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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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 ANALYSIS 
10

60 Votes No Quick Fix for Senate Dems

Absences, diverse opinions could prove stumbling blocks

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(Newser) – With the Minnesota election finally settled, Senate Democrats have 60 potential votes now—but that won’t guarantee smooth sailing, the New York Times reports. Ted Kennedy and Robert Byrd may often be out sick, and a range of viewpoints means the caucus won’t likely “walk in lockstep,” says one. “We have 60 votes on paper,” says majority leader Harry Reid. “But we cannot bulldoze anybody.”

A significant portion of Democrats represent states that preferred John McCain last fall. “I am not about to surrender any of my votes on the basis that there are now 60 members of my caucus,” one such senator, Ben Nelson, tells the Daily Beast. And Al Franken himself says he’s “not going to Washington to be the 60th Democratic senator. I'm going to Washington to be the second senator from Minnesota.”

Sen.-elect Al Franken, D-Minn., shakes hands with supporters during a rally at the mall of the Minnesota State Capitol in St Paul, Minn., Wednesday, July 1, 2009.
Sen.-elect Al Franken, D-Minn., shakes hands with supporters during a rally at the mall of the Minnesota State Capitol in St Paul, Minn., Wednesday, July 1, 2009.   (AP Photo/Craig Lassig)
In this Feb. 25, 2009 file photo, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nv., talks with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington.
In this Feb. 25, 2009 file photo, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nv., talks with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington.   (AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke)
In this June 18, 2008 file photo, Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., speaks during a ceremony on Capitol Hill in Washington.
In this June 18, 2008 file photo, Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., speaks during a ceremony on Capitol Hill in Washington.   (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf, FILE)
Sen.-elect Al Franken, D-Minn., thanks Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., right, for her support during a rally at the mall of the Minnesota State Capitol in St Paul, Minn., Wednesday, July 1, 2009.
Sen.-elect Al Franken, D-Minn., thanks Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., right, for her support during a rally at the mall of the Minnesota State Capitol in St Paul, Minn., Wednesday, July 1, 2009.   (AP Photo/Craig Lassig)
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10 comments
VIEWING:
 
Fondue
Jul 2, 09 10:00 AM CDT
At least it's over. I'm interested in if Coleman is paying the attorney fees though. Reply
Vote up! Vote down!
+4
2-bits
Jul 2, 09 10:08 AM CDT
Hopefully no one thought it was. It's very childish to think of either party as a homogeneous group. I think you would be hard pressed to find ANY bill that received a vote from every representative in a particular party. Reply
Vote up! Vote down!
+1
IN RESPONSE:
2-bits
Jul 2, 09 10:09 AM CDT
I suppose the corollary of this is that it is also really childish to pretend that all political thought in the United States falls squarely into two camps.
Vote up! Vote down!
+3
IN RESPONSE:
godawgs
Jul 2, 09 12:32 PM CDT
the stimulus bill did in the senate along wiht three "republican" votes.....I know that no republican voted for it in the house either but I am not sure aobut the democrat side.
Vote up! Vote down!
0
IN RESPONSE:
emptycalm
Jul 2, 09 8:55 PM CDT
suppose the corollary of this is that it is also really childish to pretend that all political thought in the United States falls squarely into two camps. Exactly!
Vote up! Vote down!
0

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