The United States Senate is considered the ultimate club to join. With long, six-year terms and equal representation for each state (2 senators each), this house of Congress was designed to promote stability through substantive debate. In this 111th session of Congress, the upper house is currently has 57 Democratic Senators, 41 Republican Senators, and 2 Independents who generally align themselves with the Democratic majority.
The formal head of Senate Democrats is Vice-President Joe Biden. As vice-president, he serves ex officio as the president of the Senate. The arrangement is created in the U. S. Constitution, and generally is seen as an honorary position. The only time that the vice-president exercises any power in that role is when the vote tally is tied.
Ceremonially, there is also a president pro tempore; an honorary bestowed on the most senior senator, currently Daniel Inouye of Hawaii. The president pro tempore is the third person in line to succeed to the presidency behind the vice president and the House speaker.
Functionally, Senate leadership is vested in Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada. Reid oversees the day-to-day operation in this house of Congress. He assigns bills to the various committees for hearings and deliberations, calls for votes of legislation, and serves as the political focal point for Senate Democrats as chairman of their conference. His leadership role is supported Majority Whip Richard Durbin of Illinois, and conference Vice-Chair Charles Schumer of New York. The head of the Democratic senatorial fundraising efforts is Robert Menendez of New Jersey.
As an institution, the Senate has some specialized responsibilities outlined in the Constitution. It has the unique role of confirming presidential nominations to most senior government positions. Similarly, the Senate must ratify any treaties with foreign governments negotiated by the president. This process, known as advice and consent, was designed as a check on presidential power.
Additionally, the Senate plays a special role in the process of impeachment. An impeached official has been investigated by the House of Representatives, and formally charged with a set of crimes that can warrant removal from office. After that official has been impeached, a Senate trial is held to determine if that official should be removed, with the senators acting as the jury.
Another unique feature of the Senate is its filibuster rule. The rule allows the minority party to prevent debate on the floor so long as 41 senators agree. In the current Congress, Republicans use this rule to their advantage to slow and/or cut-off legislation that they do not support. For Senate Democrats to have their legislation voted on, they must get the support of 60 senators who will allow for the vote to occur (a process called cloture). After cloture, voting to pass the actual legislation only requires a simple majority (51 votes).
The Democrats tend to share a core set of public policy positions. Among those are an expansive role for the government in domestic affairs, such as the economy, education, and civil rights. Generally, they believe that the government can help promote fairness and equality. The Republican Party tends to argue that the government's involvement in these issues negatively impacts fairness and equality.
In the foreign policy realm, Democratic Senators tend to support a collaborative view based in diplomacy and international cooperation. The Republicans tend to support the idea that international interactions should be based in singular American power and leadership. Because of Senate rules and structure, the parties must work together to achieve their goals and advance their legislative agendas.
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