A basic fact, The Congress is controlled by the Dems, but the Senate is right of center

[WeDidIt]

It's a sad fact that has been lost in the hyperbole of the past year.

By design, the Senate is always more conservative than the House. That was the Great Compromise (or "Connecticut Compromise", if you will).

This is why it takes sixty votes to move ANY legislation forward in the Senate. Don't feel bad, before 1975, it took a 2/3 majority to invoke cloture and kill a filibuster.

So the Senate can only be as progressive as the 60th member to break a filibuster on progressive legislation.

Let's look at that Democratic caucus in the Senate:

Joe Lieberman - what can you say? He never met a Republican talking point he didn't like.

Ben Nelson - He's further to the right than Olympia Snowe is to the left. In fact, I'd argue that on a lot of things Olympia Snowe is further to the left than Ben Nelson.

Evan Bayh - You're kidding, right? This guy looked like he'd jump ship if things hadn't turned around in '06.

Mary Landrieu - If she wasn't as far to the right as she is, I doubt she'd have her seat, but there you go.

Blanch Lincoln - Do I really need to say more?

Mark Pryor - See Blanche Lincoln.

Kent Conrad - Getting closer to the center, but still right of center.

Bill Nelson - This guy is so slimy his face turned plastic.

Bob Casey - Okay, he can be left on a lot of things, but choice ain't one of them.

There's nine out of the 60 members of the caucus. You can see some rightward tilts on many of the others.

There's your problem. There's why there isn't much you can do to get the most progressive legislation you'd like.

Add more progressives to that caucus and you diminish the power of each of the above individuals exponentially for each added progressive.

There's your answer. IF Obama had publicly castigated these right leaning members of the Democratic over what amounts to the most progressive domestic agenda in forty years, HCR would already be dead for another twenty years. IF the progressives in both the Senate and the House don't bend to the whims of the above, HCR is dead for another generation.

Instead, you can have a foundation that can be built upon.

Those are the choices before everybody.

[NJmaverick]

1. Very well laid out. It's not a great situation, but we are doing well all things considered

and as you say, we just have to work to improve things.

[Enrique]

2. the 60 vote threshold is new

and it's controversial, despite the media and even some democrats accepting it like it's inevitable.

[WeDidIt]

4. Only as a lowered number. The procedural filibuster is nearly as old as the Senate.

It was first created by Thomas Jefferson in the Rules of the Senate he wrote.

Back then, it was a 2/3 requirement and was originally intended to insure all members of the Senate had time to arrive in order to cast their votes on legislation.

It didn't enter widespread use until recently because minorities rarely felt they had incentive and the power to thwart the will of the majority in the Senate. As a standard procedural tactic, it started in the nineties under Bob Dole. That use in what was considered extreme circumstances remained the same under Democrats after Bush took over. When the Democrats again took over control of the Senate, it became the standard for every piece of legislation and has remained the standard ever since.

[Armstead]

3. If they are to the right why do they support mandates?

Mandates are about as "left" as you can get.

But in the classical sense, mandates are part of PUBLIC programs. They are an obligation that goes along with a benefit in the form of a liberal social program like Social Security.

So why are these and many other ConservaDem Meatheads and so-called "centrists" willing to accept the worst aspect of "government intrusion" while killing the benefits in the form of progressive social insurance?

Because they are fucking hypocrites. Mandates are bad if they are associated with a government program, but fine if they force people to buy a private product?

And they should be called out on their phoniness instead of being catered to.

[dipsydoodle]

5. I thought your Congress was controlled by lobbyists

:sarcasm:

[bullimiami]

6. sadly true.

[WeDidIt]

7. What's even sadder

Many DUers blame this fact about the Senate on some sort of a "lack of leadership" on Obama's part.

That a HCR bill actually passed the Senate is an astounding achievement in leadership. It rivals anything achieved by FDR.