Schumer: A 60-Seat Majority Is Possible

Senator Chuck Schumer whetted the palate of many Democrats today when he suggested, for the first time of the election cycle, that their dream of a 60-seat majority in the U.S. Senate could be within the party's grasp.

"I know you'll ask me, can we get to sixty?" the New York Democrat and head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said on Wednesday. "And I'd say it's very difficult given the map, but its not out of the question. And I would have said the same thing two years ago... if you would have asked me [then] could we get six seats a hundred days before the election. I would have said it is very difficult but it's not out of the question."

Schumer's proclamation comes as the Republican side of the aisle is running for political cover. GOP leadership has all but given the green light to vulnerable members to takes stances that differ with the party if it will help with their campaigns. Meanwhile, the National Republican Senatorial Committee is being drastically out-raised by its Democratic counterpart. Schumer highlighted five states as ripe for the picking -- Virginia, New Hampshire, Colorado, New Mexico, and Alaska -- as well as six others that could be close: Oregon, Minnesota, Mississippi, Kentucky, Maine, North Carolina. If nine seats were to change hands (and if the caucus allows Joe Lieberman to stay in its ranks), Democrats would have the filibuster-proof 60 that has long been viewed as a pipe-dream.

"We have had tremendous success recruiting," said Schumer. "And our candidates are proving to be even better than we thought. They are just a stellar group of people. They are smart, they tend to be non-ideological they tend to be mainstream and middle of the road. They are just what the doctor ordered in terms of winning elections."

Cognizant that the expectations game matters in the electoral process, Schumer later threw a wet blanket on the idea of an overwhelming Democratic landslide -- though it's hard, with the current diverging trajectories of the two parties, to take as sincere the Senator's warnings.

"So what's the bad news for us?" he asked, rhetorically. "The bad news in a certain sense, it's not bad news but it's a reality. So I call it bad reality. This is the reddest map in a very long time. The majority of seats we are seeking are in deeply red states. If you look at the thirty-five elections, two are in Wyoming and two in Mississippi. There are thirty-three states. But if you look at the map, the majority of states are either in deep south, great plains or the mountain west. Not traditionally positive areas for democrats. And of the Republican seats we are seeking, only three are in blue states, which are Maine, Minnesota, and Oregon, none of which are very blue states."

Additional reporting was provided by Bolu Adeyeye

Comments

[jeffp26]

Then we can kiss little Joey L, that pygmy freak, good bye.

Let him rot in GOP hell, with no charimanships, no seniority whatsoever. Until he gets whipped next time he runs. (Or until I see him on the street and whip him with my belt.)

[kissmygrits]

Unfortunately, there might not be a Constitution left by the time Dems have a 60-seat majority... and we have you, Chuckie, to thank for that in part... Yeah, thanks again for Mukasey..

[returnofthejedi]

Watching the republican led US government has been like witnessing a toddler being given a 357
magnum and telling him to go out and have target practice! To whom should the blame be assigned?
Should it not be assigbed to the irresponsible person/persons that would give a toddler a 357 magnum in the first place.

[1099]

You didn't hurt your brain coming up with that terrible analogy did you?

[returnofthejedi]

Feeling guilty about something jerk?

[DXM]

While it is possible that the Democrats can get a 60-seat super majority in the Senate, it is improbably at this time. The odds are something like 1-in-8 if you include Sen. Lieberman in the tally or 1-in-12 if you exclude him (which is more likely since Sen. Lieberman will probably be booted from the Democratic Caucus next year).

[BPCentrisAmerican]

I think it's closer to 5 to 7 seats, but 10 would be nice. It would be worth it strip Lieberman of his chairmanships, this guy is really becoming a partisan joke, even Jewish groups are angry with him for pandering to anti-Jewish and Catholic groups like John Hagee's merry end-timers. Under protest by a progressive Jewish group he spoke at still another Hagee confernernce, where he compared this lunatic to Moses. My sister, who lived in CT for 12 years and voted for Lieberman, is sorely disappointed in his current positions. Lieberman is killing is own political carrier.

[jpshotwheels]

Thank you Schumer and lets not forget Feinstein, aren't you the ones that gave us Mukasey. You know the Attorney General, you two so highly recommended, that now see's anyone in the Bush Administration as "The Untouchables."

You know the one that can't define Waterboarding as Torture.

Eight Year limits on both Democrats and Republicans, this will stop all the lobbyist payoffs to these elected officials, shut down K Street, and start working for the American people again, like you were hired to do in the first place.

[BlueLogic]

Why can't they find someone to run against Lindsay "Daffodil" Graham in SC??

[musselmanm]

Words do not matter according to many pundints running for office.
Why,,,,,,, Chuck caused a bank to go under with mere words!
Where is Hill logic now?
Chuck has spoken again, make our 60 seat majority a done deal!

