In the Senate, it's the day of the Democrats

WASHINGTON -- The new-look United States Senate was gaveled to order Wednesday morning with some new faces at the front of the chamber.

As the Senate came to order, Sens. Tom Daschle and Robert Byrd were recognized as the new Democratic leaders of the body, completing the power switch initiated when Jim Jeffords of Vermont announced two weeks ago that he would become an independent.

Daschle, the new majority leader, surveyed the new landscape earlier in the day, and admitted there are still fundamental disagreements between Democrats and Republicans, but he said the two parties must work out their differences.

INTERACTIVE The Senate's switch from Republican to Democratic control will be a low-key affair short on ceremony, but long on behind-the-scenes discussions. Here's how it will happen.    ON THE SCENE John King: Power shakeup in the Senate and other political news  CNN ACCESS Lieberman: In Senate, 'nothing happens smoothly' Thompson: GOP needs 'some accommodation'    IN-DEPTH Senate power shift    VIDEO Incoming Sen. Majority Leader Tom Daschle told CNN this morning the parties should 'work together to find middle ground.' (June 6) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) CNN's Wolf Blizter interviews Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura on the U.S. Senate power switch (June 5) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) CNN's Jonathan Karl reports on the transition of power in the U.S. Senate (June 5) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)    MESSAGE BOARD Congressional divide    ALSO Gephardt: 'I stand with olive branches in both hands' Will McCain be next to jump ship? TIME.com: Welcome to the New Washington

Daschle replaces longtime Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Mississippi.

"My message will be, let's find a way to work together, to find middle ground on the array of issues we all care about -- whether it's education, patients' bill of rights, prescription drug benefits, energy policy, hate crimes," Daschle, of South Dakota, told CNN in an early morning interview.

"There are a lot of things that we can do together, and I'm hopeful that we can find a way and that we can demonstrate that this is a new day," Daschle said.

The shift in power officially took place at the end of business Tuesday, following Sen. Jim Jeffords' exit from the Republican Party.

Democrats now have a 50-49 edge in the new lineup.

The Senate began the formalities of changing power when convened Wednesday at 11 a.m. ET. Byrd, of West Virginia, presided over the chamber as the new Senate president pro tempore, replacing Strom Thurmond, R-South Carolina.

Byrd introduced Daschle as the new majority leader, who in turn offered a series of resolutions.

As a show of good faith, Daschle will call for the 98-year-old Thurmond to be named Senate "president pro tempore emeritus."

Democratic Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, who opened the day's session, now becomes the number two man in the Senate, in his new role as majority whip. He replaces Sen. Don Nickles, R-Oklahoma.

Republicans vowed Tuesday not to abandon their agenda and said they would defend President Bush's nominees in the face of what promises to be tougher confirmation battles.

Republicans want a mechanism in place to protect the president's selections, especially judicial nominees, from getting stuck in Democratic-ruled committees. Democrats balk at such a mechanism, saying they had no such power when Republicans controlled the Senate and a Democrat was in the White House.

The Democrats support a resolution that calls for a one-seat majority on committees.

Daschle said Tuesday that Democrats have "no intention of holding up judicial appointments."

"Obviously there's a process in place," he said. "We respect that institutional process. But our intention is to give judicial nominees, like all other nominees, a chance to be heard."

After Tuesday's final Republican-controlled session, Republican senators appointed by GOP leader Trent Lott, R-Mississippi, to negotiate with Democrats on reorganizing the Senate met with the new majority leader in his office.

Republican Sens. Mitch McConnell, Kentucky, Phil Gramm, Texas, Pete Domenici, New Mexico, and Arlen Specter, R-Pennsylvania, met with Daschle for about an hour in the first official negotiations over the organization resolution that will be needed to put new committee ratios and rules into place.

McConnell emerged from the meeting calling it "cordial" and "productive," saying they planned to talk again Wednesday after meeting with the GOP caucus.

The last time Democrats had control of the Senate was in 1994 -- except for a period of 17 days earlier this year when Vice President Al Gore held the tie-breaking vote as president of the evenly divided Senate until the new Bush administration took office.