The Democrats Biggest Mistake

[louis c]

The Democrats biggest mistake happened in the earliest stages of the Obama Administration, as we controlled both branches of Congress.

We should have anticipated the Filibuster in the Senate, and done away with it. It was abused and we got blamed for it. How often do we hear, "You guys had control, and accomplished nothing."

Without the Filibuster, we could have had a larger stimulus, saved government jobs, maybe had a second stimulus, created even more jobs, established the card check (or at least made it easier to join a union), confirmed all of Obama's appointments (including Liz Warren) and established a Health Care Plan with a single payer and/or a government option.

2010 would have been quite different. We would have been fighting for something. We would have been protecting our rights in a union, instead of explaining away the "Cadillac Tax Provision" in the Health Care Bill.

Jobs would have been created and saved and unemployment would have been about 5% now.

I don't mind a fight. But when I (we) win, I like to win. If I'm (we're) going to be held responsible for something, I'd (we should) like to do it my (our) way.

We had an FDR type mandate, and we fumbled it by being too "polite". Politics is a tough game, and some times you have to make tough decisions.

The Republicans would have been screaming about the repeal of the Filibuster. We could have replied, "Isn't a Democracy by Majority Rule and don't we have the majority? We'll be held responsible for getting the American people out of the crisis, so we have to try it our way. We've tried it your way for 8 years, and it hasn't worked. Elections have consequences."

That's my take on the matter.

[scheming daemons]

1. Need 67 votes to overturn filibuster. we never had 67 votes.

To change a Senate rule requires a 2/3 supermajority.

Your post is based on a falsehood.

[ThomThom]

5. not true the rule could have been changed at the beginning of the congressional session

by a simple majority

[lonestarnot]

8. Yes it is!

And this guy claims to be a union guy.

[louis c]

12. Correction

to break a filibuster you need 60 votes, not 66.

and I am a union guy, and I am in the trenches fighting for Democrats and I know how hard it is.

i

[madokie]

2. We never had control of the senate

too many DINO's for that to be

[brush]

3. FYI

How about some facts: This quote is from outsidethebeltway.com.

" . . . there were only two time periods during the 111th Congress when the Democrats had a 60 seat majority:
From July 7. 2009 (when Al Franken was officially seated as the Senator from Minnesota after the last of Norm Coleman’s challenges came to an end) to August 25, 2009 (when Ted Kennedy died, although Kennedy’s illness had kept him from voting for several weeks before that date at least); and
From September 25, 2009 (when Paul Kirk was appointed to replace Kennedy) to February 4, 2010 (when Scott Brown took office after defeating Martha Coakley);
For one day in September 2009, Republicans lacked 40 votes due to the resignation of Mel Martinez, who was replaced the next day by George LeMieux
So, to the extent there was a filibuster proof majority in the Senate it lasted during two brief periods which lasted for a total of just over five months when counted altogether (and Congress was in its traditional summer recess for most of the July-August 2009 time frame).
It’s important to keep this fact in mind when discussing what could have happened in the 111th Congress . . ."

So it was really just a few shor,t non-contiguous weeks that Democrats even had a 60 vote majority in the early days of the Obama administration (not even close to a filibuster proof 67 vote majority). And even during those times they had to depend on several blue dogs and/or turncoat Joe Lieberman which made prospects iffy at best. So even though I would like to have seen those things you mentioned accomplished, you may want to re-evaluate how much could have actually gotten done during the early stages of the administration. Those interrupted weeks were certainly not the FDR type mandate you describe.

[louis c]

13. To break a filibuster it takes just 60 votes, not 67

come on, guys.

You're shaking my confidence

[brush]

15. Right

Last edited Mon Oct 15, 2012, 12:24 PM - Edit history (1)

Thanks for the correction.

[Puzzledtraveller]

4. The health insurance industry needed this time to get their monopoly.

[meow2u3]

6. Dems weren't aware of the Republican plot to sabotage the Obama presidency

from Day One! The conspiracy was exposed just this year.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021285445

The Ed Show covered it here:

Lyin' Ryan was exposed as one of the ringleaders of the sabotage:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/08/25/1124086/-Paul-Ryan-took-part-in-their-Cynical-Do-Nothing-Pact

Lawrence O'Donell's "The Last Word", 4/26/12 on the sabotage plot:
http://video.msnbc.msn.com/the-last-word/47183181#47183181

[JHB]

10. They didn't know about that meeting, but it's not as if this wasn't unexpected

The Republicans had been voting in lockstep throughout the Bush residency. It's not as if they had gotten any more moderate since they tried to "bag" Bill Clinton. Some of them weren't even bothering to hide what they planned to do. Plenty of Democrats raised the alarm that the Republicans would do this.

I can understand the administration not necessarily believing it, and thinking a lot of it was hot air for the cameras. What is far less understandable is the lack of a "plan B" just in case the "obstruct everything" strategy turned out to be true (which it did).

[99Forever]

11. "Dems weren't aware of the Republican plot to sabotage the Obama presidency"

Of course they weren't.



Funny stuff!

&feature=related

[lonestarnot]

7. Good gawd.

[OldDem2012]

9. Simple fact: The Democrats also want to use the filibuster when they're in the minority....

...to block GOP legislation. It works both ways because, as you say, "politics is a tough game".

[louis c]

14. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity

and we should have taken it.

You can rest assured, it theses Republicans ever get the chance, they will do away with the Filibuster.

These are not your Father's Republicans.