Democrats DO NOT have a Senate Majority!

How many times do I have to repeat this ...?

Democrats - senators elected on the Democratic party ticket - DO NOT have a majority of seats in the US Senate! But, they may have a majority of votes when they are sworn in and start work in January of 2007.

Why?

Becuase Bernie Sanders, a Socialist who runs as an Indepoendent from Vermont - no, he REALLY is a Socialist in the best, European sense of the word and he is proud of that but it's too hard to get votes so he runs as an Independent- and Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who also got elected as an Independent, will vote with the Democrats (and snuggle up to them to get offices and parking spaces and committee assignments). Yeah, an Independent counts for nothing in a Congress where ony a Democrat or Republican can function.

Now there may be a new problem on the horizon.

Democrat Tim Johnson, a 59-year-old US Senator from South Dakota suffered a stroke in December of 2006 and went in for surgery. If he can't serve and resigns his seat he will be replaced by someone appointed by South Dakota's governor who is a Republican. It is traditional for governors to ignore the voters coice of party and appoint someone from their party which means it would be a Republican. If that happens the 51-49 majority in the Senate (51 only because two Independents, Sanders and Lieberman are expected to vote with the Democrats) would become a 50-50 tie. If any votes are 50-50 Vice President Cheney comes in an votes to break the tie and from what I can tell he would pretty much vote a straight party ticket with the Republicans.

So, remember Dr. Politics lesson -

• The Democrats only have 49 Senators - the same as the Republicans. But, they get votes from the 2 Independents who, if I was either one of them, will be getting many, MANY special earmarked projects for Vermont and Connecticut. How about the largest wind and solar powered research facilty in the world and the World Maple Syrup Museum for Vermont? And, a big expansion of the Nuclear Submarine Electric Boat company shipyards in Groton, Connecticut?

Ain't fate wonderful!?