Mass. Effect (or, Bust the Filibuster?)
January 19th, 2010
” The galaxy is trapped in an endless cycle of extinction. Every 50,000 years, an ancient machine race invades the galaxy. With ruthless efficiency, the machines wipe out all advanced organic civilization. They leave behind only the scattered ruins of technology, destroying all evidence of their own existence. Few believe this ancient legend. You, however, know it to be true. The fight to stop this extinction event has become the most important mission in the galaxy. You must act without remorse, without hesitation, and outside the limits of the law.” – Mass Effect game description
As reported in Brown wins Massachusetts Senate race (CNN 1/19/10 10:39 pm), Martha Coakley has lost the special election in Massachusetts (although there were some irregularities reported). There goes our 60th seat, which makes it difficult if not impossible to get any legislation through the ossified Senate. What to do? Here’s a (partial) list from Huffington Post: Bust The Filibuster (Norm Goldman, 1/04/10), Filibusters Could Be Fun (Christopher Brauchli, 1/06/10, arguing that the “virtual filibuster” should be eliminated), Barney Frank: ‘God Didn’t Create The Filibuster’ (1/19/10), Health Care: How About Filibuster Busting? (Bob Franken, 1/21/10), and Harkin, Dem Groups Working To End Filibuster (Sam Stein, 1/22/10).
Coakley has lost.
That’s really not great.
Will healthcare now share
A similar fate?
Republicans are
Hoping that’s true.
Democrats are
Wondering what to do.
It’s true that our chances
Are somewhat lackluster.
I’ve got a solution –
Dump the filibuster!
Under Bush, Republicans threatened to do that
But I guess this is now
And that was then.
The GOP called it
The “nuclear option.”
I don’t know about you,
But I think it’s an option.
Still, all this talk of reform failure is strange,
Because the House can always accept the Senate bill without change.
It’s true that the House bill is the better of the two,
But the Senate may be the best that we can do.
There’s still chance for compromise if opposition can be allayed
(Or if Senator-Elect Brown’s certification is delayed).
We may even be able win some Republican support (you never know).
Remember, there’s still a 50% chance of Snowe.
Can Dems avoid extiction at the hands of the merciless GOP Machine?
I hope so… though that remains to be seen.
***
Here’s Keith Olbermann’s 1/19/10 report on the election results and impact.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Here’s Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) arguing in favor of eliminating the Senate filibuster.
Here’s the Mass Effect trailer.
Tags: 2010 elections, Coakley, Elections, Filibuster, Games, Healthcare, MA, Mass Effect, Republicans
Posted in
Healthcare, Republicans |
5 Comments »
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January 20th, 2010 at 1:52 pm
It is indeed true that democrats may now find it impossible to get anything done at all. What an ironic tragedy that the most democratic state of all, Mass., with only 12% Republicans, should deliver this crippling blow. Democrats must take its meanng to heart. People do not understand the health care bill, both because of Republican attacks and lies and because of their own failure to communicate what the bill really is. “Government takeover of health care” is what almost the entire nation now calls it, and that itself is a lie that we democrats have let prevail. “Government takeover”?? Hospitals will remain privately owned; doctors will work for their own practi es or groups, as they always have; pharmacutical companies will remain private and for-profit, as will all the big insurance companies ? Where is the “government takeover”? And where is the clear, understandable democratic response to this attack ?
If it does not come, and if it does not succeed, we may well have a Republican controlled congress a year from now. And we will have betrayed the hope and trust of the people of the United States.
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