The point being, Republicans didn't even try to pass a ban on Partial Birth Abortion period! Now we are even farther from it then we were before Jumpin' Jeffords.
Do you understand the concepts of "filibuster" and "cloture?"
You have a very glorified idea of the power of the chair in the US Senate, pray tell, what makes you an expert on the rules of the Senate, is it your years of experience working there, or is it only from hours of watching CSPANII?
US senators have agreed a new set of procedures which they hope will avoid gridlock in a Senate evenly split between Democrats and Republicans.
Under the new agreement, both parties will have equal representation on the various committees, and be entitled to equal staff and budgets.
The new regulations also include a series of mechanisms to resolve tied votes at different stages.
The plan - which was approved by voice vote - was the result of two weeks of negotiations between the Senate Democratic leader, Tom Daschle, and Republican leader Trent Lott.
The US Congress is for the first time in its history divided 50-50, but Republicans will have the edge once Dick Cheney is sworn in as vice-president on 20 January, as he will have the deciding vote.
'Fair deal'
"This agreement accurately reflects the historic composition of this Senate," said Senator Daschle.
"More importantly, it reflects the political thinking of the people themselves," he added.
Senator Lott, who will become the majority leader when the new administration takes office, described the deal as reasonable.
"This resolution may haunt me, but it's fair and it allows us to go on with the people's business."
Political realism
Many Republicans had resisted the idea of parity in the committees because of the one-seat majority they will have when Mr Cheney takes office. The vice-president does not participate in committee work.
Correspondents say the deal reflects the political reality, because the Democrats now have enough votes to halt Senate work with procedural delays.
US senators have agreed a new set of procedures which they hope will avoid gridlock in a Senate evenly split between Democrats and Republicans.
Under the new agreement, both parties will have equal representation on the various committees, and be entitled to equal staff and budgets.
This resolution may haunt me, but it's fair and it allows us to go on with the people's business
The new regulations also include a series of mechanisms to resolve tied votes at different stages.
The plan - which was approved by voice vote - was the result of two weeks of negotiations between the Senate Democratic leader, Tom Daschle, and Republican leader Trent Lott.
The US Congress is for the first time in its history divided 50-50, but Republicans will have the edge once Dick Cheney is sworn in as vice-president on 20 January, as he will have the deciding vote.
'Fair deal'
"This agreement accurately reflects the historic composition of this Senate," said Senator Daschle.
"More importantly, it reflects the political thinking of the people themselves," he added.
Senator Lott, who will become the majority leader when the new administration takes office, described the deal as reasonable.
"This resolution may haunt me, but it's fair and it allows us to go on with the people's business."
Political realism
Many Republicans had resisted the idea of parity in the committees because of the one-seat majority they will have when Mr Cheney takes office. The vice-president does not participate in committee work.
Correspondents say the deal reflects the political reality, because the Democrats now have enough votes to halt Senate work with procedural delays.
US senators have agreed a new set of procedures which they hope will avoid gridlock in a Senate evenly split between Democrats and Republicans.
Under the new agreement, both parties will have equal representation on the various committees, and be entitled to equal staff and budgets.
This resolution may haunt me, but it's fair and it allows us to go on with the people's business
The new regulations also include a series of mechanisms to resolve tied votes at different stages.
The plan - which was approved by voice vote - was the result of two weeks of negotiations between the Senate Democratic leader, Tom Daschle, and Republican leader Trent Lott.
The US Congress is for the first time in its history divided 50-50, but Republicans will have the edge once Dick Cheney is sworn in as vice-president on 20 January, as he will have the deciding vote.
'Fair deal'
"This agreement accurately reflects the historic composition of this Senate," said Senator Daschle.
"More importantly, it reflects the political thinking of the people themselves," he added.
Senator Lott, who will become the majority leader when the new administration takes office, described the deal as reasonable.
"This resolution may haunt me, but it's fair and it allows us to go on with the people's business."
Political realism
Many Republicans had resisted the idea of parity in the committees because of the one-seat majority they will have when Mr Cheney takes office. The vice-president does not participate in committee work.
Correspondents say the deal reflects the political reality, because the Democrats now have enough votes to halt Senate work with procedural delays.
I know what I'm talking about and you don't. Technically Lott was Majority Leader, but looking beyond form to substance, he and Daschle were coequals. Again, Cheney only matters on a tie vote!! If Jeffords or Chafee or Spector or the liberal Maine Senators voted with the Democrats on an issue and a like number of Dems didn't switch sides, Cheney was irrelevant.
You seem unwilling to deal with the world as it is. I think reasoning with you is kind of like trying to reason with a soccer mom on gun control. You point out that we already have a ton of laws on the books and they're not being enforced. You point out that statistics on gun deaths don't reflect how many crimes were prevented because someone was allowed to have a gun. You point out studies that show that less restrictive gun laws decrease gun deaths, not increase. It all falls on deaf ears. The soccer mom thinks with her emotions. She doesn't want to hear it. Same thing with you.
If the GOP still held the Senate, a partial birth abortion ban would have been brought up for a vote by now, and quite possibly passed, just as it did when the GOP controlled the Senate in the Clinton years, although it would have been alot more difficult with the Senate evenly divided and with five liberal GOP Senators whose vote on this is unpredictable
Partial birth wasn't the first thing Congress or Bush brought up. They were preoccupied with the tax cut and the economy sliding into recession early in the year. You can't bring up alot of different controversial bills at the same time. That's how the world works. So it makes no difference that now it can never be brought up with Daschle in control. It makes no difference who controls the Senate, right?