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Counting Backward from Sixty

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I’ve read much speculation about Senator Reid’s motivation to rush voting on the health bill by Christmas. One idea I haven’t seen was that the lefties’ 60-vote majority could vanish on January 19th, 2010. That’s when Massachusetts votes to fill Ted Kennedy’s former Senate seat.

If the Republican candidate pulls off an upset, righty filibusters will stand (until Reid buys off one of the Maine ladies again, anyway). Congress reconvenes on the 5th of January. There would be procedural delays associated with reconvening, and the righties’ parliamentary delaying tactics would start with a fresh clock.

If they were still pushing hard in January, Reid and the Democrats would bring additional scrutiny to an under-the-radar contest in Massachusetts. That Senate election could have been the first referendum on the health bills, and polling says that wouldn’t be good for the Democrat.

The health bill is past the filibuster stage. Now it takes only 51 Senators to ratify the turd. But breaking the 60-vote bloc is still vital. Beyond all the stuff that could be eventually repealed by a better Congress, we may need to pick another Supreme Court Justice.

The countdown from 60 starts on January 19th. So can the righty win?

Turnout on January 19 will be even lower than today’s. We could be well into single digits across the Commonwealth. Motivating your base, even one as small as the GOP’s, makes it possible to overcome that …

Make it clear: this is about the economy, jobs, and taxes. These are winnable positions for Republicans. Set the agenda, it’s not difficult, as Martha’s sole “issue” is her gender…

I suggest this is where the Tea Party can demonstrate its power and gain legitimacy. And never discount some stealthy moves by Sarahcuda. Nobody is better at motivating the GOP base.