Senate Dems assert themselves as governing party, work around Republicans filibusters on wide front

[babylonsister]

http://www.openleft.com/diary/18373/senate-dems-assert-themselves-as-governing-party-work-around-republicans-filibusters-on-wide-front

Senate Dems assert themselves as governing party, work around Republicans filibusters on wide front
by: Chris Bowers
Wed Apr 21, 2010 at 16:25


Don't expect nearly as much obstruction from Republicans during the next six months of legislative efforts as we experienced during the previous year. Democrats are finding a way around Republican filibusters on a wide variety of issues in 2010.

1. Republicans cracking badly on Wall Street reform

First, Republicans are not going to block Wall Street reform indefinitely. Chuck Grassley voted for Blanche Lincoln's derivatives bill in committee today, and the Republican leadership has been told by several of its members that they will eventually make a deal with Democrats and pass a bill:

Within 48 hours, the Republican line on financial regulatory reform went from "filibuster" to "we're very close to a deal." Why the shift? Republicans and Democrats will offer up spin all day, chalking up the progress to their own doggedness, but in the end it comes down to a simple reality. Key Republicans, sincere about passing new rules for Wall Street, but intimidated by the notion of blocking financial regulatory reform, let it be known to their leadership that, at some point, they would side with Democrats to break a filibuster. Maybe not on round one, or even round two. But eventually.

snip//

2. Broad, open-ended possibilities for reconciliation bill

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3. Filibuster reform next year

And even beyond this year, keep in mind that Democrats are extremely likely to control the Senate after the 2010 elections, and that all three potential Senate majority leaders have promised filibuster and other procedural reform for the first Senate act of 2011.

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In short, Senate Democrats are working around Republican filibusters on a very wide front, both in the short term and the long-term. As such, even if the Democratic position is not improving electorally, legislatively Democratic prospects are looking bright. While the legislation they pass will still be a far cry from progressive ideals, it will be a lot closer to those ideals than passing nothing. Just as importantly, it will raise the bar for future Democratic administrations, rather than merely revisiting the fights of recent years..

It took them a while to find their legs, and there will still be a lot of hiccups along the way (see, for examples from today, Senator Carper suggesting Dems just cave on financial reform, and some Senate Democrats going to the right of Blanche Lincoln on derivatives), but Democrats are asserting themselves as the governing party in this country. That is a good thing, because they are going to be governing it for at least another two and a half years.

[old mark]

1. Given the normal working speed of Congress - especially the Senate-

the Democrats are moving at blazing speed. We kick them around a lot, and they deserve most of it, but they show signs of developing an agressive new style that may make the GOP very sorry they rattled our cage...

I believe that-if we Dems can remember to vote-we can gain seats in November, leaving the GOP with little money or clout and most of their intelligent politicians either Independents or Democrats due to the purge...And their whining will be very enjoyable.

m

[Cirque du So-What]

2. You have NO IDEA how long I've awaited a headline like this one!

Even if the pace is still snail-like to the casual observer, small victories mount and create momentum. In politics, the illusion of progress does as much to win converts as actual progress itself. I don't mean tong in a bit sell short the Democrats' progress at all, as I'm pleased with what they've accomplished so far. I hope it gives hope to those who 'want the world & want it now' to hang in a bit longer.

[RoyGBiv]

3. It's about time ...

... and by that I mean it's about time this was recognized in print.

The Senate is a dysfunctional institution. It has been for awhile. Its operation is based on an antiquated concept of chivalry that really should have died ages ago, but for whatever reason we cling to this myth of "the more deliberative body" (apparently "deliberative" is the Orwellian term for "obstructionist") that forms the basis of the idea that Senators should be able to speak indefinitely just because they feel like it. Because the Senate did still actually function at least reasonably well, most of the time, until the latter part of the 20th century, the myth was able to entrench. (The post-Civil War and Civil Rights eras really should have taught us that lesson.) Then the inevitable happened, and people came into power who abuse rules just begging to be abused and do it consistently as a matter of party policy.

Democrats in this Congress have done a remarkable job in working around this so far. The very fact that the Democratic party has been able to achieve the party-line votes it has needed to move forward on anything is remarkable because Democrats rarely ever do that on anything even moderately controversial. Reid, for all his flaws, has worked tirelessly to make this happen, to prevent the Republicans from obstructing everything.

I'm not saying the Democrats have done well with policy. I'm saying they've done about as well as they possibly could have under the circumstances with parliamentary procedure. Asserting themselves as a block, as a party, has never been the Democrats' strong suit, but they've managed to do it, eventually, for the past year. With these initial successes, they've gotten a taste of what it's like and are getting better at it.

Having said that, I will retract everything if they maintain a Senate majority, not counting Lieberman, and do not manage to reform the filibuster substantially during the next Congress.