We can thank our weak links in the Senate for this. McCain, Specter, Chaffee, Collins, Warner and Hagel are their names. Until they're replaced, the bad guys will get to pick and choose their victories and defeats in the Senate.
Even if all 55 republican senators voted for it, we would still be shy 5 votes to break a filibuster.
Until recently I shared your thoughts concerning the Republicans inability to advance the conservative agenda that they were put into the majority in the House and Senate, the majority of the Governorships, and the Oval Office. Basically I thought a few "bad apples" had screwed it up and the rest of the "majority" was at their mercy.
Now I think I was wrong. Now I think that crap is an excuse that Republicans in the Senate love to have to avoid the tough votes and having their names on a list of people either Aye or Nay on some of these issues (especially regarding pork projects for the home team...).
McCain, Hagle, and the rest of that ilk are the problem - I agree, but they are being allowed to be the problem by the rest of the Republican Senate. They love it when the conservative base get's stirred up because they honestly think that pandering to the middle gets them elected. It may work here and there and the rebels without a clue might make it back to the Senate after the next elections - hopefully they will be replaced by a true conservative.
But what should be done in the interim? I think there is a need to force the rest of our supposedly conservative Senators to grow a spine. Use the nuclear option - quit worrying about what happens if the dems take the Senate back. Use the majority here and now to advance the agenda. Hold them accountable to get the job done that they were elected to do. If they hold the rouge Senators feet to the fire they will force them to make a choice to define who they really are instead of letting them play the poll then respond game.
One method - and I'm still not sure that I like it, is to hold a drawing to identify one true conservative Senator that will not be supported in the next election. Just one, randomly chosen. Let them all know it could be them and that it is time to grow a backbone. The election in the unfortunate senators state would have a write-in of "True Conservative" from those participating.
Let the chips fall where they may. It would likely result in the loss of a Senate seat to the dims and that is a high price to pay. But honestly, with a majority in the Senate, House, and White House, just what accomplishments do we have to show? Doing something like this sends a message to all of them while hopefully only sacrificing one good man or woman and retaining control of the Senate.
Not sure if that is a good or bad idea. Right now my Senators cancel each other out, I'm a donor to the Repub, and the state pretty evenly divided so it would really suck to not put him in office (though he's not up next election).
I'm interested in others thoughts on this.