With a 60-seat majority in the Senate, Democrats are poised, theoretically, to prevent Republicans from filibustering key agenda items. Liberals and health care reformers see that as a potential bulwark against Republican obstruction and are pressuring party leaders to enforce unanimity on key cloture votes, so that nominations and major bills (like health care) can be decided by a simple majority. And just how are they doing on that score?
Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE), one of the Senate’s most visible centrists, tells me leadership hasn’t said anything about it to him.
I asked, “Has leadership been in discussions with you and other moderates about voting with the party on procedural votes?”
In a statement that will bedevil liberals, he responded, “I don’t know about others, but not with me.”
I have a call out to Dem leadership for comment.
Nelson has long insisted that his vote on procedural questions is “not on autopilot,” and repeated that insistence today. That’s not surprising from Nelson, who, has previously used his leverage as one of the party’s most conservative members to move its legislation to the right.
I asked him whether he’d decided to support or oppose a filibuster of Justice Department nominee Dawn Johnsen–whose confirmation has been held up since March–and he replied, “not yet. But I certainly haven’t decided if I’m going to vote for cloture.”
Late Update: A senior Democratic aide says that leadership has indeed briefed the caucus about voting with the party on procedural votes. Maybe Nelson was talking about one-on-one meetings?
