Learning How To Be Smart Winners
We won. We won the White House. We won the Senate. We won the House of Representatives. We have better people in charge. I love it. I am more content, more at peace. I'm confident Obama will do a splendid job.
Not everybody on our side knows how to win. Many are so used to losing that winning actually upsets them, for they are more comfortable being an angry minority than part of a majority coalition. A good example of that was the hysteria over Proposition 8.
I personally oppose gay marriage but support civil unions with 99% of the benefits of marriage with status issues and BIC issues compartmentalized. However, any politician that supports gay marriage does not lose my vote. It makes no difference.
So what was the reaction of some across the country when Prop 8 passed but they got 98% of everything else they wanted? Yes, you got it, bang their keyboards loudly and go actup. Yeah that worked, now Rick Warren is giving an invocation at Obama's inauguration.
The point is that there are those who just want something to constantly be angry about and those who want to make this country better. They don't know happiness, never will.
That also means giving Democrats who voted with Bush too often in the past a chance. When you are in the minority, you sometimes go along with the majority so that you can get a piece of the pie down the road.
NOw that Dems are the majority, it's real simple. The key numbers are 218, 60, and 50. We need 218 Dems to pass anything we want. Do I care which 218 they are? NO. Do I care if a few Republicans want to join in? NO. With over 255 HOuse Democrats we have what is known as a working margin. This enables about 37 Democrats to break ranks with the party on a given issue. That's 15% of a coalition. All we need is 85% of Democrats to stay together in the House on any one piece of legislation and that piece of legislation passes the House. Nice shoes to be in.
In the Senate the key vote is breaking filibusters. Republicans will have an almost impossible time doing this. We only need 1 Republican. Snowe claims to be a moderate. If she is, she would never filibuster and that solves that. Specter and Voinovich are tired of Washington. If we need their votes to break a filibuster, we throw them a bone. This should not be a problem.
Next we simply need 50 Democratic Senators to pass legislation. (Biden would break a tie.) That means that 9 Democrats, again 15% of the coalition, can abandon us on the vote and we can pass the bill. Being part of the majority means they don't filibuster us when they disagree, they simply vote no. Again, all we need is 85% of Democrats in the Senate on any bill and we're home free. Do I care which 50 they are? NO. Let 8 or 9 feign about how moderate and independent they are so long as the bill passes. Republicans have played this game for decades, we can play it too.
Not everybody on our side knows how to win. Many are so used to losing that winning actually upsets them, for they are more comfortable being an angry minority than part of a majority coalition. A good example of that was the hysteria over Proposition 8.
I personally oppose gay marriage but support civil unions with 99% of the benefits of marriage with status issues and BIC issues compartmentalized. However, any politician that supports gay marriage does not lose my vote. It makes no difference.
So what was the reaction of some across the country when Prop 8 passed but they got 98% of everything else they wanted? Yes, you got it, bang their keyboards loudly and go actup. Yeah that worked, now Rick Warren is giving an invocation at Obama's inauguration.
The point is that there are those who just want something to constantly be angry about and those who want to make this country better. They don't know happiness, never will.
That also means giving Democrats who voted with Bush too often in the past a chance. When you are in the minority, you sometimes go along with the majority so that you can get a piece of the pie down the road.
NOw that Dems are the majority, it's real simple. The key numbers are 218, 60, and 50. We need 218 Dems to pass anything we want. Do I care which 218 they are? NO. Do I care if a few Republicans want to join in? NO. With over 255 HOuse Democrats we have what is known as a working margin. This enables about 37 Democrats to break ranks with the party on a given issue. That's 15% of a coalition. All we need is 85% of Democrats to stay together in the House on any one piece of legislation and that piece of legislation passes the House. Nice shoes to be in.
In the Senate the key vote is breaking filibusters. Republicans will have an almost impossible time doing this. We only need 1 Republican. Snowe claims to be a moderate. If she is, she would never filibuster and that solves that. Specter and Voinovich are tired of Washington. If we need their votes to break a filibuster, we throw them a bone. This should not be a problem.
Next we simply need 50 Democratic Senators to pass legislation. (Biden would break a tie.) That means that 9 Democrats, again 15% of the coalition, can abandon us on the vote and we can pass the bill. Being part of the majority means they don't filibuster us when they disagree, they simply vote no. Again, all we need is 85% of Democrats in the Senate on any bill and we're home free. Do I care which 50 they are? NO. Let 8 or 9 feign about how moderate and independent they are so long as the bill passes. Republicans have played this game for decades, we can play it too.
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