Kerry Bentivolio to Assume Congressional Office Today
113th Congress to swear in today in Washington, D.C.
Photos
Congressman-elect Kerry Bentivolio (R-Milford) will assume office today, beginning a two-year term representing Michigan's newly realigned 11th Congressional District.
Bentivolio is among 84 freshmen representatives taking part in today's swearing-in ceremonies.
Bentivolio, who defeated Syed Taj (D-Canton) in the Nov. 6 election, will succeed U.S. Rep. David Curson (D-Belleville), who won a special election on Nov. 6 to fill the remaining weeks of former U.S. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter's (R-Livonia) term.
McCotter resigned his office in July amid a petition-fraud scandal and leak of a television script to Detroit media.
According to C-SPAN, the House of Representatives will open the 113th Congress today with elections for House Speaker, followed by the swearing of members.
The House Speaker will be sworn in by the Dean of the House before administering the oath of office to the House, C-SPAN reported.
The new makeup of House of Representatives includes 234 Republicans and 200 Democrats, Jesse Jackson Jr.'s (D-IL) seat vacant until an April 9 special election, C-SPAN reported.
Brad Jensen
9:09 am on Thursday, January 3, 2013
And the countdown to the recall petition starts.....
Jamie Arthurs
11:40 am on Thursday, January 3, 2013
God help us!
Joseph McCauley
11:41 am on Thursday, January 3, 2013
It's embarassing to have him as our representative.
Herb Helzer
12:01 pm on Thursday, January 3, 2013
With Allen West now out of Congress, how long before the national media "discovers" Kerry Bentivolio and starts coming to him for sound bites of unfiltered wingnuttery?
In the shorter term, we might see today whether Rep. Bentivolio will be an ideologue or a pragmatist -- assuming there's a "revolt" on the Republican side against Speaker John Boehner.
Finally, let's give a hearty salute and THANK YOU! to outgoing Rep. David Curson, for providing stability and sanity during his all-too-brief tenure in Congress during the "lame duck" session.
Herb Helzer
2:13 pm on Thursday, January 3, 2013
So there wasn't a true "revolt" in the GOP House Caucus, aside from Justin Amash and 13 other malcontents. At least Bentivolio didn't join them, voting to reelect Boehner as Speaker rather than trying to force a second ballot.
Tom Marunich
12:12 pm on Thursday, January 3, 2013
Santa Claus has now relocated to Washington, D.C.!!
Emily Serafa Manschot
12:22 pm on Thursday, January 3, 2013
I agree--he's bad news for Michigan. He really screwed up at Fowlerville High School.
Bob
3:44 pm on Thursday, January 3, 2013
Files bankruptcy, cheats his creditors out of $600,000, claims that he is Santa as his defense in court, gets fired form a teaching job harassing the kids and on and on. This is what we have in Washington! We are in big trouble. Sign me up for the recall.
Tom Dusbiber
6:30 pm on Thursday, January 3, 2013
This guy is a joke! The folks that voted for him should be ashamed of themselves! Too make matters worse he is a gun hugger!
Bob
9:20 pm on Thursday, January 3, 2013
WIKIPEDIA says "On November 1, 2012, five days before the general election, Phillip Bentivolio of Little Rock, Arkansas, the estranged brother of Bentivolio, told the Michigan Information and Research Service (MIRS) that his brother allegedly owed him $20,000 for houses they built together in Arkansas 20 years earlier. Phillip also accused his brother of being "mentally imbalanced" and "dishonest". Bentivolio responded by telling MIRS that his brother called for the first time in 20 years and threatened to go to the press if Bentivolio didn't pay him $20,000." If he would screw his brother what do you think he will do in Washington? Great to have him in office, don't you think?
Denise Nash
11:55 pm on Thursday, January 3, 2013
Let's face it, my friends. We live amongst people that will not vote for a responsible, educated man with a foreign sounding name, who happens to be a Muslim. The fact that our district elected Mr. Curson shows it was not because he was a democrat. It makes me very very sad to think that so many people who live here are that small minded.
Herb Helzer
9:25 am on Friday, January 4, 2013
Like a classic Venn Diagram, the "old 11th" that elected Dave Curson over Kerry Bentivolio had a lot of overlap with the "new 11th" that chose Bentivolio over Dr. Syed Taj. There was a big shaded area in the middle where the two "sets" met, including Northville, Novi, Canton, Plymouth and Livonia -- but outside that area were thousands of voters who only saw Bentivolio vs. Curson OR Bentivolio vs. Taj.
Dave Curson won big in such "old 11th" communities as Dearborn Heights, Westland, Garden City, Inkster, Wayne, Redford and Belleville -- in part because he was running alongside incumbent Reps. John Dingell and John Conyers (in the "new 12th" and "new 13th" Districts).
On the other hand, the "new 11th" towns outside the shaded space -- including Troy, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Auburn Hills, Clawson and Farmington City -- had only one Congressional race on the ballot: Bentivolio vs. Taj. There, the inherent Republican lean delivered, and so we wound up with Rep. Bentivolio for the next two years.
And if my read of area Republicans is right, the next two years is all they'll tolerate when Kerry proves to be the clown show wingnut he appeared to be during the campaign. He will be primaried in 2014 and probably lose that August, even as Democrats scramble to find someone credible to run that November.
Bob Horn
7:48 pm on Friday, January 4, 2013
If there was such a thing as a credible democrat, I'd be hearing one of them say something like "OH CRAP the budget (which the dems haven't allowed to be passed in three years) and spending are sinking us; we better do something." Instead all they say is "Let's soak the rich." The amount the government is getting from this weeks tax increase will be spent next week on hurricane Sandy. Go Figure
Brad Jensen
11:02 am on Monday, January 7, 2013
If there was such a thing as a credible Republican, they would also be talking about budget cuts to their own sacred cows. How about starting with military programs that are not necessary and even the military does not want? How about farm subsidies to millionaires? And since when is "soaking the rich" defined as making them pay the same percentage of taxes as working people pay?
Jackson Wilson III
11:40 am on Monday, January 7, 2013
Very encouraged by the majority of posts on here, calling a spade a spade.This guy is a wack nutso.We already know it, the rest of the country will soon.