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Topic A: What Happens If Democrats Lose In Massachusetts?
Washington Post ^ | January 16th 2010

Posted on 01/16/2010 11:43:02 AM PST by Steelfish

Topic A: What Happens If Democrats Lose In Massachusetts?

January 17

The Post asked political experts to explain the prospects for Democrats if Martha Coakley is defeated in Tuesday's special Senate election in Massachusetts. Below are contributions from Norman J. Ornstein, Dan Schnur, Mary Beth Cahill, Ed Rogers, Robert J. Blendon and Martin Frost.

NORMAN J. ORNSTEIN

Resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute

A Scott Brown victory would send shock waves through Democratic Party circles, the Senate and the White House -- and not just because of the improbability of a Republican win in deep-blue Massachusetts. The real impact would be more immediate, jeopardizing passage of a health-reform plan carefully and painstakingly stitched together to win exactly 60 Democratic votes in the Senate, and not yet ready for its prime-time vote to move to final enactment.

Democrats have three options. One is to speed up delicate negotiations between House and Senate Democrats in order to bring up the bill before Brown gets sworn in. Even with their current sense of urgency, that is dicey at best. The bill will need to be scored by the Congressional Budget Office, meaning at minimum several days. Then a vote on final passage could be delayed for yet more days, using a variety of parliamentary tactics, in the Senate. Democrats control the Senate, so they can delay the swearing-in of Brown, but to do so for weeks would be uncomfortable and probably would not play well politically.

The second option would be to go back to Maine Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, the only two Republicans who might consider supporting a bill. Snowe's refusal to vote for the Senate bill in December was in part based on substance, but in part a protest of the Democrats' decision to get to 60 votes

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Politics
KEYWORDS: ornstein
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To: Steelfish

“What happens if Brown wins?” Well, the democratic party will have to go back to the drawing board on their election fraud tactics.


21 posted on 01/16/2010 12:12:05 PM PST by Oldpuppymax (AGENDA OF THE LEFT EXPOSED)
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To: Steelfish
Democrats control the Senate, so they can delay the swearing-in of Brown, but to do so for weeks would be uncomfortable and probably would not play well politically.

This would be a hugh boobo. The folks are already pissed at our current gov't. BTW, didn't they seat Franken before he was certified?

22 posted on 01/16/2010 12:13:26 PM PST by umgud (I couldn't understand why the ball kept getting bigger......... then it hit me.)
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To: Steelfish
Napolitano can accurately declare: "The system worked!"
23 posted on 01/16/2010 12:16:43 PM PST by loveliberty2
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To: Steelfish
Don't be surprised if more Dem house members decide they wish to retire and spend more time with their family.
24 posted on 01/16/2010 12:22:15 PM PST by bilhosty (Don' t tax people tax newsprint)
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To: Steelfish; All

What Happens If Democrats Lose In Massachusetts?

Isn’t this one of the signs of the Apocalypse????


25 posted on 01/16/2010 12:24:27 PM PST by Red in Blue PA (If guns cause crime, then all of mine are defective!)
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To: Political Junkie Too
I wonder how Olympia Snowe feels about being labeled as the go-to traitor of Republicans when the voting gets close?

Indeed. She and Collins both. I've been wondering what kind of bait they're being tempted with. The way the Mass. polls have been going, I imagine they could pretty much write their own tickets about now.

26 posted on 01/16/2010 12:28:28 PM PST by workerbee (Yes, I hate Obama because of his color: RED!)
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To: Steelfish

No, they would just recount until Coakley won.


27 posted on 01/16/2010 12:46:19 PM PST by calmike
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To: workerbee
The way the Mass. polls have been going, I imagine they could pretty much write their own tickets about now.

Ben Nelson probably thought the same thing, and look at how he's been ostracized by his constituents.

Nelson should be a lesson to Snowe and others in what happens when you bite the hand that feeds you once too often.

-PJ

28 posted on 01/16/2010 12:52:49 PM PST by Political Junkie Too ("Comprehensive" reform bills only end up as incomprehensible messes.)
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To: Berlin_Freeper
"If they lose the democrat party will start moving to the center.

No, they'll pretend to move to "center." The same communist leftists will still be in charge of the "Democrat" Party and in the White House and Congress. But the State Run Media will start spouting about how the "Democrats" have moved to the center. I will all be a Big Lie. The nation has been subjected to this type of propaganda blitz before.

29 posted on 01/16/2010 1:42:51 PM PST by StormEye
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To: Steelfish
From Ed Rogers section:

Republicans, meanwhile, would have a tailwind and a new face -- but no affirmative agenda.

Yep, all set for that feckless pubbie "leadership" to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory. Sarah, we need you to rush in and pick up the sword; to do the Benjamin Martin thing with the flag in The Patrtiot. Help us, Obi Wan Sarah, you're our only hope.

30 posted on 01/16/2010 2:22:27 PM PST by NonValueAdded ("'Diversity' is one of those words designed to absolve you of the need to think." Mark Steyn)
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To: TigersEye

ROFL


31 posted on 01/16/2010 2:23:41 PM PST by NonValueAdded ("'Diversity' is one of those words designed to absolve you of the need to think." Mark Steyn)
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To: Steelfish

cats and dogs living together?


32 posted on 01/16/2010 2:32:46 PM PST by rabidralph ("Precedenting" is a lot tougher than community organizing.)
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