What will happen after the Democrats keep both houses of Congress?

[rug]

[villager]

1. Even less than "happens" now, one imagines, given their majorities will be reduced.

n/t

[yurbud]

3. yep, when we gave them a senate supermajority, they still acted

Like a frightened minority, or more damning, slightly less craven corporate bootlicks than the gop.

[damonm]

6. WHAT supermajority?

we had 58 Democrats, 40 rethugs, and 2 independents, one of which was LIEberman...

[prolesunited]

8. The one in their minds.

Don't let facts get in the way.

[karynnj]

36. - and that only for about 4 months -

It didn't happen until Franken was seated.

[Bodhi BloodWave]

42. You forgot one faction, the blue dogs

[vaberella]

47. Of the 58 Dems we had 13 Conservadems and Conservadems = "Rethugs.". n/t

[damonm]

48. Not necessarily, but close enough.

[golfguru]

50. Before Scott Brown we had 49 n/t

[treestar]

64. Exactly. And on the rare occasions they accept they, they run to

how everything can be passed by reconciliation.

[MadMaddie]

23. A supermajority would have been 65

we didn't have that.

[vaberella]

46. Super majority is if they had 61 seats in the Senate.

59 means nothing when facing a filibuster dude. Please try to remember that.

[Ter]

55. What happened to 60?

Why 61?

[vaberella]

56. To cover our asses if Lincoln acts up.

She tends to act up the most. However I like the poster who said 65---then we'd cover Landrieu and Nelson and Bayh and so on.

[Ter]

60. Ahh ok

Do you think we'll ever see a 65 majority?

[vaberella]

61. Not in this election. But I think we can do it during Obama's Presidency.

I think if we have a tighter organization set up and definitely have our people do more national fronts and do interviews on the national level (because you know a lot of these Repubs get out of state funding) and we put in people who push the real issues---like issues that may be "socialist" but directly affect their constituents like Social Security in most cases and the such we'd have a good chance. Then we can get crazy shit done.

[Andy823]

2. Well...

A hell of a lot more than if they don't!

[Jackpine Radical]

7. Or a helluva lot less

in terms of impeachment nonsense, super-duper commissions to investigate Obama's birth certificate, and attempts to undo any mildly progressive legislation that passed in the last 2 years.

[Cosmocat]

33. B I N G O ...

all the friggen droopy dog BS ...

THIS is the point ...

The Dems did more than a lot here give them credit for, less than we all might have hoped for ...

But, the whole operation turns into one big take down Obama machine if the Rs get the majority ...

[karynnj]

37. Even worse, if they have the majority, they would easily shut down government

The question is whether the economy is strong enough to deal with that.

[Jackpine Radical]

39. They won't shut down the gov't

unless they can pin the blame on the Dems. They need it to keep the MIC going, for one thing.

[opihimoimoi]

4. GOOD THINGS...Better Things....than the alternate GOPers

[ProSense]

5. Some people will be happy and some people

will kick dirt.

[Pirate Smile]

13. Some people will be glad and some people

will pound sand.

[TheBigotBasher]

9. GOP infighting will go massive.

There willl be those who think the GOP was not crazy enough (see Palin, Sarah) and there will be those that think it was too crazy (see those that the teabaggers want to primary).

[Cosmocat]

34. No it won't ...

A lot of people here just do not get the GOP ...

It's lazor like focus on hating dems will rally it past itself in a friggen heartbeat ...

They even pickup on seat in either chamber (and it will be a lot more than that) and they wculd claim victory and a mandate to be even more crazy than they have been ...

[Mass]

10. What will happen if they lose one or both Houses of Congress?

Not saying your question is not a valid one, but it seems a little late.

The silver lining of having shorter minorities, in particular in the House, is that a bunch of Blue dogs will not be there. Same in the Senate, with the potential exception of Feingold. Neither Lincoln nor Bennett are great liberals, and the other seats we are losing are dems who are not running again (not that we regret Bayh anyway, and Dorgan, though good in some domains, was weak on social issues).

[Iris]

11. guns come out

[scheming daemons]

12. The right-wing tries to engage in "second amendment solutions"

...to quote Sharon Angle.

[northoftheborder]

14. whatever happens, win or lose, MORE gridlock.

[AlinPA]

41. Somewhere I read they said "the next time we come here, we will be armed"

during the Beck Teabagger march in DC.

[recoveringdittohed]

15. Senate needs to change its rules

Get rid of the anonymous hold and make it harder to filibuster.

[customerserviceguy]

16. We might nominally keep the Senate

the day after the election, then the horse-trading starts to see which Blue Dogs and DINO's can be bought over by the Rethuglican party. Let's face it, our side would just be getting payback for grabbing Snarlin' Arlen.

As for the House, if we do keep it, there will surely be congresscritters who would have kept their seats only by the most razor-thin of margins. They'll have the hell scared out of them, and will try to moderate anything the President proposes.

And the worst part is, we'll still have nominal 'control', and the Repukes will not have to govern, they can play the party of no game for another two years. But I don't think that's how it's going to turn out...

