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2009 inauguration party The Wayne County Democratic Committee is sponsoring an Inauguration party Jan. 20, for those who cannot get to Washington, D.C. This will be held at the Newark Quality Inn with cash bar from 6 to 7 p.m. and a buffet dinner at 7 p.m. All interested persons are invited. Cost is $20. Reservations are due by Jan. 12. Payment is preferred by that date also. Those planning to attend should call Liz Indick at 331-4879 or e-mail elzind@rochester.rr.com. Somewhat obscured by Barack Obama's inauguration is another inauguration with profound impact on the nature of our government, the swearing in on Jan. 6 of new members of the Senate and House of Representatives. With the election of Democrats Dan Maffei in New York's 25th District and Eric Massa in the 29th District, western New York's representation in the House is now more closely aligned with the reigning party in control of Congress. New York gained significantly two years ago, when the House switched from a Republican to Democratic majority. That switch elevated Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-Fairport) to chairwoman of the powerful House Rules Committee, which has jurisdiction over which bills get voted on and the nature of amendments that will be allowed. The two new Representatives will be junior members of any committees to which they are appointed, but that will be offset by their status as members of the majority party. As for New York's influence in the Senate, the confirmation of Sen. Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State will open up a vacancy to be filled by a temporary appointment. Clinton was low on the ranks of seniority in the Senate, where 30 years of continuous service is not uncommon. Her replacement, whoever that might be, should be able to exercise influence similar to that of Sen. Clinton within a reasonable length of time. In addition to voting on legislation, members of Congress also act through two unstructured channels, state delegations and caucuses. Particularly in the House of Representatives, all members from a given state will meet to consider issues relevant to the state. When a Representative strays across party lines to vote with the opposition, it is often to support issues critical to the state delegation. Rarely do Senators and Representatives work closely together, but the exception to the rule is when legislation is being considered that has profound impact on a state. The state delegation for New York is quite powerful for several reasons: it has 29 members, the leading party of the state is also in control of the House and Senate; the members have important relationships with the powerful financial center of New York City. Caucuses are similar to clubs in that they are associations of members who have an interest in a particular topic (immigration, a particular disease, literacy, etc.), an aspect of foreign affairs (relations between America and a particular country or ethnic group), regional issues (agriculture in the northeast) or industry (minor league baseball, the auto industry). Members will join such caucuses, because of their own interest in the topic, as well as the relevance of the caucus to a large number of their constituents. The complex nature of Congress means that Representatives and Senators find themselves obligated to represent their constituents from many different perspectives. Yes, they are Democrats and Republicans, but they are also New Yorkers and members of committees and caucuses whose focus intersects the interests of the voters who put them in office. By Gary Fitzpatrick and Elizabeth Indick, Newark Copyright
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