Why "60 Votes" Doesn't Matter (and 70 Wouldn't Either)

Victory! With the Minnesota Supreme Court's decision and Norm Coleman's concession, Democrats have finally achieved a 60-vote majority in the U.S. Senate.

You know what that means. No more Republican filibusters. No more obstruction. From this moment on, Democrats can achieve everything we've been waiting for, without compromising or watering down our beliefs.

What's that? You don't think we're about to enter a period of non-stop accomplishment? You don't think we'll achieve truly universal health care easily? You don't think we'll be celebrating one progressive victory after another? You don't think after all our hard battles we have ushered in an era of transformational change?

You might be right about that.

Yes, we've hit the 60-vote threshold, meaning that if the entire Democratic caucus is (a) in the Senate chamber at one time and (b) manages to vote unanimously on cloture, we will beat any Republican filibuster. But even if we managed to do that on a consistent basis -- even if we had 65 or 70 votes instead of 60 -- you would still be disappointed in the bills that passed the Senate.

Why is that? What keeps Democrats from accessing their inner Tom DeLay and ramming effective bills through when they clearly have the power to do so?

They've got a bug. It's a serious infection, one they can't seem to shake. It's called bipartisanship.

It's an insidious illness, this bipartisanship. It gets into your heart and your brain, seriously affecting your ability to set priorities in a rational manner. Just imagine for a moment that you've spent a lifetime working in public service, battling it out in one grueling campaign after another because you believe deeply in a set of principles. Then at the moment when you finally find yourself in a position to effect real change based on those ideals you hold dear, you come down with a bad case of bipartisanship.

Suddenly, you don't care about results. You don't care about changing lives. You believe in a new principle above all others: the only worthwhile policies are those you can agree on with your ideological opposites.

A lot of progressives complain that our leadership isn't progressive enough. But that's not the real problem. President Obama and our leaders in Congress believe in universal health care. If they could flip a switch and make it a reality, they probably would.

But they are convinced that the biggest problem in Washington is partisan bickering. Egged on by Republicans and the media, they believe that if Democrats and Republicans can just get along, we'll finally be able to achieve real progress in Washington.

It's a nice thought. The problem is that it's exactly the opposite of the truth. There's a reason the Democratic and Republican parties are two separate parties: because the people they represent believe in fundamentally different solutions to our nation's problems. If I believe in solution A, and you believe in solution Z, that doesn't mean there's a solution M that will work best. In fact, it's much more likely that A or Z -- a strong, uncompromised idea -- will get the job done.

President Obama and the Democrats in Congress have an opportunity to make history. Imagine for a moment that they passed a truly sweeping health care bill that made sure no American ever had to worry about medical costs again. Wouldn't that be an historic achievement? Wouldn't it virtually guarantee continued electoral success for Democrats for years to come? Wouldn't President Obama go down in history as one of the great ones for that single accomplishment?

There's only one thing standing in Democrats' way: their own fervent belief that bipartisanship is more important than solving the very problems that motivated them to run for office in the first place.

Bipartisanship is like any other infection -- you need to fight it off. We've got all the tools we need: a president with stratospheric approval ratings, a House caucus that can act with impunity, and the big Six-Oh in the Senate.

So let's do it. Let's give everyone real health care. Let the Republicans and the chattering classes complain all they want that we aren't playing fair. We'll laugh all the way to the ballot box -- and the history books.

Comments

[Macready]

great blog . .. you are so right bipartisanship . . . is the problem . . . it's like they all belong to this club the GOP tend to vote in a block but the Dems . . our Dems . . either they are blue dogs or are caught up in this bipartisan crap . . . very few are what I would call Dems and working for us the people who voted them in . . .

[raymurt]

There is only one party: republicans.
Then there are the rest of us.

[learneddemocrat]

First of all Democrats demanded bi- partisan out the bush administration, and used filibustering almost to the point of stupidity. Now suddenly they have no tolerance of either? This party is becoming, no has become so hypocritical. "It's okay that we act like that, but oh boy, don't you dare!

Secondly the democrats have been ramming bills through. Don't know where Jesse Berney has been.
They have been ramming, threatening, and strong arming.

[LeftRight]

Did you REALLY just say that the DEMOCRATS were using filibusters too much under Bush???? You DO realize that the REPUBLICANS in the last two years of the Bush admin filibustered more than the Democrats in the previous TWELVE YEARS COMBINED!!!!!!!!! There were more filibusters by the Republicans in the last two years than there have EVER BEEN IN ANY TWO YEAR CONGRESSIONAL TERM!!!!!!!

Don't try to blame the DEMOCRATS for filibustering when they ONLY did it a couple times and almost exclusively for low level judges!!

[Pablo175]

Bi-Partisan???

Name one thing Barack or Congress has done that has been Bi-Partisan.

[LeftRight]

um.... let's see.... They've TRIED to do EVERYTHING bipartisan...... Course, the Republicans aren't playing ball.....

