I picture Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) in a closed door meeting with rookie Sen. Al Franken (D-MN), saying, “Al, you complete me.”
…maybe not. As Franken gets seated in the Senate, he fulfills the Democrats’ filibuster-proof dream. With 60 Democrats in the upper house, it seems like the sky’s the limit in terms of bulldozing through liberal agenda.
Well, now that Sen. Reid has his 60, there are no more excuses. The ginormous left-wing conspiracy will be paying special attention to him. And sometimes liberal pundits are even harsher than Reid’s Republican peers.
Unfortunately for Reid, there’s already a “logistical” problem with Sens. Robert Byrd (D-WV) and Ted Kennedy (D-MA):
Democrats are short two ailing members — Sens. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) and Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) — two legislative titans who simply can’t be counted on to show up for any given vote at this point in their lives.
Okay, 58 votes then? Well… not quite:
Then there are a handful of members on Reid’s right flank — Nebraska’s Ben Nelson, Louisiana’s Mary Landrieu, Indiana’s Evan Bayh and wild-card independent Joe Lieberman of Connecticut — who tend to be loyal but could buck him on health care reform or climate change legislation.
Add endangered 2010 candidates Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), and the number of rock-solid cloture votes in Reid’s pocket drops to between 52 and 54.
I’m starting to think Al Franken’s victory is a curse in disguise.
