Democrats Fail in Effort to Obtain Filibuster Proof US Senat

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Democrats Fail in Effort to Obtain Filibuster Proof US Senat

Post by racehorse » 12-02-2008 11:34 PM

Democrats will be unable to ignore Republican concerns in the next Congress since their dreams of a Filibuster proof Senate have now ended. They will have to work in a bipartisan way with Republicans if they want to enact any meaningful legislation in the next Congress. Republican leaders have indicated a willingness to be cooperative with the new administration where reasonably possible.

Both sides will have to compromise with each other if there is to be any real and needed reform in the coming years. Hopefully, this will lead to a lessening of partisan posturing and rhetoric on both sides and much can be accomplished for the benefit of the American people.


--

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/ ... I120081203

Republicans win crucial Georgia Senate seat

Tue Dec 2, 2008 9:36pm EST

ATLANTA (Reuters) - Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss won a run-off election in Georgia on Tuesday, CNN said, denying Democrats the chance for a 60-seat "super majority" in the Senate that would have enabled them to pass legislation virtually at will.

Chambliss, an incumbent who first won his U.S. Senate seat in 2002, defeated Democrat Jim Martin for the seat in a race that gained national significance because Democrats and their independent allies held 58 of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate after the November 4 election.

One seat in Minnesota, subject to a recount because the vote count was so close, remains undecided.

A 60-seat majority would enable Democrats to overcome procedural hurdles set up by Republicans, who are the minority in the Senate. Such a majority would have been particularly potent with a Democratic president, Barack Obama, in the White House.


Chambliss gained more votes on November 4, but fell short of the 50 percent-plus majority required by Georgia law. His victory surprised few in Georgia, a southern state in the most conservative part of the country that backed Republican Arizona Sen. John McCain over Obama in the presidential election.

Both candidates attracted national political figures in campaigning for the run-off. Former President Bill Clinton campaigned for Martin and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who was McCain's vice presidential candidate, held rallies for Chambliss.
--
(Reporting by Karen Jacobs; writing by Matthew Bigg, editing by Patricia Zengerle)
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Post by Rombaldi » 12-03-2008 12:39 AM

Just wait till Olympia Snow crosses the aisle :)
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Post by racehorse » 12-03-2008 12:43 AM

Rombaldi wrote: Just wait till Olympia Snow crosses the aisle :)


It is about as likely as Ben Nelson doing the same. ;)
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Re: Democrats Fail in Effort to Obtain Filibuster Proof US S

Post by SETIsLady » 12-03-2008 09:50 AM

racehorse wrote: Republican leaders have indicated a willingness to be cooperative with the new administration where reasonably possible.
With all due respect Race, I will wait and pass judgement on this when I see it. :)

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Re: Re: Democrats Fail in Effort to Obtain Filibuster Proof

Post by racehorse » 12-03-2008 11:59 AM

SETIsLady wrote: With all due respect Race, I will wait and pass judgement on this when I see it. :)


Hi SETIsLady. :)

If Democrats expect a rubber stamp on their agenda from the Republican leadership, they are going to be disappointed and the country will suffer the consequences of that choice. If, however, they are willing to engage in genuine compromise in the great tradition of Henry Clay and in an effort to reach a consensus which is both satisfactory for everyone and good for the country, much can and will be accomplished.
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Post by SETIsLady » 12-03-2008 12:10 PM

Lets hope that they can all work together Race, I truly want that, I just didn't see a bunch of that from the Republicans when they were running the show.

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Post by racehorse » 12-03-2008 12:18 PM

SETIsLady wrote: Lets hope that they can all work together Race, I truly want that,


So do I.
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Re: Democrats Fail in Effort to Obtain Filibuster Proof US S

Post by Rombaldi » 12-03-2008 02:26 PM

racehorse wrote: Republican leaders have indicated a willingness to be cooperative with the new administration where reasonably possible.


You mean like Mitch "no lips" McConnell saying his job was to block and stop every Democratic bill that comes up?
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Re: Re: Democrats Fail in Effort to Obtain Filibuster Proof

Post by racehorse » 12-03-2008 02:35 PM

Rombaldi, Senator Mitch McConnell is the only hope Democrats have of getting any of their priorities through the Senate and of becoming reality. Obama knows this, too. You should, as well. Democrats, if they are smart will not try to portray him as an "enemy".
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Re: Re: Re: Democrats Fail in Effort to Obtain Filibuster Pr

Post by Rombaldi » 12-03-2008 02:46 PM

racehorse wrote: Rombaldi, Senator Mitch McConnell is the only hope Democrats have of getting any of their priorities through the Senate and of becoming reality. Obama knows this, too. You should, as well. Democrats, if they are smart will not try to portray him as an "enemy".


