This is going to be a long one folks, because it's not just Ted, Sherrod Brown is in Ohio attending the wake of his mother - if I am remembering right. The WH is sending a private jet out to fetch him back as soon as the wake ends. The bill is expected to pass on a total squeaker, with the bare minimum, 60 votes. Which means we have to hold Collins, Specter, Nelson, and Snowe. Thank god this bill's fate largely in the hands of the two Republican Senators from the state of Maine. A once staunchly "rock ribbed Republican" state that has now gone royal blue, thanks to GWB. These two Senators have a chance to survive now, if they are seen as saving Obama's bacon.
The rest of the GOP continues it's swan dive off a cliff, it appears. Doubling down on their bet that the economy will still be hurting in 2010, betting it all on America going down the toilet. Betting that it's not their party platform the American people rejected, but rather, their straying from that platform.
Feel free to comment. I will be back in a few minutes to add more.
What we are seeing is a behavior burst, a shrink expression that refers to what happens when something that has always worked in the past suddenly doesn't work anymore. When that happens, we humans and other animals for that matter, don't automatically say;"Oh, this has stopped working, I had better try something else." Not for awhile anyway, instead, we and other animals simply try harder. In other words, we "double down". All I have to do to realize the truth of this is to think back to the last time I suspected a screw was stripping. And it makes sense if you really think about it, why in the world would you stop immediately if a behavior has worked for years.
So now the Repugs are testing their hypothesis, that the problem was Bush and the over the top spending, not, and I repeat not, their trickle on the masses economic policies. By the look of the polls so far, they have about as much chance as I had of getting that screw out of the wall. The public sees Obama bending over backwards, and sees the Repugs throw his efforts back in his face. Now the public will know precisely whom is to blame for the hyper partisan politics they detest, no more cover for the Repugs when they chant "that's just politics, and besides, the Dems do it too!".
Obama's going to pull this "unity" thing off, sooner or later, you watch. Eventually, many Repugs will change their behavior, or they will simply go the way of the others who would not or could not adapt.
Unfortunately, there is certainly bad news here, I am very worried about Ted Kennedy. If he could be there I am sure he would be there. This can't be good. The victory will be bitter sweet tonight.
The bill is expected to pass at about 10:30 EST, CNN is reporting, due to the matter of the wake, but the voting has begun.
Update [2009-2-13 19:5:36 by PLS]: Link to an article that seems to indicate that Ted didn't come because the bill could pass without his vote.
http://www.google.com/...
Update [2009-2-13 19:5:36 by PLS]: Link to a WSJ story about the vote starting.
http://blogs.wsj.com/...