No, it has to be repeated, Dems had real control for less than 2 months

...passed nothing that kept Reaganist inequality growing. This is just GOP policy, defended to the death. Only New BS GOP propaganda keeps this going and even possible. A disgrace.

Written on January 31, 2012 at 3:25 am by elfish
The Myth of Democratic Super Majority.

One of the standard Republican talking points is that the Democrats had a filibuster-proof, super majority for two years between 2008 and 2010. This talking point is usually trotted out when liberals complain that the Republicans filibustered virtually every piece of legislation proposed by Obama or the Democrats during Obama’s presidency. The implication is that Democrats had ample opportunity to pass legislation and that the reason they didn’t pass more legislation doesn’t have anything to do with the Republicans.

It is also used to counter any argument that Republican legislation, (passed during the six years of total Republican control,) has anything to do with today’s problems. They claim that the Democrats had a super majority for two years and passed all kinds of legislation, (over Republican objection and filibuster,) that completely undid all Republican policies and legislation, and this absolves them from today’s problems.

The Truth is that the Democrats only had a filibuster-proof majority for 60 working days during that period, insufficient time to undo even a small portion of the legislation passed during six years of Republican control. Here are the details:

To define terms, a Filibuster-Proof Majority or Super Majority is the number of votes required to overcome a filibuster in the Senate. According to current Senate rules, 60 votes are required to overcome a filibuster.

Here is a time-line of the events after the 2008 election:

1. BALANCE BEFORE THE ELECTION. In 2007 – 2008 the balance in the Senate was 51-49 in favor of the Democrats. On top of that, there was a Republican president who would likely veto any legislation the Republicans didn’t like. Not exactly a super majority.

2. BIG GAIN IN 2008, BUT STILL NO SUPER MAJORITY. Coming out the 2008 election, the Democrats made big gains, but they didn’t immediately get a Super Majority. The Minnesota Senate race required a recount and was not undecided for more than six months. During that time, Norm Coleman was still sitting in the Senate and the Balance 59-41, still not a Super Majority.

3. KENNEDY GRAVELY ILL. Teddy Kennedy casthis last vote in April and left Washington for good around the first of May. Technically he could come back to Washington vote on a pressing issue, but in actual fact, he never returned, even to vote on the Sotomayor confirmation. That left the balance in the Senate 58-41, two votes away from a super majority.

4. STILL NO SUPER MAJORITY. In July, Al Frankin was finally declared the winner and was sworn in on July 7th, 2009, so the Democrats finally had a Super Majority of 60-40 six and one-half months into the year. However, by this point, Kennedy was unable to return to Washington even to participate in the Health Care debate, so it was only a technical super majority because Kennedy could no longer vote and the Senate does not allow proxies. Now the actual actual balance of voting members was 59-40 not enough to overcome a Republican filibuster.

5. SENATE IS IN RECESS. Even if Kennedy were able to vote, the Senate went into summer recess three weeks later, from August 7th to September 8th.

6. KENNEDY DIES. Six weeks later, on Aug 26, 2009 Teddy Kennedy died, putting the balance at 59-40. Now the Democrats don’t even have technical super majority.

7. FINALLY, A SUPER MAJORITY! Kennedy’s replacement was sworn in on September 25, 2009, finally making the majority 60-40, just enough for a super majority.

8. SENATE ADJOURNS. However the Senate adjourned for the year on October 9th, only providing 11 working days of super majority, from September 25th to October 9th.

9. SPECIAL SESSIONS. During October, November and December, the Senate had several special sessions to deal with final passage of ACA and Budget appropriations.

October = 13th – 15th, 20th – 22nd, 27th, 29th = 8 days
November = 2nd, 4th, 5th, 9th 16th, 17th, 19th, 21st = 8 days
December = 1st, 3rd - 8th, 10th – 13th, 15th – 18th, 19th, 21st – 24th = 20 days

Total Special Session Days = 36.

8. SCOTT BROWN ELECTED. Scott Brown was elected on January 19th 2010. The Senate was in session for 10 days in January, but Scott Brown wasn’t sworn into office on February 4th, so the Democrats only had 13 days of super majority in 2010.
Summary:

Regular Session: 11 working days
Special Session: 36 working days
Lame Duck Session: 13 working days

The Democrats only had 60 days of Super Majority between 2008 and 2010.

Discussion: One of the central themes of the Republican argument is that the Democrats had a super majority for two full years and so they had plenty of time pass new legislation or undo any problems that were caused by six years of Republican control of all three branches of government. This is argument is used by the Republicans immunize themselves against any responsibility for ongoing problems that might have been caused by their policies.

