Senate Democrats' plan to bail out Mary Landrieu: Allowing a Keystone vote

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA)

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA)

National Democrats aren't spending big to help Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu win her runoff election, but Senate Democrats might try to help her out with a Keystone pipeline vote. Because, you know, money is something to be spent carefully while votes on bad issues are great election currency.

Senate Democrats are signaling that there will be an open amendment process that could allow Keystone approval to be attached to either an Internet sales tax bill next week or the defense authorization bill after Thanksgiving. [...]

Keystone could even come up in a standalone bill if Landrieu or another senator receives unanimous consent to move forward. Although those requests typically get blocked, Democrats say the post-election Senate is a new world.

“If that were to happen and Landrieu were to ask for a vote, it’s extremely unlikely that a Democrat would block it,” said a Senate Democratic leadership aide.

Since Speaker John Boehner has said that the House will not be voting on an internet sales tax bill, attaching Keystone to that might be the best way to give Landrieu her vote while not actually doing anything. But it's so noxious that Democrats would be willing to sacrifice principle but not money on a long-shot race.

11:31 AM PT:

MT @frankthorpNBC: Landrieu just asked Senate GOP leadership to move forward with the Keystone XL pipeline authorization in the lame duck

— @ZekeJMiller