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

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.

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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.

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