Senate Democrats Hope for a Majority Not Seen in 30 Years: 60 Seats

[stop the bleeding]

Source: NYT

For Democrats hoping the November elections set off a seismic shift in Washington, the dream scenario is not just capturing the White House, but also winning a filibuster-proof majority of 60 seats in the Senate — a luxury no president has enjoyed since Jimmy Carter 30 years ago.

As far-fetched as that might seem — Democrats now control the Senate by a razor-thin 51 to 49, thanks only to two independents who vote with them — some Democrats have started thinking aloud that such a scenario is within reach.

From the Northeast to the Southwest, the Democrats have such a strong hand in this year’s Senate contests that they sense the possibility of victories in unlikely states like Oklahoma and Mississippi, and now even Alaska, which last elected a Democratic senator in 1974.








Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/07/us/politics/07senate.html?ref=politics

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:toast:

[bluerum]

1. This and congress IMO are just as if not more important than the white house.

[tekisui]

5. Absolutely. As long as a Dem is in the WH to sign the bills into laws,

it is not as important which it is, as much as a NEW MAJORITY!!!

[maseman]

40. We need to have dems on the supreme court

This is what a tough Congress can help dictate. Look what the Repukes gave us...Alito and Roberts. Ugg.

[Endangered Specie]

2. Wed need to win TEN seats, not nine...

because you can't bet on Joe LIEberman siding on our side when filibuster power is at stake.

[LiberalFighter]

28. Especially when Democratic leaders tell him to take a hike.

[MH1]

3. Hillary is working hard to put it out of reach. nt

[DJ13]

4. It will require a Presidential nominee with coattails to achieve that number

[tekisui]

6. And who would that be?

..................

[Carrieyazel]

34. No it won't. There won't be any coattails this year. Repukes are being crushed at the grass roots.

Regardless of who wins, the downticket races will not have much to do with the presidential race.

[Skwmom]

7. Earth to Senate Democrats - Clinton is killing that chance.

[JTFrog]

9. Exactly. Obama inspires people to get involved and hope is

sprouting up and blooming across the nation, but Hillary is acting like a spoiled child stomping through the garden.

She must surround herself with the same kind of people W does, because she's either being shrouded from the truth or she has reached a level of desperation that everyone should be suspicious of.

[HowHasItComeToThis]

21. BINGO

[Strelnikov_]

17. Yep n/t

[sjdnb]

8. Won't matter ... with even 60 seats, only 3 or 4 will be

incorruptible, independent/progressive, and intelligent enough to know how to get us out of the mess we're in -- and, everyone else will treat them like pariahs.

[grytpype]

29. Well, every Senate can change the rules for how many votes are needed for cloture

It used to be 65, I think, then it was reduced to 60, and if the next Senate wants to make it 55, they could do that.

[Newsjock]

10. If the Democrats ever get 60 seats ...

Mark my words: The GOP will pull some previously-unknown procedural move, backed by the Supreme Court, that raises the threshold to cloture from 60 votes to 67 (two-thirds). The Democrats will cave.

You heard it here first.

[HowHasItComeToThis]

22. i fear and hate republicans for that thinking

SORRY, MY CAPLOCK WAS OFF

[THX1138]

11. Hopefully

At least 50 of them will have spines.

[VP505]

12. I am not sure

from recent behavior that the Senate Dem's would know how to act with a super majority. They are so used to bending over, or as they call it compromise and bipartisanship every time the Reptilians snap their fingers that it might not make any difference how much of a majority they have.

[Fiendish Thingy]

13. With the number of Blue Dog Vichy Dems who vote with Bush/against the Constitution...

It wouldn't matter if we had a 99% majority- 60% sure ain't gonna cut it, even with a Dem in the White House, when it comes to restoring the Constitution, stopping wiretaps, stopping torture- most Dems have shown they can't be trusted, starting with the spineless leadership.

[dweller]

14. dream on

and wake me when this nightmare is over.

dp

[Seabiscuit]

25. You'll be Rip Van Winkled by then.

[blayne]

15. I love it!!

We will trounce them in the general just like we have in the primaries.

