even mccain and lugar in foreign policy maybe gitmo/torture stuff would definitely be with dems. but yeah. maine girls will be bffs with dems.
Please take Specter. Pretty please. The man is a blight on America, and he's ideologically to the left of Webb and a few others anyway. I don't care whether the Democratic supermajority is nominal or just de facto. I just don't want him to pretend to be a republican anymore.
The whole 60 issue is overblown. For any remotely controversial or mildly leftist issue their will be conservative Dems that bolt anyway. Besides, there are probably 8 or so Rep Senators with a semblance of an Indy streak (including Coleman, who is a pragmatist/opportunist--not an ideologue). If anything both the Dems and nation will be better served not getting 60. This coming "left of center" person. If a bill can't get at least a few Rep votes residing in a moderate or left state--it probably has major problems. And there is Zero chance judges will get fillibustered. I mean if that didn't happen with "Scalito" with a Dem majority and those stakes, please, there is no way all 41 or 42 Rep senators would fillibuster.
Your wish might come true. If the GOP decides that more ideological purity is the answer to their problems and the Dems play their cards right, people like Specter and other RINOs will bolt the party or be replaced by Dems. Desert Scar, well said.
No way. I love the RINOs. It's the only way we can keep democrats in red states. Please take DINO Lieberman!
I don't want to get rid of all RINOs, just Specter (and maybe Graham). He's an arrogant, obnoxious, dishonest idiot. Snowe, Collins, McCain, et al., are moderates or liberals, but they all seem to be honest people. The big tent is big enough for them.
Specter is in Pennsylvania. How is Lieberman a DINO? He's listed as an independent, but he's far to the left of Webb, Inouye, Landrieu, and half of the "liberal" democrats. The only way he doesn't fit the democratic orthodoxy is on their current view of the Iraq war.
Dems are just mad at Lieberman over the war and forget his record on other issues. (Sort of like how some Republicans call McCain a DINO when he really isn't).
I don't think it's that. Maybe for Democratic primary voters in Connecticut, but not nationally. There are plenty of Dems left that haven't run away from their Iraq War vote. I really think it's all about Obama, and Lieberman daring to speak out against him. Thankfully, Obama's a bigger man than the rank-and-file Democrats.
Well put I agree the country will be much better without one party having a fillibuster proof majority. That said if the Democrats don't get to 60 and are counting on Collins, Snowe and Specter to break filibusters I wouldn't be so sure of that. As liberal as they are there is a reason they are still Republicans and there are a few votes (leadership, USSC confirmation, veto overrides and filibusters) where party loyalty is paramount. That is why even though filibusters are often threatened in recent Congresses there have been few actual filibusters as each party is very wary of what might be the repercussions if they go through with it. If it were to come down to the Republicans launching an actual filibuster it will very likely be on an issue where they know it is controversial to begin with and one where their caucus is already strongly united on.
While there are many Democrats who haven't run away from their affirmative Iraq vote there aren't any other Democrat Senators who have campaigned on it and / or who have campaigned against their presidential candidate and other Democrats running for office.
No. Thank. You. The man is a blight on America. He talks like he would be against the abuses of the Bush administration and then votes with them every single time the vote carries any significance. I'm not sure what he is, but he is definitely not a Dem.
Veto override (which would be 67 votes I believe) won't be an issue anyway. What I am saying is any bill that could possibly get ALL Rep senators against it most certainly would get conservative Dem defectors. It would have to be a really partisan and outlandish thing to result in one party completely closing ranks, like trying to impeach a president over lying about his sexual relations (where even then a few handfuls of Rep joined all Dems in voting against). The line of 60 is artificial. There are some Dems more conservative on issues than some Rep, and vice versa. Votes happen more on issue position than party affiliation. Particularly in the Senate, with 6 year terms (somewhat less political expediency and need for party support in funds for elections every 2 years), most any reasonable bill should be able to get a few Reps on it. Some will do it because their constituents are behind it (politically expedient Rep's in left leaning states--e.g., Coleman, Collins, Gregg, Spector), and some will do it because they believe it is right even if most their supporters/party doesn't because they are a beat to their own drummer type (e.g., McCain on immigration and CFR; Chuck Hagel; Lugar). There are more than that with Indy streaks than those I mentioned. There are some Dems going the other way too (for principled as well as expedient reasons). So it won't be a simple matter of Dems picking up 1 or 2 votes to stop a fillibuster because anything of that controversial nature will surely draw some Dems against it. So again, the "60" line for the party affiliation is very artificial, the 60 line on any particular issue or bill that would have a major impact on the course of our gov & nation (where Rep and Dems with indy streaks can both have major sway) is real.
Both Snowe and Collins are RINOs in an overwhelmingly blue state. The only reason they get elected as Republicans is because they are RINOs. Obama won Maine 58%-41%. It's a complete fluke that two Republicans represent Maine in the Senate. If/when it comes down to a cutting edge issue where the GOP tries to use hardball/obstructionist tactics to stop what the majority of the American public (including the voters in Maine) want, both of them will break ranks. There is already enough animosity towards them from GOP ranks (because they have been pilloried as RINOs) that neither will have a problem stepping away from the party line when they don't agree. This is why they are popular at home and hated by the GOP "core".
Meanwhile in Minnesota, ~18% of the ballots have been re-counted. Coleman's lead slipped from 215 to 174 votes. Of re-counted votes, Coleman challenged 146 while Franken challenged 123. 538 believes most of the challenges by both candidates are frivolous. If true, the 146 vs. 123 is advantage Franken. http://www.startribune.com/politics...yqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUs
I'm not so sure they are RINO's. I think Maine is fiscally conservative in the traditional sense (smaller, less intrusive government) - but they are completely not socially conservative. The Senators seems to fit that mold - they are "old school Republicans" rather than modern Republicans or Democrats.
OK, I'll go for that. I betcha they end up voting to confirm whoever Obama nominates for the Supreme Court and will support him on health care, alternative energy and climate change initiatives.
crap! I hope Franken loses. He is much to funny to be in the senate. He should bring back his radio show.
Coleman's lead is now 120 with 64% recounted. http://www.startribune.com/politics...yqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUs
