And The Winner Is...
Yesterday, following a long and poorly run campaign to recapture Ted Kennedy's old Senate seat, the Democratic Caucus lost their sixty seat super-majority. This super-majority was the Democratic key to health care reform, and potentially the only way to pass their extraordinarily ambitious agenda.
So what are the Democrat's options? The party could pass bills using the controversial method of budget reconciliation, but many Democrats don't wish to be seen as 'cheating the system' They could lower the ambitions of their agenda, but the Democratic base would react pugnaciously.
The Democrats are stuck between real reform and numbers, their agenda and an increasingly angry base. Only time will tell how the new Senate handles itself, but it's going to be a difficult ride either way. Without a filibuster-proof majority, health care reform's future seems incredibly bleak.
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So what are the Democrat's options? The party could pass bills using the controversial method of budget reconciliation, but many Democrats don't wish to be seen as 'cheating the system' They could lower the ambitions of their agenda, but the Democratic base would react pugnaciously.
The Democrats are stuck between real reform and numbers, their agenda and an increasingly angry base. Only time will tell how the new Senate handles itself, but it's going to be a difficult ride either way. Without a filibuster-proof majority, health care reform's future seems incredibly bleak.
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