So what power does the right have that doesn't come from us?

[county worker]

If a Republican house manages to pass a bill how can it get past the Senate if the Dems don't want it to? How can it get signed into law if Obama doesn't sign it?

The repubs are only successful if we let them be. We should pass popular bills in the Senate and let the repubs shoot them down for two years.

[harun]

1. They could do that but I have little hope they will. We still have a couple

good people in the Senate, Franken, Sanders, etc. They need to play hard ball.

[Democrats_win]

2. Don't forget their goal: to bring Havoc to America so Obama loses.

That's really the Catch-22 for Democrats. Will they have the wisdom to get through this without letting the GOP further screw up our country? (In the past few years we have learned what a horrible job Clinton did in this respect.)

[jwirr]

3. The power they hold is in the committees and they control funding.

If they do not want a bill to reach the floor it will not and if it does get passed they can refuse to put it in the budget. That is a lot of power. I do have one question - can they start an impeachment? They will do that to cause trouble.

[glinda]

4. I think that is their goal actually.

[SlimJimmy]

7. As a matter of practice, they MUST be the body to institute an

impeachment proceeding. I just don't think that will happen, though. The Repubs learned their lesson with President Clinton. I don't think they'll go down that road again.

[Ozymanithrax]

5. Obama still must govern...

It the U.S. Government does nothing for the next two years, it will collapse and we will take the blame.

The President does set the agenda. I am intersted in hear how his agenda will change.

[SlimJimmy]

6. Are you talking about originating revenue bills in the Senate? If that's the case then

you might want to read this ...

Section. 7.

All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills.

[End Of The Road]

8. Prez does not have to sign bill for it to become law.

Also, bill can become law even if president vetoes it, IF bill has enough votes in Congress.

[GSLevel9]

9. sheeesh... people just DON'T get it!!!!!!!!

Success for the Repubs in the House now means

1) Block DEM agenda

2) Punish Obama

3) Make it LOOK like you're trying.

4) Send right wing bills to the Senate to force a close Senate to vote on them, some will pass forcing an Obama veto. Repubs will make the headline "Obama vetoes spending cuts, forcing deficit higher"

5) Repeal HCR. And btw... the Repubs don't WANT to completely repeal HCR. They want to give it right wing provisions and remove the progressive angles. I just heard Boehner or some other empty suit saying they AGREE with the "pre-existing condition rules" and other parts of HCR.

It's ALL politics, baby...

So there are 2 choices now. You can run to the center or you can pick your fights. We will see which way the DEMS go.