Am I the only one here who think getting two GOP senators to support a bill is not a bad thing??

[KansasVoter]

I would love to have 60, but if we can't issue a bill that even two moderate GOP senators can't support then maybe we need to tweak the bill a little. I know they will be assholes about it but getting two should not be that impossible.

[Jackpine Radical]

1. Yeah, I really think that's possible. The only reason they were so unified

in the recent past was that the leaders ruled them with an iron fist, enforcing party discipline with really draconian measures. That party establishment has now fallen to pieces, and I suspect that the individual members will feel much more free to break party discipline.

[GarbagemanLB]

2. I agree. Frankly, I think there would need to be negotiations regardless of if we had 60 seats,

because there are quite a few conservative Democrats who need to walk a thin line to keep their seat in conservative states.

[elocs]

9. Good point because is it better to have a conservative Democrat replaced with a Republican.

I would just as soon have a conservative Democrat who would vote with Democrats most of the time rather than a Republican who would almost never vote with the Democrats. That's pragmatism as opposed to an all or nothing attitude.

[Warren Stupidity]

3. problem: "two moderate GOP senators"

There might be two. Then again there might not. However a slightly different scenario, much less pleasant, also is possible. Blue Dog Democrats and that fucking asshole Lieberman align themselves with the party of idiots and fascist theocrats to block key progressive legislation, for example universal healthcare or Iraq funding with a withdrawal timeline.

[Sebastian Doyle]

13. There are two left

They're both in Maine. Frankly, we could probably depend on Snowe and Collins to vote properly on some things than we could the usual DLC suspects (Landrieu/The Nelsons/Lincoln/LIEberman, etc.)

[AlinPA]

4. We can't count on Lieberman or Nelson.

[Lasher]

5. No, you're not the only one.

Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe are both moderate GOP Senators. Arlen Specter is another. Some of these and other Republicans will vote for legislation at times when others in their party will not. And the last 2 years notwithstanding, it is not the general tradition of the Senate to see the minority filibuster every bill with which they have any disagreement whatever. Further, budget bills are not subject to filibuster.

On the other hand, there will be fewer Republican moderates to work with next year. Gordon Smith of Oregon and John Sununu of New Hampshire both failed in their re-election bids. :) And Some Democrats will surely stray.

There was a time when I really wanted to reach the magic number of 60, partly for a symbolic reasons. In the unlikely event that we do, for me the victory would be hollow unless there's some way to un-appoint Lieberman as Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee.

[question everything]

6. I felt bad when Lincoln Chafee lost, and I am glad to have

Snowe and Collins in the Senate.

Perhaps if we will show that moderate Republicans are better in getting a job done than the rabid Stevens and others, our country as a whole will be better.

[The River]

7. I Think A few Million

Net-roots activists will step up and persuade any hesitant
Senators on important bills. Imagine the influence of 2 - 3 - 5
million emails, faxes, phone calls and in person visits will
have on reluctant Senators.
When Obama said it is "all about us", I think he was saying
that we will need to continue to be as politically active after
the election as before.
How does a 10 Million Citizen March on DC
in support Single Payer Health care sound?
If I were a GOP Senator it would sound frightening as hell.

[gravity]

8. We just need two GOP senators not to filibuster it

It shouldn't be too hard to get

[polichick]

10. I still want to WIN in Georgia - Psycho Sarah should help get out the Dem vote!

[AtomicKitten]

11. The wingnuts filibustered 100+ times since losing power.

Obama needs a consensus of 60 to break filibusters, and I really don't care where he gets the votes from. Hopefully no meaningful tweaking of bills is the price.

[Orsino]

12. But is there such a thing as a bill so good...

...that ten DINOs won't vote against it? There are at least two sides of the aisle to worry about.