[mikehiggins]

17. The Dems will have to find new excuses for screwing up.

There is a lot of truth to the claim that the worst thing that happened recently to the Democratic Party was winning both Houses of Congress AND the White House.

Most people simply cannot understand how a political part with such an overwhelming advantage could be so consistently a wallflower at the prom.

GOP filibusters, or the threat thereof? Make them carry out the threat OR eliminate the "gentlemen's agreement" from the get-go.

Have to go it alone with no GOPuke support? Go it alone.

Stop being afraid to stand up for something and do the people's business, that stuff you were elected for.

Just a few ideas.

I'm in a real good mood, now that Rham is gone.

[Cosmocat]

35. This is a joke, right?

"There is a lot of truth to the claim that the worst thing that happened recently to the Democratic Party was winning both Houses of Congress AND the White House."

[polmaven]

38. The whole post

has to be a joke...statements like "an overwhelming majority", "If you have to go it alone then go it alone"......What color do you suppose the sky is in that poster's world? Wow! Absolutely no concept of how government actually works in this country.

[AtomicKitten]

18. Hopefully change the filibuster rules at the beginning of the new Congress. nt

[valerief]

19. More war, I'll bet. nt

[Aramchek]

20. Teabagger Heads will Spontaneously Explode

[JoePhilly]

32. If we on the left were smart, that's should be enough to motivate us.

[jesus_of_suburbia]

54. That will be the 2nd best thing that happens.....

The best thing will be that we can hopefully get more done.


However, the teabagger head explosions will ALMOST bring more joy to me.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

21. I have no idea in the short term. But in the long tem (2012) the Democrats

could come back even bigger if they manage the economy competently.

[flamingdem]

24. What you said, glass half full concept nt

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

40. Right now I look at this as keeping the barbarians at the gate until the

reinforcements arrive.

[Historic NY]

22. Well they better chuck out bi=partisanship its doesn't work.

[smalll]

25. Things like this --

IF we're lucky!

I expect full-grown pigs would be a lot more damaging to planes than geese!

[Radical Activist]

26. It depends. If we expand the Senate majority...

then a lot of things will start happening.

[some guy]

27. Corporate short-term interests

continue to dominate; the empire continues to collapse.

[cherokeeprogressive]

28. There is no way to know. n/t

[ProgressOnTheMove]

29. Well they won't shut down Congress bringing the nation to a halt sure some will play up but we'd of

kept the hounds at the door. Also we'll of avoided a double dip recession and had they put their put their second trashing of the economy on Pres. Obama's shoulders we'd of also avoided President Palin. Now that people are paying attention we've really dodged a bullet as long as we're in 'fired up' mode all the way to November.

[akbacchus_BC]

30. Business as usual I think. Don't some Dems vote with Republicans? n/t

[grantcart]

31. The Republican civil war will reach leadership positions

There will be competition for both head of the Senate and Congressional Republican caucuses.


A significant minority will want to become more obstructionist and go with the Tea Party mantra.


New leaders will center on less ideological and more intelligent types like Cantor.


The breakdown of caucus discipline will allow the Democrats to negotiate with particular Senators and once the flood gates are broken about 10 moderate Republican Senators will be going out of their way to get their name on a bill that passes, why?


Because in 2012 the Republican Civil War will be an all out fight between the old hand economic/security conservatives and the religious right. The old hands know that the result will be a massive win by Obama and they will want to have some landmark legislation that bears their name. Some with hispanic populations will move on immigration, others will move on sustainable energy. Its one thing to have no achievements in an off election but running in a general election with an incumbent President is another matter.

[nxylas]

44. Are there 10 moderate Republicans left?

I thought the Senators from Maine were it as far as the moderate wing of the GOP goes.

[grantcart]

52. Even conservatives like Grassley that come from blue leaning states

will want to find something to put their name on.


The alternative for a Senator is to go back and say that they got nothing passed and accomplished nothing. That will only sound good in the reddest of states.

Even people like Lindsay Graham understand that at some point you have to go back and show the people that you got something done.

[damonm]

63. Too bad I can't rec this...

[GSLevel9]

43. pigs will fly?

sorry but I can't see the House being DEM... the Senate, EASY.

[Ikonoklast]

45. Don't you have that backwards?

Democrats will retain the house, albeit with a slimmer majority...the Senate is another matter.

[Skittles]

49. probably not much

[cyr330]

51. There will be an ENORMOUS fucking

MELTDOWN!!! Won't it be fun to watch? We've been hearing so much about that boner, Boehner. I bet he'll throw himself on the floor, screaming & kicking :) I can't wait to see it!

[creon]

53. Don't know

If the Democrats do maintain a majority, what is the legislative agenda?
Are there any plans for this next Congress if there is a Democratic majority?


If Democrats vote, there will be a Democratic majority.

[vaberella]

57. Depends on how much. If it's under 60 in the Senate...well it won't change by anything.

Unless we have some new progressive blood to push things through aggressively. Ditto for the House.

[CTLawGuy]

58. priority one -

filibuster reform.

[harun]

59. SSDD. More legislation to increase Corporate Profits.

[GrantDem]

62. The GOP civil war will erupt starting November 3...