? marriage or being a lawful permanent resident for at least 5 years? Thanks :)
hairstyles Kristen Stewart amp; Taylor
Macaca
07-31 05:14 PM
Senate GOP Set for Rebranding Retreat (http://www.rollcall.com/issues/53_15/news/19611-1.html) By Erin P. Billings, ROLL CALL STAFF, July 31 2007
After six months of largely sitting back and watching how the new Democratic Senate performs, Republican leaders this week will hold a special retreat to begin honing their 2008 message and agenda - one that's being privately billed as an 18-month "campaign" to reposition themselves to take on the party in charge.
GOP Senators will huddle Wednesday afternoon behind closed doors for the two-hour, Members-only session at 1:45 in the Capitol's Mansfield Room. Orchestrated by Republican Conference Chairman Jon Kyl (Ariz.), the meeting will serve as both a "mid-year review" for the first session of the 110th Congress and as an open exchange of ideas on reformatting a Republican Party that handily lost the House and Senate majorities in November.
"This is about laying the foundation for rebuilding the party," said a Republican Senate leadership aide. "This is a group project. No one person can determine this, we all have to come together and agree on it."
Kyl, in a brief interview Monday, said the session has both a short-term purpose of arming Senators with a message for the upcoming August recess and a broader goal of engaging Senators to game out the party's strategy for the remainder of the year. He added that Republicans likely will come together again next January to take stock of their message and platform heading into what many anticipate will be another bitter test at the ballot box.
"Going into the election year, it's important to know what we stand for, not just what we stand against," he said.
Kyl said that in the first six months of the year, Republicans have had to do little to try to brand the new majority, saying that by pursuing a partisan agenda the Democrats "have returned to form and really defined themselves. We haven't had to do a whole lot to define them."
But Kyl acknowledged that Republicans cannot sit by and simply talk about the Democrats' shortcomings. Senators need to be armed with their own positions and alternatives that reflect the party's long-standing principles, whether it is over the war in Iraq, an expected omnibus spending package or health care policy.
While Wednesday's special Republican Conference meeting will serve as mostly a give-and-take forum for the 49 Senators, sources familiar with the planning say it will also play host to presentations from some outsiders, including GOP pollster and adviser David Winston, who also is a Roll Call contributing writer. Kyl and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) also are on tap to speak and are likely to deliver their respective assessments of the GOP's position heading into 2008.
Republican leaders also will urge Senators to use the August recess to further vet ideas - both in policy and message - for how Republicans should approach the remainder of the 110th Congress.
"We were in the majority for pretty much 12 years," noted a senior GOP Senate aide. "It took an adjustment. But after six months, things are working differently and we need to find those hard line stances that got us into power."
The uphill battle Republicans face over the next two years is no secret, even with McConnell publicly acknowledging the GOP will be lucky to hold its own in an unfavorable political climate with nearly twice as many Senate seats to defend. Republicans need to stave off potential challenges to 21 seats, including McConnell's, while Democratic Senate incumbents face re-election in just a dozen seats.
The timing for the the GOP's Wednesday retreat is noteworthy given Congress is about to break for face time with its constituents for the longest period yet this year. The meeting also comes as the Democratic majority ramps up a summer message that it has racked up a series of critical accomplishments that include passing a minimum-wage increase, higher education reforms and stiffer homeland security protections while continuing to keep pressure on President Bush to end the war in Iraq.
Senate Democrats will try to further build on their theme this week both in message and in practice as they look to leave town having enacted another string of domestic items including a lobbying reform package and an expansion of the children's health insurance program.
Intentional or not, the Democrats have begun to trumpet their accomplishments just as Republicans further accusations that the majority party is responsible for leading a "do-nothing" Congress for the first quarter of the two-year session. That's the same message the Democrats found some success in using to rally against the Republicans during the 109th Congress.
Beyond that, however, Republicans have done little to advance a larger message to define who they are as a party and why they should be put back in charge of Congress. Several Republican leadership aides said party leaders wanted to hold off on undergoing any rebranding exercise until after they had adequate time to assess the Democrats' performance during the first half of 2007.
