With some pomp and circumstance, and with a great deal of responsibility, the newly elected 112th Congress of the United States has begun 2011 with significant changes in its membership.
In the Senate, Democrats retain a majority, with 51 members (their number is reduced from 56 in the previous Congress). There are 47 Republicans and two Democrat-backing independents in the new Senate.
Democrat Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada continues as majority leader. Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky continues as minority leader.
But there are far bigger changes in the House of Representatives. The previous House had 255 Democrats, with 179 Republicans and one vacancy. But the new House has only 193 Democrats, with a Republican majority of 242 members.
Thus Democrat Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California has shifted from being speaker of the House to minority leader, and Republican Rep. John Boehner of Ohio has become speaker.
Tennessee fortunately still has Republicans Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker in the Senate. Tennessee has seven Republican representatives: Chuck Fleischmann of Chattanooga, Phil Roe, John Duncan, Scott DesJarlais, Diane Black, Marsha Blackburn and Stephen Fincher. The state has two Democrat representatives: Jim Cooper and Steve Cohen.
Georgia’s able Republican U.S. senators are Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson, while Georgia has eight Republican and five Democrat representatives. The Republicans are Jack Kingston, Lynn Westmoreland, Tom Price, Rob Woodall, Austin Scott, Tom Graves, Paul Broun and Phil Gingrey. The Democrats are Sanford Bishop, Hank Johnson, John Lewis, John Barrow and David Scott.
President Barack Obama faces a divided Congress in 2011, and thus will have a difficult time putting his policies into effect when they differ with the views of the Republican majority in the House of Representatives.