Mitch McConnell of Kentucky is the literal leader of the pack when it comes to the obstructionist elephants of the Roadblock Republican party. In his current role as the GOP’s Senate Minority Leader, he’s still smarting from being knocked out of the top slot by the unexpected changing of the guard in 2006. He is the Roadblocker-in-Chief, the Biggest Block Head of them all, and he is absolutely determined to let nothing that’s even remotely tinged with Democratic Blue get passed during the term of the 110th Congress.

McConnell is no stranger to razor-thin margins of victory, of course. He won his initial Senate race against a two-term Democrat by less than half a percentage point, squeezing into office by riding on the coattails of Ronald Reagan’s landslide popularity in 1984. Since then his approval ratings in the Bluegrass State have gone up and down and up again — but now they’re on their way back down, and rightly so.

And when we say rightly, we do mean “rightly”— McConnell is about as right-wing conservative as anybody in Washington. He’s not much of a lawmaker himself, having sponsored very few bills and taken very few nationally-known positions, but he is a master of manipulating the arcane procedures and politics of life on the Senate floor to make things go his way. He is an ardent supporter of all things hawkish when it comes to military matters, marching in lockstep with every move the Bush Administration and its neocon policy mavens make.

McConnell is guaranteed to oppose everything positive and progressive even when it comes from his own side of the aisle, but with a Democratic majority in place he insists on blocking everything they might possibly want to pursue. With him at the helm, the rest of the Roadblock Republicans will keep right on sitting on every legislative initiative that the Dems can come up with. Until we can push Mitch to the ditch, he’s going to keep right on blocking the road.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Democrats Fail in Effort to Obtain Filibuste

Post by racehorse » 12-03-2008 02:53 PM

Rombaldi wrote:

McConnell is guaranteed to oppose everything positive and progressive even when it comes from his own side of the aisle, but with a Democratic majority in place he insists on blocking everything they might possibly want to pursue.


My friend of almost 30 years can be a powerful enemy if he so chooses and if Democrats insist on having a self-fullfilling prophecy, they will have one. I sincerely hope for the good of the United States that they choose otherwise.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Democrats Fail in Effort to Obtain Filib

Post by Rombaldi » 12-03-2008 03:09 PM

racehorse wrote: My friend .....


ah.
ha.
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Post by calamity jane » 12-03-2008 03:48 PM

The American people came out in force for change and post-partisanship, not the divisive, obstructionist, ideological failed policies of the recent past.

If the republicans are going to matter, they should completely reject the attitudes and 'strategies' displayed in this bit of opinion (from where else? newsmax).

Where is the accountability? Have we heard any serious apology from the republicans for actively supporting the ruinous policies of the worst administration in the history of this country?

Philip Brennan, newsmax:

How the Republican Party Can Fight Back

Tuesday, November 11, 2008 3:00 PM

By: Philip V. Brennan

I have some advice for the Republican members of the incoming 111th Congress who are going to discover what it's like to be inmates in political gulag presided over by a swollen and cocksure House Democratic majority.

And I know what I'm talking about because I was there in the line of fire the last time the GOP was ground under the heels of a dominant Democratic majority. And it ain't a pretty prospect if you are a member of a tiny minority.

As of today, there will be just 175 Republicans and 255 Democrats in the House, and 40 Republicans and 54 Democrats in the Senate with several seats yet to be decided.

In 1961 in the 87th Congress, there were a mere 174 Republicans in a House with 263 Democrats, and just 37 Republicans in a Senate run by 63 Democrats.

In other words, 2009 looks a lot like 1961 when it comes to the balance of power on Capitol Hill. And with a Democratic president downtown, a lesson in history is in order if Republicans are going to count for anything in the next four years.

In 1961, I was a member of the incoming three-person staff of the House Republican Policy Committee and a functionary and spokesman for the House Republican leadership under Minority Leader Charlie Halleck and Policy Committee Chairman John Burns and his colleague John Rhodes.

In the eyes of the Democratic leadership under Sam Rayburn, Republicans were to be barely tolerated. They viewed bipartisanship as meaning only that Republicans were, with reluctance, allowed to use the men's rooms and ride the elevators and not much else. We were the untouchables, poorly staffed and underfinanced.

If we were to have any effect whatsoever on legislation, we had to be fast on our feet. And under the inspired guidance of Charlie Halleck, who was one of the shrewdest parliamentarians around, we scored some impressive victories in holding back a flood-tide of liberal legislative initiatives, despite our small numbers.

What we learned can provide solid guidance to the GOP House membership as they exist in what history shows will be the new Capitol Hill gulag. Democrats don’t change. What they were then, they’ll be now: tyrants.

# Pick your targets. Oppose only those bills that most clearly violate traditional Republican principles or involve wasteful government spending. Have the Policy Committee issue a statement clearly outlining the GOP objections to the bill, and hold a post-policy committee meeting press conference weekly.

# Use the Policy Committee staff to study key pending legislation and recommend party positions on key issues.

# Keep a careful eye on the voting records of Democrats, especially those from marginal districts. Have the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee chairman rifle-shoot press releases and videos to the media in the incumbent's district when he or she cast votes for questionable legislation. Keep up a steady drumfire aimed at the incumbents.

