Republican Senators Can't Pretend To Be Moderates Now

[davefromqueens]

Some of you know how the game works.

A bunch of right wing republicans dress up as "moderates," disguise their real records and views from the voters, and manage to get elected by presenting themselves in a way that they are not knowing full well that if they ran as the conservatives they were, they would get trounced at the polls. People like Susan Collins and Arlen Specter come to mind.

The phony moderates would then vote one way and talk another EXCEPT when their vote didn't matter. Therefore if other republicans could find 41 votes to filibuster something, these phonies could vote NOT to filibuster since their vote didn't matter. When the Repugs were in the majority, so long as they got 50 or 51, some of these repugs would cast cosmetic votes in opposition just so they can claim to be "moderate."

With the Dems having 59 Senators in their caucus, the Republicans are boxed in. They would now need ALL 41 of their Senators for a filibuster. That means that the phony moderates would have to come clean EVERY single time.

That's the significance of the Franken win. If these so called moderates even ONCE join EVERY other republicans in a single filibuster, the ruse is up. If Snowe or Collins or Specter join in a filibuster or start reversing votes of the past NOW KNOWING that the votes are the difference between passing and not passing, the ruse is up.

The pressure may be too great politically, especially for someone like Snowe who has a reputation to preserve or Specter, who is in serious trouble in 2010.

Way to go Al Franken. The joke is on the republicans.

[DaveinMD]

1. excellent point

this works as long as we hold our more conservative Senators.

[davefromqueens]

3. for purposes of filibusters

Every single one of the too conservative Democratic Senators won't filibuster.

However, with 59 votes, it enables up to nine of them to vote against a bill. In short, it allows them to play the very same game that republicans of the past have played.

[FLAprogressive]

2. I think Snowe will continue to vote her conscience. I bet that she'll eventually be Jim Jeffords 2.0

...the GOP will continue to move to the right and she'll be left behind. She's to the left of Ben Nelson....

[davefromqueens]

4. I hope you are right

if Snowe is actually a moderate, she won't filibuster. If she holds that line, then I think Dems should try to work with her.

The beauty of 59 Senators in a caucus is that 9 of them can vote no and we can still pass a bill. The key is no filibuster.

[stop the bleeding]

5. #5 nt

[unblock]

6. except that republicans value team unity above nearly all else

not to mention the fact that they're quite comfortable in their blatant hypocrisy.

the "moderates" will have no problem positioning themselves as "wanting" to do the reasonable thing but casting their vote with the party for the sake of unity, and possibly in exchange for some favor to them or to their state.

your point is well taken that there is an advantage to having more than the bare minimum and that the republicans have lost some flexibility, but it does not ruin them, unless democrats can find ways to keep them fractured.

[MH1]

7. In Specter's case, the ruse has been up for a long time.

I don't know anyone who pays much attention to politics, who thinks Specter is really a "moderate".

[Wednesdays]

8. And...

"A bunch of right wing republicans dress up as "moderates," disguise their real records and views from the voters, and manage to get elected by presenting themselves in a way that they are not knowing full well that if they ran as the conservatives they were, they would get trounced at the polls. People like Susan Collins and Arlen Specter come to mind."

The flip side of that coin is, if people like Collins and/or Specter vote against any repuke fillibuster, the GOP will toss them under the bus.

Which would be fine by me. :popcorn:

[Froward69]

9. I think we owe Senator landslide

all the love and respect he deserves. as well as a well thought out joke or two.

GO AL!!! :patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot: