Filibuster Fight: OK, It's Possible Rove IS Crying

Ok...I am still trying to digest and analyze this filibuster deal, so give me a little leeway here as I think out loud. My last post explored the idea that the whole filibuster fight may end up helping the GOP. It was designed to consider some of the shortfalls of the deal and potential traps that lay ahead - something that I think is particularly important for progressives to do (and all too often overlooked during short-term political squabbles). That said, let's take a look at the upside of the filibuster deal for progressives.

First and foremost - the radical right is freaking out. That means that, policy-wise, we've not only done something right by defeating the "nuclear" option, but politically we've opened up a divide between the lunatic fringe wing of the GOP, and the (albeit dying and tiny) mainstream wing. It also may split open a divide between the economic fat cats and the religious right that make up the GOP base. This is no small achievement - and bodes well for Democrats. As the Republicans themselves have shown in unfortunately splitting Democrats apart on core economic issues, when parties break apart, their own power is weakened.

Secondly, in the short term, the defeat of the "nuclear" option will be chalked up to moderation, and credited to Democrats. With polls showing disapproval of Congress at a high, that's especially good. The polls mean that people don't like what Congress is doing - and if Democrats get credit for stopping some of what Congress is doing, that's a positive, at least in the short term. As long as they don't get labeled obstructionist ON GOOD THINGS (like they dishonestly did on the creation of the Department of Homeland Security), that could also be a good thing in the long term, as long as Democrats play it right.

So between this post and the last post here's my bet - Karl Rove IS crying tonight...though I still maintain there's a chance he may be laughing about this if we don't play this really well moving forward. But it's true - that's a big if. At this point, if I were a betting man, I'd put my chips with the Democrats and Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV). They've shown tonight that they are learning how to win, at least in the short term; Reid is a skilled tactician who I trust; and the GOP recently has shown no ability to control its extremist impulses that turn off voters. In other words, I'm going suck up my worry for now, have faith, and be an optimist (something that doesn't come natural to me) - a cautious one, but an optimist. Here's hoping the party can turn this into a long-term victory.