[1099]

You can always count of Schumer to make some comment that will get him the news.

[thepeoplechoose]

"GOP leadership has all but given the green light to vulnerable members to take stances that differ with the party if it will help with their campaigns."

Translation: If you have to lie and promise the world to get reelected then do it.

[SeanGardner]

A 60 seat majority would be fine, but I would try and win 61 seats at least, and then kick Joe out of the Democratic Senate Majority. Why on earth would they even tolerate Liberman's antic?

No. Obama will need 60 Senators to get crucial legislation passed. Yes. But if it means Joe Liberman needs to be there, take a 59 moajority and bargin with one of the "moderate Republican Senators" to go along with your agenda.

60 Senators? Cool. But no Joe.

[jcwtts1]

Do you guys have any idea what we could do with 60 senate seats.... universal health care in the first 6 months, roll back the bush tax cuts on the wealthiest 2 percent, get out of Iraq, ramp up stem cell research, raise the minimum wage to a decent living wage, balance the budget by the end of the second year (third tops), cut out oil welfare, go green in 8 years, most importantly shift the judiciary, the supreme court and the federal bench back towards the left. My favorite do to Lieberman what Lieberman is doing to Obama. The list is friggin endless. But the most important element of the whole process is 60 votes in the senate.

J

[scooperss]

Not to mention open the border to Mexico.

[JimR]

Even if they get their 60 seats, I wouldn't expect much. Their performance has been PATHETIC.

Either way, Reid has got to go.

[billw8017]

Move the political center, bring it closer to actual popular sentiment according to the issues polls. Don't turn on your allies! Democrats don't have to compete with Republicans as the party of hatreds.

[Mogamboguru]

Joe Liebeman is no Democrat, any wore. He's a staunch Republican in blue-dyed wool.

Subtract him from the 60 seats. He's lost.

[musselmanm]

You forgot to put the h in the word wore in the second sentence.

[Pupadup4oBama]

I was thinking the SAME thing! :)

[seanosul]

The enemy is not just the RNC it is apathy. Continued talk of a cakewalk for the Senate and Presidency will encourage Republican turnout and create an assumption among Democrats that they do not need to vote as it is all but a given anyway. It is great fun to look at state polls and coo about the results but the important poll is in November and it is critical to ensure Democrat voters recognise how easy it would be for McBush to be elected.

[nick1936]

You are so right an if they do get 60 sets will they know what to do with them

[soithoni]

let's try it and see.

[ejay579]

I am not so sure that Schumer made it sound as much of a cakewalk as the headline here indicates. But he should be accentuating how close the possibility is and exhorting the electorate to help make it happen.

[jacqmac]

Ahem! We need to have a filibuster proof majority. I, thinking small, will 'settle' for picking up the six that are 'up for grabs'. Those SIX would give us an edge. I'll use FISA as an example (although I'm tired of that being a front and center benchmark). Sixteen Dems attempted to block it's passage out of committee-THREE were 'missing'-two on the campaign trail and one in the hospital in Massachusets. That wasn't enough to block it from the floor. The fatal day of THE VOTE came. Somewhere along the line those sixteen had picked up TWELVE more 'allies'--all Dems and ONE of them returned from the campaign trail to vote 'NO' with them. EVEN IF all 15 Dems currently in the Senate who voted 'Yes' had voted 'No' on FISA-it STILL would have passed. There IS no clear majority. It wouldn't have even been close enough for a TIE and since the President of the Senate, who votes ONLY in the case of a TIE, just happens to be the VICE PRESIDENT-the vote was a foregone conclusion. So-we need those six and as many of the 12 that are up for reelection as POSSIBLE. A 60-40 split would give Dems total control-just like the Republicans gained in '96. SIX seats makes the majority 'bullet-proof' (filibuster proof). The Republicans could NOT filibuster ANY bill proposed by any Democrat. Just think about THAT one for a minute.

[soithoni]

Give to Act Blue. Make it happen. It's not going to happen on its own.

[JimR]

Even if they get their majority, so what? Are they all of a sudden going to get a spine? Are they all of a sudden going to get a conscience?

[racom]

Just suppose you do get 60, still far from a sure thing. Why? Let me count the ways. Baucus of MT, Bayh of ID, Casey of PA, Feinstein of CA, Landrieu of LA if she holds her seat, Lincoln of AR, Nelson of FL, Nelson of NE, and then there is Schumer of NY who I question after the Mukasey AG disaster.
Any one or more could still hold the dems from gaining filibuster proof strength.
Of course, maybe they want it that way, they seem to like the comfort of having the excuse, we can't because!!!!

[JLee]

Possible, sure, but not probable in the short run. Give it a few election cycles.