A horrifying thought: What if the Senate breaks 51-49

[KamaAina]

and then LIEberman pulls off his mask to reveal himself as a Republican shape-shifter?? :scared:

[TBF]

1. And that would be a surprise? nt

[WhiteTara]

2. we still have Joe

for a tie.

[BzaDem]

3. Then the Senate would be 50-50, and we would still have control. n/t

[Renew Deal]

4. Biden gets to spend a lot more time in the Senate.

:shrug:

[KamaAina]

5. Yes, Biden could break a tie vote -- but what about the committee chairmanships?

We'd be reduced to another power-sharing agreement like we had after Jeffords defected into the light.

[DaveinJapan]

6. So what? He shit all over any Democratic votes in any case.

What exactly does "caucus with" mean anyway?

It's not as though he supported much, if any, Democratic initiatives.

Who cares what he decides to do? Too many have given him too much power even though he shits all over it.

Let the Republicans have him, and then THEY can wonder if they can trust him as far as they can throw him.

Fuck Lieberman.

[KamaAina]

13. Basically, "caucus with" means "votes Dem for President Pro Tem"

and serve as a Dem* committee chair.

That, rather than any actual votes he might cast for us by accident, it's what's potentially at stake.

[deaniac21]

7. What if he has a party with Ben Nelson?

[woo me with science]

8. LOL.

We've seen that movie before.

[Barack_America]

9. Oh baby, that mask has been off for quite some time now.

[robcon]

10. Nelson might do that - if he's offerred something.

n/t

[Javaman]

11. I thought joe slackface already did that. nt

[ladjf]

12. I'm numb. Almost nothing horrifies me anymore. nt

[proud patriot]

14. when is he up for re-election ?

:grr:

[AtomicKitten]

18. 2012.

[TheKentuckian]

15. Fuggly. We have too many turncoat cons to do much of anything.

We mostly just get to get the blame because of the makeup of the caucus.

Gets hard to dependably to 50 with Ben, Joe, Mary, and Mark along with whoever joins them depending on the issue with anything south of about 57. We just have too many marginals and conservatives to advance any agenda at all.

Controlling the committees is nice but highly limited because the most sympathetic to the opposition and corporate interests have most of the plumb chairs.

Having to go through Conrad, Baucus, Lincoln, and Traitor Joe for most of all business is not a great recipe for success for the people. Better than Republicans but just by the margin of most of them taking their job and the idea of government seriously. A rather serious difference but one of limited impact on policy.
They actually intend to execute the horrible plans as opposed to using them as a foil and false alternative to something on the other side of productive and reasonable. Baucus, I don't give that much credit. He's just a paid hack that steers the car off the road.

***edit***
Blanche will likely be gone but odds are ag will go to bolster another crapper. Maybe this is an area that can be improved on so we'll see.

[de novo]

16. What mask?

[BlueCheese]

17. For some reason...

... people caucus with their original parties even after they stop voting with them. I mean, Zell Miller was about as anti-Democratic as it got by the end, and he still voted Dem for majority leader. It was very weird.