However, the fact is that the Democrats had a super majority for a total of 60 days, which is no where near the two years that Republicans are always claiming. On top of that, the period of Super Majority was split into short sessions, none of which was longer than five days. In addition, the special session time was entirely devoted to budget issues and Republican amendments to the ACA.

Given the glacial pace that business takes place in the Senate, this was way too little time for the Democrats pass any meaningful legislation, let alone get bills through committees and past all the obstructionistic tactics the Republicans were using to block legislation. No one can seriously expect that the Democrats could undo in 60 days all the damage that Republicans created in six years.

Further, these Super Majorities count Joe Lieberman as a Democrat even though he was by this time an Independent. Even though he was Liberal on some legislation, he was very conservative on other issues and opposed many of the key pieces of legislation the Democrats and Obama wanted to pass. For example, he was adamantly opposed to “Single Payer” health care and vowed to support a Republican Filibuster if it ever came to the floor. He even threatened to caucus with the Republicans if legislation came to the floor that he didn’t like.

Summary:

1. 1/07 – 12/08 – 51-49 – Ordinary Majority.
2. 1/09 – 7/14/09 – 59-41 – Ordinary Majority. (Coleman/Franklin Recount.)
3. 7/09 – 8/09 - 60-40 – Technical Super Majority, but since Kennedy is unable to vote, the Democrats can’t overcome a filibuster
4. 8/09 – 9/09 - 59-40 – Ordinary Majority. (Kennedy dies)
5. 9/09 – 12/24- 60-40 – Super Majority for 47 working days.
6. 1/10 – 2/10 – 60-40 – Super Majority for 13 working days

Total Time of the Democratic Super Majority: 60 Working days.

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/vote_menu_111_1.htm
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/resources/pdf/2009_calendar.pdf
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/resources/pdf/2010_calendar.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_election_in_Minnesota,_2008
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/111th_United_States_Congress

 

All the GOP wants to do is cut taxes on the rich anyway (for some reason that only takes 51 votes), and block Dem reform.

 

Pure B.S. You want to hide behind 'super majority' but claim Republicans can cut taxes with a simple majority. A simple majority is all that is required to pass any bill, meaning Dems had control for 2 years. OP FAIL.

 

Who do you consider " rich"

People with jobs?

 

people making over a million a year I would consider rich

left vs right tax plan

 

republicans already know this, they just hope repeating the lie often enough, people will believe it

 

Over 250K, but their should be higher taxes over 10 million and 100 million- only way to keep down ridiculous CEO pay. After 30 years of voodoo, EVERYONE is paying 20-30% in all taxes and fees, and ALL the new wealth stays with the richest, and the middle class and the country are falling apart. Trump- cut taxes on the rich LOL...

- - - Updated - - -

I don't think they do lol. Maybe the interested ones on a message board. MAYBE. The ignorance and misinformation is amazing.

 

But you can filibuster any bill which can't be passed with reconciliation. I admit I don't understand that, and neither do you. Total fail. Change the channel.

 

If the dems didn't have the house, senate, and presidency, ACA would have never been passed. Or should I say if the republicans could of done anything, they would of. Because weather you remember or not, at the time of passing the country was 73% against it, according to C-Span. And yes I watched it. They wasted four years while having total control, on government healthcare, and upon release of ACA it was an embarrassing nightmare.

 

Link? What tax IS that lol? What about all the other taxes?

Did you know payroll taxes now total as much as fed income tax? That RAYgun tripled them? Who pays THEM? That the GOP ended Obama's payroll tax cuts? That state and local taxes go up in reaction to Reaganist income tax cuts, and KILL the nonrich? That fees for everything DITTO. GOP "media" brainwashes to only think about Fed income tax...etc etc etc.

 

democrats had a MAJORITY... this notion its being claimed they had a "super majority" is just a deflection to dismiss the lack of action taken by democrats to solve all the problems they could have addressed back then, but simply did not... so please stop trying to propagate this deflection and redefinition of what republicans are saying...

anytime republicans have a "majority" they get blamed for everything... anytime democrats have a "majority" they still find a way to blame republicans...

simply amazing...

 

Awesome post! Didn't realize it was such a short time. Sure does destroy their talking points for that argument. We'll keep reminding them every time they use that lame excuse.

 

Who is going around saying that Democrats had a super majority for 2 years ? They had a near super majority. That is an unusually large margin. What's the problem here ?

 

The Senate had 60 days of control. Read the OP. The GOP would have, but whether YOU remember it or not, the House had to pass the Senate version because the Senate was already in GOP-"We won't pass ANYTHING " mode. Any problems ACA has is because of GOP/insurer crony obstruction and fear mongering. It's working fine in blue states andareas. Sorry you can't buy scam policies anymore. LOL

 

The problem is the lockstep, bought off by BIG MONEY, New BS GOP blocked all solutions for 7 3/4 years after wrecking the world. Only their lying propaganda machine makes it possible. They're a disgrace. Everyone in the world knows it outside the GOP/RW bubble.