# In the Senate, use filibusters if available to thwart the worst measures, such as the so-called pro-abortion Freedom of Choice bill or the revival of the so-called Fairness Doctrine that would doom most conservative talk shows such as the Rush Limbaugh and Michael Reagan.

# Avoid offering Republican alternatives to Democratic Party programs and proposals. In the 87th Congress we had to fight back against what we called the Constructive Republican Alternatives Program — CRAP for short. We asked what would be the Republican alternative to a Democratic bill to kill our mothers — a bill merely to break her legs? Bad legislation needs to be opposed, not sweetened to win GOP support.

# The congressional wing of the Republican Party will now be the Republican Party. Stay out of the intra party squabbling going on downtown. The Republican power now lies solely on Capitol Hill, not downtown at the Republican National Committee.

# Revive the joint House-Senate leadership weekly meetings and press conferences presided over by the minority leaders of both Houses. The old so-called “Ev and Charlie” show (for Ev Dirksen and Charlie Halleck) gave the Republican Party an opportunity to hold a widely covered weekly press conferences where the GOP positions were presented to the public.

# Set up task forces in both the House and Senate assigned to study the major issues and exploit weaknesses in Democratic positions. A good example was the Task Force on American Strategy and Strength which issued the so-called Ford Report in 1960 after its chairman, Rep. Jerry Ford. It fully articulated the Eisenhower defense and foreign policies and was widely covered. One task force should establish the principles that will guide the minority in all its deliberations and actions.

# Make every effort to ensure cohesion among the Republican membership. Avoid issues where such cohesion clearly cannot be attained.

# And always keep in mind that you are the sole keepers of the flame and the warriors who will fight to keep the worst excesses of a far-left liberal dominated Democratic Party from leading America down the road to a Marxist future where government is our master and not our servant.

For the next two years you are America's sole hope for survival of the American dream. Don't ever forget that.

Semper fi.
###

http://www.newsmax.com/brennan/republic ... 50096.html

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Post by Chickadee » 12-03-2008 03:54 PM

I believe our senators and congress people will vote on behalf of their constituents and do what is best for everyone, regardless of affiliation.

Call me a Dreamer (it's ok, I was Class Dreamer) but I am an optimist and I don't believe the Democratic Party needs a filibuster proof Senate in order to lead.

I am happy to have America be a lower-case democracy.
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Post by racehorse » 02-01-2009 06:44 PM

http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/ ... -about-it/

Filibuster-proof Senate? Ah, don’t worry about it…

By Jimmy Orr | 02.01.09

All the Republican gnashing of teeth over the prospects of New Hampshire Senator Judd Gregg bailing on his colleagues and possibly giving Democrats a filibuster-proof majority?

Not a problem, according to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

“The fix is in,” to quote Rod Blagojevich (and this is one of the few times we can cite him without using $@#*! symbols).

Let’s make a deal

McConnell told CBS’s “Face the Nation” host Bob Schieffer today that the GOP doesn’t have to worry about those prospects. Why? Because the Democrats will not be filibuster-proof even if Gregg departs the senate to become President Obama’s new Commerce Secretary.

McConnell hinted that a deal could be hatched. Not like a Blagojevich deal though. This one would presumably be above board and made between the New Hampshire Democratic governor and Gregg. In fact, the two politicians have already talked about it.

“Senator Gregg has assured me that if this were to happen … it would not change the make-up of the Senate,” McConnell said. “In other words, whoever is appointed to replace him would caucus with Senate Republicans, so I think it would have no impact on the balance of power in the Senate.”


Well thought out

Arizona Senator Jon Kyl didn’t seem overly concerned either. He told Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace about the same thing.

“I think that’s been thought through. I suspect that Senator Gregg has thought that through very carefully and would not leave his Republican colleagues in a lurch,” Kyl said.

Rudman, again?

The New York Times is reporting that Governor Lynch is open to appointing a Republican and indicated former Republican Senator Warren Rudman as a possible replacement for Gregg. He would serve as a caretaker of the seat, they say.

No problem then, right?

Don’t trust him

Well, some conservatives ain’t buying it. Take Ed Morrissey for example over at HotAir.

“Gregg has zero chance of getting any such commitment out of Lynch,” warns Morrissey. “Even if he did, he couldn’t hold Lynch to it after resigning the seat, although it might be difficult for Lynch to renege on a publicly stated commitment to appoint a Republican. Lynch would get attacked by his own party for making such a promise and attacked by Republicans if he broke it. As in the movie War Games, the only way for Lynch to win this one is not to play at all.”

Strawman

What would stop Lynch from appointing a Republican who would get annihilated in the next election? Nothing.

But who knows what’s being discussed in these double-secret negotiations. Sources say a nominee could be named as early as tomorrow morning.
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