Word: seated
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Some political observers think Tuesday's Senate runoff in Georgia is a big deal because a victory by underdog Jim Martin over incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss would keep alive the Democratic Party's dreams of a filibuster-proof 60-seat majority to move its agenda successfully through the Senate. Other experts see the race as a big deal for the opposite reason; Democrats with that majority as well as control of the House and White House could overreach, leading to a conservative backlash...
...Georgia, it's almost as if the election hasn't ended. National political heavyweights like Bill Clinton, John McCain, Sarah Palin and Al Gore have stormed through the state to remind its citizens that history is still at stake. On Tuesday, Georgia goes to the polls to decide a seat that could inch Democrats closer to a 60-seat, filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. The prospect of such a legislative advantage has the Republican incumbent in this red-leaning state billing himself as as the final "firewall" against the agenda of Barack Obama...
...polls one last time. The Chambliss line about being the firewall against an Obama agenda is resonating with voters. According to a recent Rasmussen poll, 52% of Georgia voters say they would be less likely to vote for Martin if it meant the Democrats would gain a 60-seat majority in the Senate. Meanwhile, 9% of those planning to vote for Martin said the thought of a filibuster-proof Senate makes them less likely to vote...
...really, there's no such thing as a "filibuster-proof 60-seat majority," even if Martin pulls off an upset and Al Franken wins his recount against Republican Norm Coleman in Minnesota and Joe Lieberman still counts as a Democrat. Senators don't always vote in partisan lockstep; President Barack Obama could succeed in recruiting Republicans on some issues with a 58-seat Democratic majority, and he could find himself stymied by defections on some issues with a 62-seat Democratic majority. In the Senate, even one determined naysayer is capable of grinding the institution to a halt...
...that's why the Martin-Chambliss race actually is a big deal: Chambliss is a textbook Bush-Cheney Republican - and every vote counts. Sixty seats would be better for the Democrats than 59, which would be better for the Democrats than 58. Six years is also a long time. In fact, Georgia is still an extremely conservative state, so if Chambliss can win at a time when the Republican Party is at its lowest ebb, he can probably hold his seat as long as he wants - which would be good news for Bush-style Republicans and bad news for Obama...