[mjwca]

You seem to forget that bipartisan is SUPPOSED to be based on elected officials representing what the majority of their constituents want not want they themselves, a minority of citizens or multinational corporations want. Both Dems and Repubs, along with yourself, seem to have forgotten that. Since a majority of the country voted for Obama because of the platform he ran on and plurality of the country supports banking reform, healthcare, enviromental and clean energy initiatives, Congress supporting that platform in total would actually be bipartisan. Rejecting it out of hand and ignorning the wishes of The PEOPLE, as the Republicans have done, is what's partisan. And the Bluedog Democrats are little better.

[scooperss]

They don't believe in bi-partisanship but I'm sure they appreciate you giving them not only an out on your own behalf but and excuse to pacify everyone else.

[jsgaetano]

Bi-Partisanship... aka "selling out to sepecial interests".

If only we could elect Democrats who didn't act like conservatives.

[research]

Kucinich and half the house are real democrats.

It's the LDC DINO corporate sellouts you won't want to vote for.

That includes nearly all of the current democratic party leadership, rahm, clinton, obama, and nearly all the senate democrats.

[research]

DLC ops,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Leadership_Council

[aquaman2008]

Kudos for such an excellent article and very well written comments. I totally agree. In my humble opinion we need two things to get rid of this phony "bipartisanship":

1 : Term Limits

2: True Campaign Finance Reforms

This is the only way we can keep these dirt bags to work for the public - instead of special interests and scratching each others back.

Thanks.

[LeftRight]

We wouldn't even need number one, but I would like to change it if I could. Here's what I think we need to do:

1 : Change congressional districts into something that makes SENSE!! If your state has 10 districts, then you divide them as close as possible into ten areas, each as close to geometrically similar as possible, with as close as possible to the number of people in it..... For example, a district in New York City would be maybe 10 city blocks, but one in Rural Indiana would be a lot larger!

2: True Campaign Finance Reforms

[blueken]

You know what, I dis-agree on almost everything the GOP stands for, but they got things done. They didn't worry about what the other side thought. They ruthlessly pursued their agenda. It almost destroyed this country, but they got things done. Hey, Democrats, grow a set of nads and save this country. If not now, when?

[JohnHKennedy]

We gave our House and Senate Democrat 60 votes in the Senate.

No more excuses are wanted. Pass the legislation the Democratic BASE WANTS.
And Enforce our Federal Anti-Torture Laws against the Bush Torture Conspiracy.

SIGN THE PETITION
calling for prosecution of the torturers

http://ANGRYVOTERS.ORG

Over 250,000 have signed
Join them and call yourself a patriot
.

[wyldthings]

Funny is it not that after one day with the 60/40 advantage you now say but don't expect much to get past this year. You got you super majority and you still want to blame Republicans. you need 51 out of 60 easy right? So leave us Republicans out of the picture it's all on you!!

[learneddemocrat]

Unfortunately, you are correct, and it is hard to swallow that. There is no excuse to blame the republicans now. Dems have been in control of Congress for over two years, and in control of the WH for six months......it is all on the democrats. Time to put the i in responsibilty cause there ain't no u in it.

[arjuna3guna]

If the republicans had the 60 votes.

They would privitize (destroy) SS , Medicare ect. ect.

They would bomb Iran.

They would destroy our environment.

And when they finished thier terms, They would find a job lobbying for a drug company to fullfill an unquenchable desire for material gain.

You dont pay attention to a piece of wood, why would you pay any attention to one like the above.
The light is getting brighter and the darkness is fadding.

[learneddemocrat]

Destroy Social Security? How funny.....it has been destroyed for years, by both parties.

Destroy the environment? Lobby for drug companies? Same ole rhetoric, same old blame someone else. Bad, bad republicans. There were democratic presidents, and Congress during the last 100 years, In case you don't know that, and BOTH sides have done their part in destroying SS and the envirnoment and are deeply involved with lobbyist. As is THIS administration.

[Uosdwis]

They're all FRIENDS. They are all in a 100-person exclusive club. You wouldn't know it to hear them debate on the floor, but they are. They can't bear to be contrary to the best friends. I don't know how you break this co-dependency. About the only one that doesn't seem to be included in any reindeer games is Bernie Sanders. They APPLAUDED Ted Stevens because he had been in the "club" the longest, ignoring his felony conviction (at the time).

[Estreet1964]

The bi-partisan excuse is just a fig leaf. In truth, most of the Dems are exactly like the Republicans. (Especially the DLC'ers) They are beholden to their corporate benefactors and will not pass any legislation that will threaten corporate profits. They are bought and paid for just like the Republicans for the most part.

Bi-parisanship is just an excuse to water down legislation and allow the Repubs slip all the corporate friendly goodies and loopholes into the finished bill. Sixty seats in the Senate does no good at all if half of them are occupied by corporate tools.

[martinfrosa]

My dear friend, just what have you been smoking? Democrats bipartisan? Delivering Cap and Trade legislation at 3:00 a.m. to be voted on the next day? Delivering stimulus legislation of over 1,000 pages and voting on it when no one has read it or knows what's in it?

This is classic we'll-cram­-it-down-t­heir-throa­ts, majority-rules politics. If you think this is bipartisanship, you are seriously deluded sir.

[freddiefreeloader]

These ten or so centrist Democrats just lost their edge, Some Republicans will need to vote for the public option if they want Democrats to pass their bills. These centrist Democrates are going to want some their bills passed too. You know how it works, if you don't vote for my bill I won't vote for yours.