DREAM Act Portal Forum - Sunday shows: Lame-duck roundup

http://thehill.com/homenews/news/131...e-duck-roundup
Sunday shows: Lame-duck roundup
By Shane D'Aprile - 12/04/10 09:56 AM ET

The hot-button issues lighting up the slow-moving lame duck session will dominate this weekend's Sunday shows as senators take to the air to duke it out over Bush-era tax cuts, "Don't ask, don't tell," the START treaty and the DREAM Act.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) are slated for NBC's "Meet the Press," where the two will likely clash on a range of lame duck issues, particularly START and "Don't ask, don't tell."

Kerry, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has repeatedly accused Republicans of playing politics given the party's posture on START.

On CBS's "Face the Nation," Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) are the guests. Kyl has led the GOP charge in the Senate against ratification of the START treaty. The Republican has said there isn't enough time in the lame duck session to resolve all of the issues related to START and get it to the floor for a vote. Kyl has argued for a lame duck session that prioritizes the extension of the Bush-era tax cuts and pushes other issues to the back burner.

Durbin, meanwhile, told The Hill on Friday that he expects the DREAM Act to make it to the floor next week. As for whether Democrats have the votes to get it passed, "I'm working on it, talking to members," he said.

The Democratic Whip was also one of only two Senate Democrats to come out in support of the recommendations released by President Obama's deficit reduction commission. Among the recommendations were raising the Social Security retirement age and slashing future benefits.

The only other Senate Democrat to come out in favor of the panel's recommendations, which resulted in a firestorm of criticism from the left, is Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), who will be a guest on "Fox News Sunday." Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich will also be guests.

ABC's "This Week" features an expansive lineup of guests to tackle the "Don't ask, don't tell" debate, led by retired General and former NATO supreme commander Wesley Clark. The former Democratic presidential hopeful is a backer of repeal.

Also slated for "This Week" are the executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans, R. Clarke Cooper, the Family Research Council's National Security Analyst Bob Maginnis, Elaine Donnelly of the Center for Military Readiness and Tammy Schultz of the Marine Corps War College.

Finally, CNN's "State of the Union" will feature Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) as its lead guest. Lugar is not only at odds with his party on just about every major issue facing Congress in the lame duck session, but Tea Party activists are already making noise about ousting Lugar in a Republican primary in 2012.

Lugar has urged Republicans in the Senate to stop stalling on the START treaty and he's a backer of the DREAM Act. Look for Lugar to expound on his "Don't ask, don't tell" position Sunday. While the senator was previously thought to be a 'yes' vote on repealing the policy, a Lugar spokesman indicated Friday that the senator is not yet ready to support that, citing some concerns found in the Pentagon's report.

Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) round out the roster of lawmakers on the CNN show.

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Let's hope this round of News Casts would garner the support for D.A., I hope they discuss the issue in a way that would help us.