"It was necessary for us as an opposition party to find out exactly where the Democrats were going to go so we could exploit what we perceive as their mistakes," said the GOP leadership aide. "So now we have an opportunity to share with the American people what we would do differently and how it would benefit them."
But Democrats say regardless of how GOP Senators decide to proceed, they aren't worried that the minority party will create a successful message or policy offensive. So far, Democrats say Republicans have shown little interest in changing their Congressional posture - especially as they try to block passage of the very programs the electorate sought from a new Democratic majority.
"They act as though the November 2006 election never happened," a Senate Democratic leadership aide said of the GOP. "I'm not sure if they're tone-deaf or just plain stubborn, but they've spent the first half of this year fighting like hell against making any progress on the issues voters care about."
The Senate GOP's assessment mirrors similar efforts undertaken in by the then-minority Democrats in recent cycles. Congressional Democrats spent the better part of the 2006 cycle working to unify around their "New Direction for America" platform, which included a series of Democratic priorities the party vowed to enact if given the gavel in the 110th Congress.
And while it remains unclear exactly what the Senate GOP's next move will be, Republicans acknowledge they need to get to work now if they are to have success heading into next year.
Already, Senate Republicans have spent recent weeks trying to re-engage with their House counterparts on message and overall policy coordination. Republicans are hoping for new opportunities to synchronize across the Dome in the wake of the latest debates on Iraq and immigration that deeply fractured the party.
As part of that effort, GOP Senate and House leaders last week held rare joint pen-and-pad sessions with reporters and a press conference on taxes and spending, while the leadership has had numerous planning sessions on overall party strategy and is orchestrating lawmakers to head to the Senate and House floors to push similar party themes. House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) also is expected to join the Senate Republicans' weekly steering committee lunch this week.
Beyond that, House and Senate leadership offices have sought to coordinate messages on fiscal discipline, the Bush administration's midterm report on the Iraq troop "surge" and on accusations of Democrats leading the "post office Congress," as Republicans argue that Democrats have spent the bulk of their time naming federal post offices.
"It's about strength in numbers - we're working together rather than trying to do things separately," said a senior GOP Senate aide.
After six months of largely sitting back and watching how the new Democratic Senate performs, Republican leaders this week will hold a special retreat to begin honing their 2008 message and agenda - one that's being privately billed as an 18-month "campaign" to reposition themselves to take on the party in charge.
GOP Senators will huddle Wednesday afternoon behind closed doors for the two-hour, Members-only session at 1:45 in the Capitol's Mansfield Room. Orchestrated by Republican Conference Chairman Jon Kyl (Ariz.), the meeting will serve as both a "mid-year review" for the first session of the 110th Congress and as an open exchange of ideas on reformatting a Republican Party that handily lost the House and Senate majorities in November.
"This is about laying the foundation for rebuilding the party," said a Republican Senate leadership aide. "This is a group project. No one person can determine this, we all have to come together and agree on it."
Kyl, in a brief interview Monday, said the session has both a short-term purpose of arming Senators with a message for the upcoming August recess and a broader goal of engaging Senators to game out the party's strategy for the remainder of the year. He added that Republicans likely will come together again next January to take stock of their message and platform heading into what many anticipate will be another bitter test at the ballot box.
"Going into the election year, it's important to know what we stand for, not just what we stand against," he said.
Kyl said that in the first six months of the year, Republicans have had to do little to try to brand the new majority, saying that by pursuing a partisan agenda the Democrats "have returned to form and really defined themselves. We haven't had to do a whole lot to define them."
But Kyl acknowledged that Republicans cannot sit by and simply talk about the Democrats' shortcomings. Senators need to be armed with their own positions and alternatives that reflect the party's long-standing principles, whether it is over the war in Iraq, an expected omnibus spending package or health care policy.
While Wednesday's special Republican Conference meeting will serve as mostly a give-and-take forum for the 49 Senators, sources familiar with the planning say it will also play host to presentations from some outsiders, including GOP pollster and adviser David Winston, who also is a Roll Call contributing writer. Kyl and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) also are on tap to speak and are likely to deliver their respective assessments of the GOP's position heading into 2008.
