If there's just one chamber, aren't we at stalemate?

[garthranzz]

Assume the predictions are true: we hold the Senate, lose the House. Gridlock. The House can't repeal a law by itself and there's always the presidential veto.

We may not move forward as fast as we'd like or should, but the return to feudalism, robber baronism or effective slavery that the Republicans want should be forestalled.

The fight will get nasty. I hope President Obama does have some "Chicago street fighter" in him.

Let's not let the lying fearmongers win.

[Clio the Leo]

1. Not with Barack Obama in the White House.....

.... things stalled last time because GOP was out to fight him at all costs. Now the ball is in their court.

[Aramchek]

2. If it happens it will be Repiglican gridlock, and they'll get tossed out on their asses in 2012

[napi21]

3. If we have to lose one chamber, the House is the best one to lose.

Granted they can do all sorts of hanky panky like bill of impeachment, bill to repeal HC, etc, but remember, the Senate is the place bills go to die!

[GreenPartyVoter]

4. Exactly

[littlewolf]

5. the house controls all spending ... the budget is

handled there ...

[joshcryer]

12. Wrong, only the house can make bills that bring in revenue (raise taxes).

That is a fact, and that is what makes this suck. No new stimulus, no new energy policy, no jobs policy. Simple as that.

[napi21]

13. If that's what the Pub do, THEY will pay the price in 2012!

I HATE to even mention another elecion right now. I'm sick & tired of so many ads and all the speculation on cable every night, I don't even want to think about this but even worse in 2 years, but the people aren't going to have any more patience with the Pubs not accomplishing anything than they were with the Dems this year.

[joshcryer]

15. I'm not particularly concerned about 2012, I'm concerned about tomorrow.

I'm concerned about what is going to fucking happen to my country over fucking right wingers putting a wrench in to progressive policy.

[napi21]

17. I think you can kiss any more progressive ideas goodby for

the next 2 years at least. the House is going to be controled by the Pubs & they're never even going to present any progressive ideas let alone pass any!

[EC]

6. The way I think it will likely go...

There are enough bills passed by the House already to keep the Senate busy for years...if we retain the Senate and lose the House, they'll just bring to the floor the bills from the last two years...Harry already said they were going to do something about the filibuster, so I'm thinking they'll get some work done...

[napi21]

9. Sorry, it doesn't work that way. Any bills that haven't been handled by the Senate

at the end of THIS congress are dead, gone, by-by. Every Congress starts fresh and none of the previous bills carry over.

[Drunken Irishman]

7. No. We have a 2-1 advantage (WH and Senate).

[totodeinhere]

11. Yes, but with a few more seats the GOP will be able to filibuster almost anything.

It will be hard to accomplish anything more, but gains made in the last two years should be safe.

[obxhead]

8. Makes some of wish Obama had spent some of that political capital

a little better in some respects.

[Think82]

14. He had the most productive legislative session since LBJ

[obxhead]

16. Imagine what we could have achieved with use of the bully pulpit.

I'll celebrate what he has done and cry for what he failed to even really try for.

[ChimpersMcSmirkers]

18. In the end Obama got a lot less then he proposed. He supported a larger stimulus and a PO.

Just saying that he could have bullypullpitted(word?) it through is disingenuous. There is no way you can prove that, so in reality your statement is not much more then flamebait. You could also argue that he knew the count politically and got what he could. There is no way to prove that either, so there we are.

[obxhead]

19. I can agree with that.

All we can do is work with the results of today (the next few days?) and move on.

I have my disappointments. Oh well, focus on the next 2 years.

[Zoeisright]

10. Not with repukes in the House investigating President Obama 24/7.

THAT they will get done. While the rest of the country goes down the toilet.

[depakid]

20. In important respects, we've already been in a stalemate.

Not much will really change on that front.

Get ready, however, for the subpoenas.

[FBaggins]

21. It wouldn't be worse than a stalemate in either case.

We still hold the WH after all.

[krispos42]

22. The bills will die in reconcilliation, probably

n/t