The Return Of The Filibuster And Veto

Part of the problem of only having only a razor thin majority in the Senate is that the Democrats may find their proposed legislation blocked by the ages old threat of the filibuster, and if proposed legislation can survive that, then the veto pen of Bush awaits. It takes 60 vote in the Senate to invoke cloture, but only in the case of some legislation where something of a broad consensus may exist, may that be possible.

Senator Mitch McConnell, hardly the most intellectual member of the Senate proposes to block any attempt by the Senate to oppose a troop buildup by Bush. But it's hard to imagine that McConnell has the intellectual skills necessary to offer a winded, but passionate oratory defending the grossly unpopular Bush surge in Iraq. Equally, Bush a stooge of the big pharmaceutical companies by all means, promises a veto of any bill that would negotiate better drug prices. The fact is that senior citizens pay 60% for their prescriptions than veteran's do under VA drug purchase policies.

Unless one party holds a clear majority, the tyranny of the minority still exists to control legislation through either the filibuster or the veto pen. Such is this advantage and disadvantage of democracy.