[fujiyama]

16. Haha, yeah Hillary Dems all over are going to get elected nationwide

and maybe it's just me, but I gotta ask, what would Dems even DO with a veto proof majority? I mean we have a majority now and caved in to giving telecoms immunity...

[OHdem10]

18. While I share this dream of dreams--we DUer's need to keep

in mind there are Liberal Democrats and Conservative Democrats.
I only say this to remind us not to be too disappointed in policy.
I just this week mused as I read threads on the Senate Votes
re the Surveillance Legislation which is now on hold in the House.

No matter what it will be an improvement.

[Unicron]

19. WHAT FUCKING GOOD WILL IT DO???

The Dems had control during Carter's term, the 12 years of the Reagan/Bush administration's and 2 years during Clinton's first term and WHAT FUCKING GOOD DID IT DO? The corporations and oil companies just got more and more powerfull and have bought up almost everything worth owning and all we got was NAFTA, our manufacturing power sent to Mexico and China, while our media was slowly bought and turned against us.

What do you think will get done in 2009? I'll tell you.....

NOTHING!!!

Bushco. will NOT be held accountable.

The war in Iraq will NOT be brought to an end.

American's will NOT see Free Healthcare.

Oil companies and corporations will continue to destroy our way of life.

The military will NOT be put on a short fucking leash.

The Constitution and Rule of Law will NOT be re-established.

McCain might be a sociopath like Bush but at least he doesn't try to hide it while his followers just ignore it.

Neither Hillary or Barack will change ANYTHING and you fucking know it.

The USA is DOOMED!

[HowHasItComeToThis]

23. WE MUST PUT The military on a short leash.

THEY KNOW NOTHING OF DEMOCRACY

[bluerum]

26. McCain might be a sociopath like Bush but at least he doesn't try to hide it,,,

[IronLionZion]

35. POSTING IN ALL CAPS DOESN'T HELP THE SITUATION!!! Find that caps lock key.

Other than spewing defeatist negativity to demoralize us, what else are you doing for your country?

[sasquatch]

20. If they grow some testicles and backbone perhaps they'd get it

[DeepModem Mom]

24. K&R!

[BearSquirrel2]

27. The last thing we need with a supermajority ...

The last thing we need with a super-majority is a a free trader like Clinton and clan. I don't care WHAT she says in public. Look at who gives her money. That is who she is beholden to.

Look at who gives money to Barack. Average Joes are financing his campaign. I got a email from him this morning asking for a whopping $25. That's less than my 1st contribution and Obama knows darn well he's going to hit the 2 million mark by the time this is all over. That is ... 2 million individual campaign contributors (over a million now).

People power. I'll take that over Hillary's fat cat donors (who are shipping away Ohio and Pennsylvania jobs) any day!!!!

[The Stranger]

30. How about new leadership as well?

[BlueIdaho]

31. Pantsuits have no coat tails

Don't count on it if Hillary is our candidate. The Clinton's don't care about the party - they always travel alone.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

32. we will need it, if either McCain or Hillary are elected.

no real diff between the two, since they admire each other's policies, talents and experience.

[Carrieyazel]

33. Even if McCain ends up winning in Nov, WE WILL gain huge numbers in the House and Senate

Since the presidential election looks like a mess right now, let's set that aside.

House: A gain of 20 seats is not out of the question. REGARDLESS OF WHAT HAPPENS AT THE TOP.
Senate: a gain of 4 to 8 seats is looking very possible.

State legislatures: A gain of 100+ seats is looking good. (And far fewer seats are up than in midterm elections)

Governships: Only 11 elections are on, (not a midterm year) but we'll gain there as well.

Local: Not that many elections this year, but we're crushing the Repukes at the grass roots.

[calicat]

36. How about one in the White House too?

Now we're talking!

[ncrainbowgrrl]

37. Welcome to DU, Calicat!

:hi:

[calicat]

39. Thank you!

Good to be here!

[JerseygirlCT]

38. We need it. We must have it. And we must have it w/o counting

on Lieberman, the Republican nut-job.