As far as I can see we've got a minority of 45, maybe 43, in the Senate

[ThomWV]

60 minus 15 Blue Dogs and then there's Lieberman and Specter, how do they count in the equation.?

Now only self-proclaimed "Democrats" can stop what we would call a democratic agenda. We will soon know if we have a Party or an assemblage of trash in need of disposal.

[Dr Fate]

1. LET THE EXCUSE-O-RAMA BEGIN!!!!! n/t

n/t

[xchrom]

2. the democratic party has to make up it's mind to actually govern.

stop the nonsense about 'bipartisanship' -- which when we are in charge is about not wanting to be labeled -- the thing we've been terrified of since reagan.

democratic party rule is reasonable -- it's rational -- and there is no good reason to run away from things we all know the democratic party stands for -- the issue always, always comes down to having the courage to govern.

[Davis_X_Machina]

3. It's not an excuse.

It's a straight statement of fact.

At any given time we have in the US four or five parties, but only two labels. American politics is coalition politics.

A generation or two ago, you had an informal alliance between the remains of the Southern Democrats and the GOP, over the war in Vietnam and civil rights that kept a paper Democratic majority from doing all it wanted to, or could have.

A generation or two before that you had an informal alliance between Bull Moose goo-goo reformist Republicans and populist Democrats that kept the McKinley Republicans from doing all their majorities seemed to entitle them to do.

Fracturing a ruling coalition doesn't move legislation, but it can stop legislation quite easily. In six months, Obama won't be able to do anything, because a righto-leftist Congressional bloc, while unable to do anything, will be able to stop everything. You saw the bloc begin to emerge on the supplemental budget vote. You saw it start to emerge on ACES, where Kucinich and DeFazio voted with Boehner. ACES passed by one (1) vote. The next big 'Democratic' bill may not pass at all -- thanks to Democrats.

This country is backwards from Europe. In Europe you fight the election, then form the coalition. Here you form the coalition, then fight the election.

And all coalitions can be split. Any coalition large enough to govern will have at least one fault line along which it will split.

[ThomWV]

6. A friend told me we need 5 or 6 parties, I told him it'd be better than the 1 we have now.

[Davis_X_Machina]

8. It wouldn't change anything...

...except the labels on C-SPAN and the call-in line numbers, because we have those five or six parties now.

[ThomWV]

9. Now when you think about it this is a very interesting proposition

I do not disagree, its just got me thinking about just what it is that I think constitutes a Party affiliation or maybe a better way to say it is what might constitute a party-like coalition that could be identified? There is lots of room for cynicism here.

[ecstatic]

4. I'm hoping they will do the right thing nt

[havocmom]

5. Can I copy and paste that most excellent analysis/plan to one of my Senators as a reminder?

I live in Montana.

[ThomWV]

7. More than welcome ...

[NightWatcher]

10. I am sick to death of this defeatist thinking. You want to be in the minority? wait til 2010 & 12

Why the fuck do they bother if they refuse to do anything that we elect them to do.

This may be their last chance to show everyone that they are worth a damn. I worked hard for Obama and the Dems last year and if they refuse to act, I just may refuse to get off my sofa in 2010 and in 2012.

Use It Or Lose It (my new anthem for the Dems)

[Davis_X_Machina]

11. Franken changes nothing.

The 60th vote in the Senate will have moved from being Olympia Snowe to either Ben Nelson, Evan Bayh, or Arlen Specter.

If Kennedy and Byrd can even vote.

[Sebastian Doyle]

12. And what are the odds that Byrd's eventual replacement will be an actual Democrat.

The recent trend, especially in Southern states, isn't too promising. When the day comes that Teddy can no longer serve (whether death or retirement) at least there's a chance we could get a real Democrat elected in Massachusetts.