 

The subject, to which you wrote a lengthy OP, is about you going on and on and on about how Democrats only had a super majority for 2 months....I will repeat

Who is going around saying that Democrats had a super majority for 2 years ? They had a near super majority. That is an unusually large margin. What's the problem here ?

 

All the New BS GOP wants is to cut taxes on the rich thru reconciliation. duh. They love this "system" they passed when Dems give them a honeymoon (Remember good gov't?), but they pass NOTHING now...

 

The problem is bad government caused by the "No compromise, un-American Tea Party GOP" -TIME.

 

you can end a filibuster, especially when you modify the rules, like the democrats did... the filibuster has been changed from 60 votes to 51 required to end it...

but perhaps you should read up on the ACA and how it passed and who voted for it, and why the filibuster was ended, here's a hint, they had the 60 votes back then...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patient_Protection_and_Affordable_Care_Act

all democrats and 1 independent (60-39) voted for cloture to end the filibuster, then voted on the bill and passed it... so while they didn't have a "super majority" which required 2/3rds they did have a "cloture majority" which required 3/5ths... so this notion a super majority or something was required, is not, as this was not something that affected changes to the constitution, they just needed the 60 votes or 3/5ths to end the filibuster...

notice the CRITICAL differences, and CAREFUL wording of these stories coming out, attempting to trick you into thinking republicans were wrong, by them saying democrats didn't have a "super majority" and couldn't do anything they wanted... they COULD, because they had a "cloture majority" which albeit is not a super majority, it was the required 3/5ths to end a filibuster under senate rules at the time... and they have since been changed to be a simple majority of 51 votes now...

gheezus is everyone really this stupid about politics and editorialized articles that carefully pick and choose words and manipulate facts to distort reality?!?!?!

can nobody read english anymore in america?!?!?!

 

Yeesh, you REALLY are requiring an inordinate amount of hand holding to get you to actually answer WHAT I ASKED. You wrote an essay that rambled on about how the Democrats only had a super majority for 2 months. There are 2 questions emanating from this.

1. Who is going around saying that the Democrats had a super majority for 2 years?.........I ask that question because your OP was written as if somehow that is a common right wing talking point, which it is not.

2. In light of the fact that a 59-41 margin is an UNUSUALLY big margin in the senate, what is your problem with people pointing to the fact that Democrats were in control of all 3 chambers for 2 years? You do know that "control" is determined by whomever has a majority, which is also whom controls the chairmanships in every committee.

 

Yup, the Dems could overcome the filibuster, that's why the GOP blocked EVERYTHING BUT the stimulus and ACA with 200+ filbusters 2009-11. This is all covered in the OP. Words fail me. LOL The Dems had 60 votes for less than 60 days. Ay caramba.

 

Control means you can pass laws. Ay caramba. The GOP is a lockstep, lying, cheating, thieving, brainwashing disgrace.

 

Control means you have the majority, and thus control of all the chairmanships in every committee, and control of what legislation goes to the floor. You are big on frothing at the mouth, but woefully short on knowledge of which you speak on this thread.

 

you're spinning hyperbole yourself stating "the GOP blocked everything"... have you EVER in your entire life, reviewed the ACTUAL votes in the senate, for ANY session elected? in the 2009-2010 senate sessions, they passed almost 90% of all bills and motions in the senate... almost 90% of them passed, thats immensely far from obstruction, how is that "blocking everything" as you claim... and if you notice, how many of them as you scroll through the hundreds of votes taken, have a 60-39 cloture majority OR BETTER, including a majority of those OUTSIDE of those "60 days" of control you hinge on... this debunks EVERYTHING with factually recorded votes...

there a difference why facts deviate from editorialized internet articles that are targeted to politically biased people... because they assume NONE of you will ever look up the facts!

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/vote_menu_111_1.htm 2009
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/vote_menu_111_2.htm 2010

can we agree, the government website, that tracks all senate votes, is a biased-free accounting of all the votes taken and their outcomes in the 111th senate?

P.S. you still understand the article you're quoting, doesn't understand "super majority" and "cloture majority"... one required 66 votes, the other 60 votes... but you notice how your article mixes the two as if they are somehow the same thing, when they are clearly NOT... you see how that intentional deception is used?

 

FDR got 13 major pieces of legislation passed in his first 100 days. That is like 13 obamacares passed and Obama could barely manage one in 60 days. The democrats could have done anything but you see what they focused on. They could have raised taxes on the rich, passed gun regulations, passed civil rights legislation....any number of things but they didn't.