Though doubts persisted, it seems Dems, particularly in the Senate, have learned how to make the most of their status as the opposition party.
Trying to show that they remain a force despite their reduced numbers, Senate Democrats on Monday threatened new hurdles for President Bush’s cabinet choices and expressed deep misgivings about the planned Social Security changes at the heart of this year’s Republican agenda.
A lot of the tactics are procedural, but all of the tactics are effective and exactly what’s needed right now.
* Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) is considering a block on Michael Leavitt’s nomination to head HHS until Dorgan is promised a vote on reimportation on prescription medication.
* Alberto Gonzales and Condoleezza Rice looked to be on a fast track to confirmation before Dems successfully hit the brakes and started asking for real answers to substantive questions.
In short, Dems may only have 45 votes, but they’re reminding the GOP that they won’t be rolled over anymore.
“The honeymoon is over and we are now in the full throes of our new marital arrangement here,” said Senator Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the Democratic whip, after he and other Democratic leaders introduced a priority list on Monday sharply at odds with that put forward by Republicans.
[…]
In some respects, said one Democratic lawmaker who asked not to be named because his words were so blunt, they have little choice given their predicament as the party far out of power. “The truth is, you have no place else to go when your back is against the wall,” he said.
It’s so beautiful, it almost brings a tear to your eye, doesn’t it?
Republicans are so frustrated, they can’t even come up with compelling criticisms.
Republicans grumbled about the tactics, predicting that Democrats would ultimately pay for them and again be punished by voters.
“I do feel that the American people spoke pretty loudly in these elections in terms of their support for this president and this Republican Congress – Senate and House – in support of an agenda that is consistent with the one that we’ve laid out today,” said Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee, the majority leader.
One wonders if even Frist believes such nonsense. Does anyone seriously believe that Dems fell short in 2004 because of “obstructionism”? Doesn’t most poll data show that voters far prefer the Dems’ approach to most public policies? If ever there was a majority preparing to overreach, this is it.
It’s also worth noting that it’s not just Barbara Boxer and Ted Kennedy who are standing up to the GOP with a little hardball.
Mr. Dorgan said he might try to block a vote on the nomination of Mr. Leavitt, the nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, until he received assurances from Dr. Frist that the Senate would vote on a plan to let cheaper prescription drugs into the country. Mr. Dorgan said he believed he had a similar commitment in 2004 but the vote never took place.
“I felt we were promised a vote last year and didn’t get it, and anything that I can apply as leverage I will use,” Mr. Dorgan said.
[…]
But Democrats said they would not be cowed by their lower numbers, or the larger Republican ones. “We’re not furniture,” Mr. Dorgan said.
If you’re not familiar with Byron Dorgan, this may not seem particularly remarkable, but we’re talking about a moderate-to-conservative Dems from North Dakota. Hardly a far-left partisan, Dorgan is the type of red-state Dem to whom Republicans reach out regularly for support. And even Dorgan is implicitly saying, “That’s it; I’ve had it.”
Say what you will about congressional Dems, but articles like this one suggest they’ve learned some valuable lessons in Bush’s first term and they won’t make the same mistakes again.