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Republicans stand together. Not only in the Senate, but Republican voters as well. If their leaders say it is OK, their voters seldom question them. Democrats do the same, but they are nowhere near as loyal as are Republican voters. Few Republican votes will be lost by this filibuster.
But it is a battle about the two political ideologies. Democrats do not mind fighting this fight. The Republicans say they want a "bi-partisan" bill. However, there can be no bill so long as the Republicans continue to filibuster, which is what they are doing when they refuse to vote to debate it. It cannot be amended or reformed if it is not permitted to be debated. That is what the Republican Party is doing. They do not believe they will lose any Republican votes by blocking this protection for the American people - not just the 401K's and the savings of Democrats but the savings of Republicans and all Americans. And they are probably correct in that they will lose few Republican votes.
However, the Democrats win this debate because they have taken a stand that pleases the progressives and liberals in the Party. This issue will increase the voter turnout in the next election, simply because it will motivate the base to stand behind the President when he is fighting the good fight. It is only a battle in a larger war. The Democrats win this debate because they recover much of the momentum they lost during the long healthcare fight. Hopefully it will be sufficient to keep the Republicans from winning back the House and the Senate.
Democrats need to explain to the people exactly what the Republicans are doing to them. There are many Americans out there, Democrats and Republicans, that saw their 401K's and savings disappear in a matter of weeks just over a year ago. It can happen again. This is not a Republican or a Democrat issue. The Republicans must stop blocking the debate on this Wall Street reform. If they have Amendments, we can vote on them. If they pass, they become part of the law. The Parties simply must work together to fix this problem. It is not enough just to block and filibuster. Democrats should welcome this debate with passion.
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