This now famous sentence uttered by George W Bush, Nancy Pelosi, some idiot at FAUX news, and diaried on here at DK by Concern Troll on Nov 5 needs to be thought through in terms of the new congress.
It's looking pretty certain that we are not going to get all the way to our 60 seat, filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. There's a distant hope, but it's certainly not one we can or should bank on.
In view of this fact, what can we expect from the Republicans in the Senate once the new congress is sworn in in January? Um. Full cooperation because of the landslide that Dems and Obama just scored? Of course not. Some among them are even denying that Obama/the Dems have a freaking mandate, even though we won by 6+% in Presidential voting and gained 10% (so far) in the Senate and about 5% in the House.
So, what can we expect? Make the jump with me....
If you don't know what's going to happen in the Senate, then you likely didn't follow the last two years: the Republicans in the Senate set a record for the number of cloture votes and threatened filibusters. (See jamess illuminating diary on this here.)
Is there any reason to believe that this is going to change, especially in view of the fact that, as a result of Nov 4, 2008 the Republican side of the Senate, though smaller, has become MORE, not less, conservative? Absolutely not.
What made the Republican obstructionism possible? Senate rules, obviously. But there is one of the rules that Harry Reid COULD have invoked but (to my memory) only once did against the Republicans: force them actually to FILIBUSTER rather than just let their threat to do so function as an actual filibuster.
What is the solution to this? Well, when the Republicans thought the Dems in the minority were filibustering too much in 2004 and 2005, they threatened to use "the nuclear option" in which they were simply going to do away with the filibuster. Most of us here--including me--as well as the Dems in the Senate thought that was really a horrible 'solution' to what the then Republican majority thought to be a problem. Hence, I don't think the Dems should threaten that. It would be hypocritical.
My solution (and it's not original): If the Republican minority wants to filibuster, make them do so in flagrante, letting the press and the country know that they are obstructing congressional work.
The Republicans will obstruct. I believe it is the job of the Senate Majority Leader to stop the obstructionism.
Harry Reid: Make the Republicans actually FILIBUSTER or get out of the way and let someone else lead the Democratic Senate.
And p.s.: To hell with minority holds on bills. If James Inhofe or Ted "the Felon" Stevens wants to block legislation, they can damned well get enough votes for a filibuster.