Mass. Effect (or, Bust the Filibuster?)

Tuesday, 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 60^th 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

Again and again.

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
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