Daily Kos

It's a Coup, not a deal...

by David in Burbank

Tue May 24, 2005 at 04:03:18 PM PDT

7 Republican moderates and to a lesser degree 7 Democratic Moderates have excecuted a non-military coup in the Senate.  These 14 (but especially the 7 Republicans) now have more power than the President when it comes to appointments and legislation.

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Now I think this is better then having Frist in charge, by a long shot.

So long as the partisan divide is so complete (45-55), these 14 can basically make any decision they want so long as their alliance holds.  The republicans can refuse to vote for cloture, allowing a filibuster and the democrats can vote for cloture, ending a filibuster.  And since 2 of the republicans are on the Judiciary committee, they can even stall nominees the 7 democrats can't accept.

In other words, Bush has to consult with at least the 7 (if not all 14) if he wants to be assured his judges get voted on at all.  Frist doesn't even factor into the equation.  As a result, I expect breaking the alliance will be the Far Rights goal from now till it's done.  

The Nuclear Option might have been a thunderous dud (which I would have preferred), but we don't know if Reid was short 2 votes or not and that's why I think of this as a Coup.  The 14 didn't want to take the risk and saw an opportunity to take over.  They have imposed their collective will on the rest of the Senate.

Well, it's better than Frist being in charge, so here's to the alliance, may it last till the Democrats can tip the balance back to our side.

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Permalink | 33 comments

  •  yep (none / 0)

    i think you're about 100% on your reasoning.

    if everywhere you go smells like dogsh*t, you should probably check your own shoes.

    by monsterofNone on Tue May 24, 2005 at 04:04:21 PM PDT

  •  Good take... (none / 1)

    and what this shows is the Senate exerting some of its power of the Executive branch--which is good (especially w/ Bush in office).

    If one thing we've learned, Bush doesn't play nice w/ others.

    I hope he starts quacking very very soon.  

    "Cynicism is a sorry kind of wisdom" - Barack Obama

    by pacified on Tue May 24, 2005 at 04:08:33 PM PDT

    •  Checks and Balance (4.00 / 3)

      That part is nice.

      I also love that not one single Supreme Court Justice has announced their intentions to step down and be replaced.  I suspect the 2 eldest liberals will die before they leave - but that the conservatives haven't opted out while they could be assured a conservative replacement I find most interesting.  I suspect there is a power struggle there too and even the conservative justices aren't prepared to see the judicial branch undermined, despite their ideological agreement with the Republican party.  

      REJECT FEAR!

      by David in Burbank on Tue May 24, 2005 at 04:14:51 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  I agree its strange... (none / 0)

        but somewhere deep inside, we got to hope there are good people in this world, who care more about this country, and the institutions which define it, then the partisian hackery of the theo-cons.

        "Cynicism is a sorry kind of wisdom" - Barack Obama

        by pacified on Tue May 24, 2005 at 04:26:55 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

      •  Their ideological agreement (none / 0)

         It is with the conservatives not the neocons.  I read an article right after the 2000 election that Sandra Day O'Connor was waiting for a Republican President to be in office so she could retire.  The fact that she hasn't tells you something.  Smart real conservatives don't like the radical right taking over the party.

        "Do Iraqi children scream when the bombs fall if no one is in the White House to hear them?" Bernard Chazelle

        by dmac on Tue May 24, 2005 at 05:53:00 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

      •  I wrote about this the other day (none / 0)

        Supposedly, at a cocktail party, O'Connor was upset that Gore was declared the winner because she wanted to retire under a republican. Then she voted for Bush in Bush vs. Gore.

        Why has she not retired yet?  Why does she talk out against extremism?  The more these wingnuts talk down the judges, the more determined, I believe, the 7 on the Supreme Court who are relatively sane will dig in their heels and pray for a Dem, or a McCain in 2008.

        My new bumper sticker: Cheney-Satan '08

        by adigal on Tue May 24, 2005 at 07:11:00 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

  •  Exactly (4.00 / 3)

    They have just enough of the Rs to pass or defeat anything which they can remain unified with the Dems on and just enough Dems to defeat any filibuster.  The power resides where it has always lived in the centre.

    The Rs are already trying to spin this an undemocratic, but it is very Democratic and how our Republic has survived for so long.  Compromise. Unless Frist backs off some this may indeed become an ad hoc committee although that has thus far been denied.

    My job is not to represent Washington to you, but to represent you to Washington- Obama
    Philly for Obama

    by Luam on Tue May 24, 2005 at 04:17:26 PM PDT

  •  And that means... (none / 1)

    ...that folks like DeWine are going to wake up with the political equivalent of horseheads in their beds.

    Dobson is going to send forth his troops from Colorado Springs as if it were Mordor, bent on taking out these 7 moderate Republicans. What they tried with Specter last year is a taste of what all these moderates can expect. It'll be interesting to see if they survive.

