It looks like Senate Republicans are throwing a well-placed monkey wrench in the financial reform works. Progressive senators have been wrangling with the Democratic leadership to at least get votes on their tough-on-Wall-Street amendments, and it appeared that some sort of accommodation/resolution was close. But now anonymous Republican senators are blocking consideration of several amendments. That’s set off senators like Byron Dorgan (D-ND), who has threatened to filibuster the whole bill if his amendment doesn’t get a vote. Dorgan is on the floor now objecting to all amendments.
The backdrop to all this is that the politics of Wall Street reform have become so anti-Wall Street that even the Senate Democratic leadership is a little nervous that some of the toughest amendments stand a chance of passing because no one wants to be on the wrong side of these votes this close to an election.
Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) is now saying that this may prevent Democrats from getting the 60 votes they need to move the bill forward.
