Sixty...Magic Number or New Average IQ of Senate?

Al Franken: Helping to maintain the decorum of the Senate since 2009.

With the addition of funnyman Al Franken to the Democrat's Senate roster, the Dems have a filibuster proof majority, and have a free hand to govern any way they please! Or do they?

One of the dirty little secrets in politics, is the majority party's ability to manipulate votes on behalf of their members. If a bill is going to pass with a comfortable margin, the majority leader of the party can allow members to "defect" and vote against a bill, if they're coming up for re-election and the vote would be unpopular in their district.

The expectation among some of the Left will certainly be: "We've got the White House, we've got both houses of Congress, we should be able to do whatever we want!" Except that conservative and moderate Democrats (they do exist!) are not going to allow themselves to be steamrollered for the sake of "party unity".

I don't know how much dirty linen will actually be aired in public. If the Dems are smart, they will keep their negotiations behind closed doors and only announce legislation which in fact, is going to be passed. If the more vocal Left tries to drag the party and the country to the extreme, it may force Dems in more conservative regions to actually grow a spine and oppose their party or face being turned out in the next election.

Either way, the Democrats are going to have to take full responsibility for the way they govern. Like those European leaders who publically condemned (and privately applauded) actions that the US has taken abroad, The Democrats will no longer have the Republicans to blame for legislation that does not pass. The credit and the blame (and knowing these guys, I expect a lot of blame!) will fall squarely on the shoulders of those Democrats in power.

God help us all!

Cross posted at Say Anything