Thread: Tammy, a Thai-born American, wins Senate Election in Illinois

Thailand-born and also Illinois Representative Tammy Duckworth who was a disabled veteran of the Iraq War, last night won the Senate election in the United States.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Ms Duckworth ousted Republican Sen. Mark Kirk today after a contentious battle that left the centrist incumbent on the defensive for much of the campaign.

Ms Duckworth won with 66.3% percent of the vote, compared with 28.9% for Mr Kirk when the Associated Press called the race with 20% of precincts reporting.

Elected to the House in 2012, Ms Duckworth previously worked as an assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and before that was the head of veterans affairs for the state of Illinois.

While in Iraq in 2004, she lost both her legs when the Black Hawk helicopter she was piloting was shot down.

Kirk was elected in 2010 as part of a GOP wave that added to the party’s strength and helped it win control of the Senate in 2014.

But in the year of Donald Trump, that wave receded and left Mr Kirk exposed.

Ms Tammy Duckworth visited Thailand in 2013 after her election to the House of Representatives in 2012 and worked at therapy classes with recent Thai military amputees.

Tammy, a Thai-born American, wins Senate Election in Illinois |

Tammy Duckworth Becomes First U.S. Senator To Give Birth While In Office



Sen. Tammy Duckworth has just blazed one more trail: She's the first U.S. Senator to give birth while in office.


With the arrival of a baby girl named Maile, Duckworth becomes one of just 10 women to give birth while serving in Congress. Duckworth, 50, had her first child in 2014, while she was a member of the House of Representatives. The senator lost both of her legs in the Iraq War.

"Parenthood isn't just a women's issue, it's an economic issue and one that affects all parents — men and women alike," Duckworth said in a statement announcing the birth. "As tough as juggling the demands of motherhood and being a Senator can be, I'm hardly alone or unique as a working parent, and my children only make me more committed to doing my job and standing up for hardworking families everywhere."

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-...hile-in-office

50? Wow, she's leaving it late.

^ Na Tammy had a few small problems keeping her from getting started earlier.

I bet she can't speak Thai anymore,

Seriously male or female who the fuck would want to have a kid at 50, you being 71 when it has it's 21st. I was 30 when my daughter was born and I'm already counting down to when I get my life back. But as always each to their own and have fun and enjoy.

^^ You'd be wrong. She is interviewed here in Thai.

Congrats Tammy.


Must say, I half expected to open this to see she'd been done for corruption.

Originally Posted by buriramboy

Seriously male or female who the fuck would want to have a kid at 50, you being 71 when it has it's 21st. I was 30 when my daughter was born and I'm already counting down to when I get my life back. But as always each to their own and have fun and enjoy.

My twins were born when I was 50. Worked out fine. Just about to finish High School.

I'm surprised that she's the first to give birth in office.

Shows what a fucking boys club it was eh?

Think it comes down to financial security. Having kids when financially secure must be far more enjoyable than when you're struggling to make ends meet. Think BB was financially secure at 30. Had mine at 33, being free to take her to and from school everyday, spend the evenings and weekends with her is great. If people don't have that freedom until 50 it may be better to wait.


Anyway, it's good to see a decent Thai (presumably) doing well. Hopefully she'll be around at the next elections and can run, if she hasn't died of old age first.

No bone spurs on that woman. No wise cracks please.
Way to go girl.

Senate poised to allow Duckworth’s newborn on the floor

The hidebound U.S. Senate is expected to change its rules soon for a member who just made history as a new mom.


Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who this month became the first sitting senator to give a birth while in office, has submitted a resolution that would allow senators to bring a child under 1 year old onto the Senate floor during votes. Senate leaders appear poised to approve the request, according to Senate sources.



The Illinois Democrat has been on a campaign to change the chamber’s rules, which prohibit children from the floor, arguing that the archaic ban doesn’t support working parents and would make it difficult for her to vote.


The Senate sometimes stacks several votes in a row or gets sidelined by delays, requiring lawmakers to be on the floor for an extended period of time.





“I can’t be away from a newborn infant in the first three months for that long,” Duckworth told POLITICO before her baby was born.


Duckworth, whose daughter, Maile Pearl Bowlsbey, arrived April 9, plans to take an unofficial maternity leave. Duckworth said before the birth that she would come to the Senate to vote when needed or when an important vote was scheduled and that she would bring her infant.


The Senate could vote as soon as next week on Mike Pompeo's nomination to be secretary of state.


Senators are required to appear in the Senate chamber in person to vote. Duckworth can’t hand off her child to a s
taffer, who is a federal employee, because of conflict of interest rules. Duckworth would have to hand her child to a caregiver or perhaps another senator to be allowed to enter the chamber to vote.


Duckworth’s chief of staff, Kaitlin Fahey, said the proposal — which was introduced by fellow Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin — was drafted with input from members of both parties.


“Sen. Duckworth is glad to be able to offer this legislation to ensure no senator with an infant is prevented from performing their constitutional responsibilities — and send a message that working parents everywhere deserve family-friendly workplace policies,” Fahey said. “She is optimistic that this will be resolved quickly.”








The Rules Committee is expected to move the measure, perhaps as soon as this week. Committee Chairman Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) said last week that he supports the rules change, and the office of ranking member Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said she does as well. After the Rules Committee approves the resolution, the full Senate would have to vote on the measure or approve it by unanimous consent.


Rules changes are rare in the Senate. In 1997, Sen. Mike Enzi asked the Senate to allow lawmakers to use laptops on the floor. The request was met with four months of study and a rejection. Electronics are still not technically allowed on the Senate floor.


https://www.politico.com/story/2018/...newborn-526360

Determined strong woman. Gave birth at that age after her body went through all that trauma. That's something.

Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton

My twins were born when I was 50. Worked out fine. Just about to finish High School.

Yes, but at 50 Davis, you werent going through the menopause as a raving alcoholic who wanted hood down motoring in a 2 seater hairdressers car

Keep an eye on her. Could well be the first female Prez.
Plus the first Asian American Prez.

Originally Posted by Norton

Keep an eye on her. Could well be the first female Prez.
Plus the first Asian American Prez.

I would love that as well but she was not born in the USA. Right here in the big smoke... Studied at ISB.

^Yep. American by birth...ineligible for the Presidency as not born on American soil. An antiquated law which has needed trashing for a very long time. Even if the American parent was in the service of the USG and posted abroad at the time of the birth, still not eligible.

Originally Posted by aging one

I would love that as well but she was not born in the USA. Right here in the big smoke... Studied at ISB.

She was indeed but dad was American working here. Could be a question the courts may have to address. Afterall, McCain was born in Panama.

^I suspect it's a law still on the books mostly because its never been challenged. Panama Canal Zone was a US Territory at the time of McCain's birth.

Good point. Never thought of that.

The wording on this issue is very ambiguous. I imagine it will require a Supreme Court decision to make it go away. Sadly, it will probably never be raised until it becomes a campaign issue for someone and, in that case, it will quickly evolve into a political issue by those for or against the candidate in question.

Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton

The wording on this issue is very ambiguous. I imagine it will require a Supreme Court decision to make it go away

Made me read up on it. Seems the term "natural born" has been an unresolved issue for years. Court may refuse to rule on it and throw it back to Congress to resolve. Then we will have another political issue with no end in sight.

Two words: Ted Cruz.

Born in Calgary.

^Two words: So what?

Never elected President. Issue never resolved...indeed, never addressed in other than opinion pieces.