In Minnesota, Al Franken just might win the Senate race. No seriously, the guy who brought us Stuart Saves His Family is leading the race for the Senate. As political scientist Larry Sabato told MarketWatch, “it just proves anybody with a ‘D’ can get elected.”
That trend is growing across the nation, as more and more races have started going blue. People are unsatisfied with just about everything the government has touched lately, especially the economy. Conventional wisdom states that they should go against the incumbent party, hence the left-leaning shift. Besides the presidential race looking more and more like an Obama lock, Congressional races are starting to lean the Democrats’ way. It even has people talking about the possibility of The Magic 60.
The Magic 60 is the Holy Grail of politics — a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. With 60 Senate seats, a party can move any legislation and overturn any filibuster, effectively speeding up the lawmaking process. Currently, the Democrats (with 49 seats, one Democratic-leaning Independent and Joe Lieberman), hold a slim margin over Republicans (with just 49 seats and Joe Lieberman) in the Senate. But with 35 seats up for grabs, a big night for the Dems could bring them the coveted 60 seats. And with a strong majority in Congress and a Democrat in the White House, the party could effectively change the direction of the country and pass some sweeping reforms.
Even though the goal may seem unattainable, the chances are looking increasingly better as time goes on and the economy keeps wobbling. Of the 35 seats up for election this cycle, 23 are currently held by Republicans, and with five conservatives retiring, Democrats are set to make big gains. Assuming they keep their 12 seats, they would need to pick up nine more to reach the threshold. The Republican party just gets more unpopular by the minute with the failing war, an unpopular president and the economy tanking faster than the Cubs. By almost a 2-1 margin, Americans blame the elephants for the economic crisis and ultimately, it’s the pocketbook that controls the polls.
Converting nine seats sounds like a tall order, but it might be possible. Democrats are already predicted to pick up seats in Virginia, Colorado and New Mexico. The race in North Carolina is surprisingly close and Republican Elizabeth Dole is in danger of being bounced from her seat. In Alaska, politicians who aren’t named Sarah Palin are involved in a tight Senate race and indicted Senator Ted Stevens might lose his seat even without the help of a judge. And let’s not forget about Stuart Smalley.
If everything goes their way, that’s six seats already. That just leaves the races in Oregon, Maine, New Hampshire, Mississippi, Louisiana and Kentucky, all of which aren’t quite close, but could be with an ill-timed racist joke.
If the stars shine on the Democrats and they capture the Magic 60, what does it even mean? The last president to have that powerful of a Senate was Jimmy Carter from 1977-1979, when he too faced uncertain economic times. He didn’t do much with it, and instead alienated senators with a “hit list” of projects he opposed. But with the country feasting for change, whether it’s the kind we can believe in or of the “mavericky” variety, a Deomcratic power bloc in Washington could actually make some major reforms. Already preparing for an Obama presidency, Congressional Democrats have been making plans for a post-election session to debate a vast rebate plan. Aimed at the middle and lower classes, this plan would extend jobless benefits, improve food stamp spending and might even include a tax rebate.
Without the threat of a veto, Democrats could speed that program through Congress, creating a bailout plan that directly helps most Americans. And that could just be the beginning. If that rebate plan goes through, there could be more quick programs designed to help the middle class, something Obama has been touting in campaign speeches.
Of course, there is one drawback: no more fun Senate sleepovers. But with Al Franken there, the Senate just might be laughed at enough without having to set up cots.