    I'm not part of a redneck agenda - Green Day
    Neither is California High Speed Rail

    by eugene on Tue May 24, 2005 at 04:47:08 PM PDT

  •  evidence of a more perfect uinion (4.00 / 5)

    is it possible that we're witnessing evidence of the sheer brilliance of the founding fathers? i mean, is it possible that the founders foresaw a time when partisanship threatened to paralyze the federal government, that they chose the required majorities mindfully, and that they understood the strategic value of the middle ground in such a turf battle? all of the partisan wrangling of the past four plus years have created a situation where every vote goes along party lines. the result is that maverick centrists can ally themselves into a voting block and sieze power. it seems as though such a situation had to have occured more than once in the past 230 years. it seems almost mathematically guaranteed.

    the gang of fourteen have taken advantage of a feature hidden within the structure of the government itself... the only key required was the wisdom to gather the center and to promise to otrust each other... no mean feat. if they can be worthy of it they might be able to steer us clear of the monsterous mess that the party-bound have created.

    gotta love a well designed government.

    if everywhere you go smells like dogsh*t, you should probably check your own shoes.

    by monsterofNone on Tue May 24, 2005 at 04:58:01 PM PDT

    •  Gotta Love it (none / 0)

      I'm sure you have something there.  Given all the wrangling that went on prior to our constitution, I'm sure much was left murky enough to pass.

      REJECT FEAR!

      by David in Burbank on Tue May 24, 2005 at 07:27:41 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Much smaller alignments (none / 0)

      We have gone from 26 to 100. The gang of 14 would have been equivalent to only 3 or 4. I had always felt that it didn't matter which party had the upper hand in the house or senate, just so long as it was close. When it was close, congress criters would negotiate to get the most important things done.

      Those days have been shot to hell. It's all about making a power grab and partisan loyalty.

      by white blitz on Tue May 24, 2005 at 08:35:42 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  It's McCain's Coup (none / 1)

    He's the one who profits most from this forged compromise. Introducing the steroids legislation today on the heals of the deal may help seal HIS deal with the American public. And I think he wipes the floor with Hillary. . .

    by Matthew Detroit on Tue May 24, 2005 at 05:11:57 PM PDT

    •  with whats been going on (none / 0)

      I don't think the majority of Americans are gonna trust the Republican Party for a long, long while.

      It's Obamazing!!!!!!!!!!!!

      by Chamonix on Tue May 24, 2005 at 05:32:21 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Hillary (none / 0)

      yeah.  She could win, maybe.  I have my doubts.  I hope we have useful primary (i.e. not mudslinging)and the candidate we nominate is actually popular (as opposed to 'electable.")

      And yes, as much as I hate it, politics is alot about being popular, so the beer drinking anaolgy really does matter, even if it is awfull.

      REJECT FEAR!

      by David in Burbank on Tue May 24, 2005 at 07:42:02 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  They Need to Go After Dobson's Tax Exempt Status (4.00 / 4)

    That thin vail of seperation he tries to maintain between this tax exempt organizations and that sham he set up for political action is a joke.

    The Democrats and Moderate Republicans that do not want to be controlled by the evangelicals, need to go after his, and all the other, tax exempt shams.

    If they want to be a church, then be a church.

    If they want to be a for-profit lobby, then pay taxes.  

    They can't have it both ways.

    Take away Dobson's 501(c) status and his contributors' ability to deduct their contributions as charity, and he might see his resources start to dry up.

    by freepress4all on Tue May 24, 2005 at 05:12:06 PM PDT

  •  one problem (none / 0)

    sometimes things have to get worse before they can get better.

    i find the possibilities of a powerful swing coalition interesting. there was much talk of this when we got the 50-50 split in 2000 but it never materialized. but on the other hand, they can serve to insulate the republican majority from the political fallout their unbridled agenda would otherwise cause. it may make it much harder for us to regain a majority in congress.

    so what do we want?

    • all good stuff half of the time
    • half good stuff all of the time

    John McCain Defends Bush's Iraq Strategy.

    by jethropalerobber on Tue May 24, 2005 at 05:45:18 PM PDT

  •  lest we forget (none / 0)

    McCain campaigned with Dubya plenty last campaign season.  I think folks need to be reminded of that fact.  And that he let Bush walk all over him in the 2000 campaign.

    Political compass: -5.50 econ, -5.79 libertarian/authoritarian

    by billlaurelMD on Tue May 24, 2005 at 05:49:11 PM PDT

  •  McCain Senate leader? (none / 0)

    Could McCain theoretically become Senate president pro tempore? What if McCain could get all the Dems and his 7 Repubs to vote for him? That would give him 52 votes. The Dems would have nothing to lose, in fact they would would be better off. The 7 Repubs would have a lot to gain too. Can you imagine how devastating that would be to Bush, Frist, the Neocons, and the Religious Right?

    McCain for President of the Senate!!

    by mike20169 on Tue May 24, 2005 at 07:50:58 PM PDT

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