If for any reason, the Senate becomes 50-50 again...

[Virginia Dare]

and Darth Cheney is the tie-breaker, I sincerely hope that Senator Reid will keep the Senate in session at all sorts of inconvenient times for him, say 2:00 p.m, right in the middle of nappy time.


And hey, if Darthy boy has to spend his time sitting on the Senate floor, he can't be holding clandestine meetings with shady charactors and finding new ways to screw us blind, can he?

[Kagemusha]

1. But if it was 50-50 would Reid be the leader of the Senate?

Or would whoever got Frist's seniority when his term ran out stay in because the Republicans therefore never "lost" control?

I'd hate for that to be a matter of bitter public debate but, I can very easily see this coming up...

[Virginia Dare]

6. Cheney would still have to be there for every vote though...

wouldn't he? I guess they could shut down the Senate until Cheney finds it convenient, but I don't see that happening.

I agree, there is going to be some debate over the whole balance of power, anything could happen to any one of them at any time. They went through this back in 2001.

[MonkeyFunk]

2. Reid will not have the power

to keep the Senate in session under such a circumstance.


The best he could do - and it's unlikely he'd get the cooperation to do it - would be to make every vote a 50-50 tie, and force Cheney to be there to break the vote. But that would be very politically unwise.

[BuyingThyme]

3. Speculative. Locking...

[MoonRiver]

4. ...

:D

[Virginia Dare]

8. Hee, hee you're going to be busy today...n/t

[ashling]

5. If it was 50-50 the Dems would not be in the majority

The question of who was leader would fall to a vote to be broken by Gramps Cheney.

And Lieberman would caucus with the Republicans.

[Virginia Dare]

7. Lieberman has said he will caucus with the Democrats...

at least publicly, hasn't he? I don't think we should be writing him off.

[ashling]

11. He'll go where its best for him

that should not surprise you.

[Kagemusha]

14. I just hope we never find out

But if the Republicans do thwart the will of the people in this matter, they won't be able to plead that they won at the polls this time. Running the Senate looks and feels good but little power comes with it with a Republican President. If the worst happens, liberals will be angry and stay angry. Perhaps a blessing in disguise.

[BonnieJW]

9. You're assuming every vote will be split 50-50

Don't you think many repub senators will vote with dems to insure re-election in 2008?

[Virginia Dare]

10. Good point...

I can see Snowe, Collins and a few others coming over to the light on occasion!

[MonkeyFunk]

12. you think they'd vote with the Dems

for organizing purposes? That would effectively mean switching parties.

[tritsofme]

13. Cheney would only have to be there to organize caucuses and to break ties

He doesn't have to be there for anything else.