57 = No Senate Super Majority.

[denem]

Lieberman, Nelson, Specter. Vipers, each wretched one. Just stating the obvious.

[bluestateguy]

1. Lieberman is fine, as long as the issue is not Iraq or the "War on Terror"

And Iraq will be an old issue in a year or two.

But if you need Lieberman's vote on funding for afterschool programs, by God, you'll get it.

[denem]

2. Health Care - Not!

[Bleacher Creature]

4. Beat me to it. He's an insurance stooge.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

14. That shouldn't be surprising one way or another.

Tons of insurance companies reside in Connecticut. I'm kind of happily shocked that Dodd is in favor of a public option - he doesn't get nearly enough credit for that.

[YOY]

5. Um...no.

n.t.

[avaistheone1]

8. NO HE IS NOT.

Liberman is against a public option for health care. He sucks.

[scheming daemons]

3. offset a little by Collins and Snowe.

Those two ladies should just admit the obvious and switch parties.

[Sebastian Doyle]

25. Snowe? maybe. But they can keep Collins

she was one of the corporatists who gutted the stimulus bill. She may indeed be "moderate" compared to a neocon repuke or a Klansman like Jeff Sessions, but the last thing we need are any more corporate shills.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

6. You forgot the "other" Nelson. Both are as useful as used tampons. nt

[tsuki]

26. Oh, yuck. But apt. nt

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

32. Please excuse my flowery rhetoric. ;-) But these 2 assholes really annoy me. nt

[Cha]

7. Isn't Arlen for

public option?

[Soylent Brice]

10. no, he's for getting re-elected. n/t

[AlinPA]

23. I don't think that it is a stretch to say that he will switch back to republican if he

wins the election (assuming he wins the primary, which is not a given).

[Soylent Brice]

30. i disagree. there's nothing the republicans could benefit more from right now

than a wolf in sheeps' clothing. especially with facing a "filibuster-proof" majority now.

i see shenanigans on the horizon.

[Better Believe It]

9. We need 50 Senate votes plus Biden tie-breaker to pass legislation

With or without reconciliation.

[Dr Fate]

11. May as well get our preemptive excuses all lined up. n/t

n/t

[invictus]

12. Add Baucus to that list. nt

[Thrill]

13. We just need cloture votes. They don't need to vote for the legislation

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

15. Exactly.

If we can just convince them that it's okay to vote for cloture if they want to vote against the bill, that'll do the trick. Gives them political cover and gives us what we need.

[Doctor_J]

16. Is that you, Harry?

you're running out of excuses. Now get a vote on Judge Sotomajor next fucking week

[Bucky]

17. Where the fukcing thoughtless automatons when you need them?

It sucks when people refuse to think just like you want them to.

I think it's interesting (by which I mean annoying) that a Republican Senate majority means 51 seats, but a Democratic Majority has to be 62-63. Seriously, there are sucky things about being on the side that doesn't goose step.

[Phx_Dem]

18. Specter is a huge pain in the ass, but he's more bark than bite.

He always grouses -- probably to get attention -- then does exactly what is expected of him by "the party."

Not worried about him at. all. Nelson, OTOH, is bad news.

[JamesA1102]

19. Don't forget backstabbing Bayh!

Or that both Byrd and Kennedy have been absent due to illness.

[davidpdx]

20. Having Byrd and Kennedy out right now is a problem

We really need them there, but I understand they are ill. Even if they have to be wheeled into the Senate in a chair to vote, it needs to happen.

[JamesA1102]

27. I hate to say it

but both should consider resigning if they are not well enough to serve. Both live in states with Dem Governors so there is no risk of a Republican being appointed in their place.

[davidpdx]

29. I tend to agree with you

Both aren't up for relection until 2012 since they got reelected in 2006. Not sure what the state law is in MA and WV and whether there would have to be an election if someone was appointed with more then 2 years left. It would be sad to see both of them go (well Kennedy more then Byrd), but at some point they need to pass the mantle to the next generation.

[masuki bance]

21. Heya Harry, whats the haps? nt

[Sebastian Doyle]

22. How does thread have over 20 responses with no mention of Mary Landrieu?

Can anybody mention even ONE important vote that she's voted like a Democrat?

[Orangepeel]

24. or Lincoln, who, I believe, was the first "D" senator to come out against a public option

[backscatter712]

28. Doesn't matter. I intend to yell "60!!!" and beat the conservadems over the head with this.

While Franken's victory may have a small effect on the Senate dynamics technically (it does have an effect - we do have one more good liberal Democratic vote in the Senate than we did yesterday,) the primary effect is psychological, and we damned well should be exploiting the psychology.

Because the Democrats breached the psychological barrier of 60 votes in the Senate, there will be huge expectations of action from the public, with very real potential consequences of lost votes and lost elections if the public feels betrayed. That will put a lot of pressure on the conservadems who have been digging in their heels on things like the public option, and strip them of fig leafs like filibuster threats that they used to justify their obstructionism and their pandering towards their big corporate donors. They'll have a much more difficult time playing the same game - we damned well should be calling them out, demanding that they don't join the GOP in filibusters, and demand that Congress fulfill the will of the voters.

It's a mind game, which we should be playing to win.

[Dr Fate]

33. Exactly- this news should prompt action, not excuses. n/t

n/t

[MadHound]

31. Let the excuses begin! n/t