The Republicans are convinced that their only mistake was in not being conservative enough. That attitude has the twin benefits of both ensuring their continued electoral irrelevance and making it impossible for them to court Snowe and Collins.

Just having them in the caucus could only be seen as the kind of ideological impurity the Republicans are determined to expunge, which ahould alienate them.

Secondly -- You really expect Democrats to be united? I don't doubt for an instant that there'll be enough crossovers from the other side of the isle to make things happen... But seriously -- Democrats? United?!

Here's my prediction: The Republicans will continue to self-immolate and in 2020 or 2024 the Democratic party splits, for no other reason than the vacuum created by the demise of Republicans.

Imagine this last campaign with two strong Democratic candidates, Clinton and Obama, absent a viable Republican threat. Do you really think Clinton would have just conceded after losing the Primary?

I remember a time when Republicans were able to get things passed with simply a "majority of the majority" - in other words, a minority.

Remember when a majority used to mean 51.

I think Democrats need to call this bluff. Tee up as many popular legislative pieces as possible and send them through and make the Republicans actually filibuster.

Force them into unpopular votes.

Know how Republicans did it? They did it with a superior message and pressure from the people. Now, Republicans had one advantage in that most of the media is owned by conservatives.

But Obama defeated them in the election anyways because people have stopped drinking the Kool Aid.

Take the message to the MAJORITY and have them put pressure on their representatives.

Until we take a stand, we accept the conservative logic that 60 is the magic number.

- David

p.s. And yes, I have been writing my representatives and urging everyone I know to do the same.

...Stan