The 111th Congress A Democratic Tidal Wave It has been only days since Barack Obama was decisively elected the next President of the United States and already pundits and politicos are discussing the pros and cons of the 111 th Congress, contested Senate races, and Obama’s new cabinet members. One U.S. Congress cycle covers two years, so the 110 th Congress, which has served since January 2007, will give way to the 111 th Congress, which will convene for the first time in early January 2009. The 435 members of the House of Representatives serve a 2­year term each, while U.S. Senators serve a 6-year term. Democrats gained 18 seats in the balance of the House this election, with over 30 new Democratic Members of Congress taking seats—the so-called“freshmen”. The 111 th Congress currently looks to hold a majority of 254 Democrats to 173 Republicans, with several races remaining undecided. In the Senate, the balance is 55 Democrats, 40 Republicans, and 2 Independents(Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Bernie Sanders of Vermont), with 3 highly publicized undecided races. This number is not the “filibuster-proof” majority of 60 Democrats had hoped for—a filibuster is a way for minority Senators to hold off roll-call votes by giving speeches and debating, unless overruled by 3/5 of the Senate. How will the new House work with President Obama? While there is a Democratic majority, the gains are smaller than hoped for by many Democrats. There are varying opinions on this phenomenon—some experts say that people voted“Obama” not “Democratic” and may not have voted the straight Democratic ticket. Obama will need to work with a diverse group of Republicans and a growing number of moderate and conservative Democrats. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi acknowledged this when she remarked that action“will have to be bipartisan, again bipartisan and comprehensive, and it has to adhere to fiscal soundness...”( Washington Post 11/6/2008). The diversity of the new Democratic caucus[Democratic members of the House] means that there will have to be good strategic planning. There are dozens of “caucuses” or self-organized groups and committees within the U.S. House, ranging from special interest areas to influential caucuses based on political affiliation or ethnicity. In particular, Obama will need to deal with the“Blue Dog” Democratic group, a growing caucus of Democrats, formed in 1995, who are fiscally and socially conservative. Many“Blue Dogs” come from traditionally conservative areas such as the American South, and have tried to use their swing vote power to liaise between moderate Republicans and liberal Democrats. The“Blue Dogs” currently have 49 members, of whom 6 are women and under a dozen are people of color.