Republican leaders also will urge Senators to use the August recess to further vet ideas - both in policy and message - for how Republicans should approach the remainder of the 110th Congress.
"We were in the majority for pretty much 12 years," noted a senior GOP Senate aide. "It took an adjustment. But after six months, things are working differently and we need to find those hard line stances that got us into power."
The uphill battle Republicans face over the next two years is no secret, even with McConnell publicly acknowledging the GOP will be lucky to hold its own in an unfavorable political climate with nearly twice as many Senate seats to defend. Republicans need to stave off potential challenges to 21 seats, including McConnell's, while Democratic Senate incumbents face re-election in just a dozen seats.
The timing for the the GOP's Wednesday retreat is noteworthy given Congress is about to break for face time with its constituents for the longest period yet this year. The meeting also comes as the Democratic majority ramps up a summer message that it has racked up a series of critical accomplishments that include passing a minimum-wage increase, higher education reforms and stiffer homeland security protections while continuing to keep pressure on President Bush to end the war in Iraq.
Senate Democrats will try to further build on their theme this week both in message and in practice as they look to leave town having enacted another string of domestic items including a lobbying reform package and an expansion of the children's health insurance program.
Intentional or not, the Democrats have begun to trumpet their accomplishments just as Republicans further accusations that the majority party is responsible for leading a "do-nothing" Congress for the first quarter of the two-year session. That's the same message the Democrats found some success in using to rally against the Republicans during the 109th Congress.
Beyond that, however, Republicans have done little to advance a larger message to define who they are as a party and why they should be put back in charge of Congress. Several Republican leadership aides said party leaders wanted to hold off on undergoing any rebranding exercise until after they had adequate time to assess the Democrats' performance during the first half of 2007.
"It was necessary for us as an opposition party to find out exactly where the Democrats were going to go so we could exploit what we perceive as their mistakes," said the GOP leadership aide. "So now we have an opportunity to share with the American people what we would do differently and how it would benefit them."
But Democrats say regardless of how GOP Senators decide to proceed, they aren't worried that the minority party will create a successful message or policy offensive. So far, Democrats say Republicans have shown little interest in changing their Congressional posture - especially as they try to block passage of the very programs the electorate sought from a new Democratic majority.
"They act as though the November 2006 election never happened," a Senate Democratic leadership aide said of the GOP. "I'm not sure if they're tone-deaf or just plain stubborn, but they've spent the first half of this year fighting like hell against making any progress on the issues voters care about."
The Senate GOP's assessment mirrors similar efforts undertaken in by the then-minority Democrats in recent cycles. Congressional Democrats spent the better part of the 2006 cycle working to unify around their "New Direction for America" platform, which included a series of Democratic priorities the party vowed to enact if given the gavel in the 110th Congress.
And while it remains unclear exactly what the Senate GOP's next move will be, Republicans acknowledge they need to get to work now if they are to have success heading into next year.
Already, Senate Republicans have spent recent weeks trying to re-engage with their House counterparts on message and overall policy coordination. Republicans are hoping for new opportunities to synchronize across the Dome in the wake of the latest debates on Iraq and immigration that deeply fractured the party.
As part of that effort, GOP Senate and House leaders last week held rare joint pen-and-pad sessions with reporters and a press conference on taxes and spending, while the leadership has had numerous planning sessions on overall party strategy and is orchestrating lawmakers to head to the Senate and House floors to push similar party themes. House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) also is expected to join the Senate Republicans' weekly steering committee lunch this week.
Beyond that, House and Senate leadership offices have sought to coordinate messages on fiscal discipline, the Bush administration's midterm report on the Iraq troop "surge" and on accusations of Democrats leading the "post office Congress," as Republicans argue that Democrats have spent the bulk of their time naming federal post offices.
"It's about strength in numbers - we're working together rather than trying to do things separately," said a senior GOP Senate aide.
Steve Mitchell
February 24th, 2005, 05:00 PM
Here's a link to a review of the new Nikon D2X by Bjorn Rorslett. Click here (http://www.naturfotograf.com/D2X_rev00.html#top_page).
lost
04-29 12:00 PM
So who can file for NIW? What are the requirements?
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