Since our last look, another seat has shifted to Democrats—Norm Colman’s in Minnesota, meaning comedian Al Franken will be U.S. Senator Franken for the next six years. Two other seats are in real jeopardy—Mississippi (yes, Mississippi) and Mitch McConnell’s in Kentucky (yes, McConnell!). McConnell [pictured] is in trouble because he led the fight for Bush’s financial rescue plan, and because fellow Kentucky Republican Senator Bunning has been on the warpath against Bush’s plan. If one of these two goes Democrat, the party will have its filibuster-proof majority of 60.Here’s a silver lining for Republicans. Should corrupt Alaska Senator Ted Stevens be acquitted in his current corruption trial, Stevens will probably keep his threatened seat, meaning Democrats will have to add one elsewhere to reach 60.
2 comments:
I was not able to check the RCP analysis, but most of these projections are counting Joe Lieberman (I) as a Democrat. He's not, and once the Dems gain a solid majority without him he will be stripped of his committee chairs and left to caucus with the minority.
So... I doubt very much that the Dems will reach 60. Here's an interesting alternate perspective on why that won't matter.
Aloha,
Derek
I don’t know Bruce Reed. I consider “Slate” a reliable left-wing source the same way "National Review" is right-wing. Reed and I both agree (see here and here) that fearful Republicans will help Democrats push their program through, even if Democrats don’t reach 60.
But I have no idea why Reed talks as if Democrats will be reaching out to Republicans even if they have the votes they need. And I don’t know why Reed underplays the consequences of a solid 60-vote liberal majority. We’ve only been here twice before—during the Great Society in 1965 and during the Great Depression. Both times the changes were monumental and consequential.
It’s gonna happen again. You read it here.
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