I’ll be brief.
Once Franken is seated, Reid will have his "magic number 60". We heard from Reid back in 2006 that the Democrats needed a majority in the Senate, so his hands were tied until they got one.
We helped deliver that majority with what turned out to be a tremendous and somewhat unexpected near-sweep of the toss up races, winning squeakers in Missouri, Montana and Virginia. But then, it wasn’t a big enough majority and Reid needed more – presumably because he was being pwnded and consistently outmaneuvered by Mitch friggin’ McConnell. So fast forward to 2008, and we helped Reid get to 58 and then presumably 59 by winning North Carolina, Alaska, Minnesota (yes, that counts), Virginia (again) among others.
Now, with Specter flipping to the Democratic side of the aisle, Reid has his 60. The "filibuster proof majority" he whined and begged and set the bar at. And frankly, I don’t care that this total includes a Nelson from Nebraska, a Bayh from Indiana, a Baucus from Montana or now a Specter from the republican side of the aisle.
He said 60. He has 60. And his job as Majority Leader should be squarely on the line – no questions asked, no excuses.
I don’t know what Specter privately promised Obama or Reid or anyone else for that matter. But I do know that he is off to one hell of a start. His Meet the Press appearance was a doozy. He voted against the budget already. He indicated he will still vote against the Employee Free Choice Act. He expects to keep his seniority when it comes to committee assignments. He said he won’t be "loyal" when it comes to supporting Obama’s agenda, and he has already drawn lines in the sand on healthcare.
This sounds like someone who desperately needs (1) a swift kick in the ass and (2) a strong primary opponent.
And so does Reid – even more so if legislation passed in the House gets watered down or can’t pass cloture.
He asked for a majority and got one. He asked for 60 when a majority wasn’t enough and now he is on the verge of getting one. It is his turn to put up or shut up. It is his time to show if he can be the least bit effective or if he too is a Democrat that should be shown the door when it comes to leadership and responsibility to an agenda that the American people have craved, voted for and support.