No Limit Poker Time

Over at Big Orange, David Waldman says it's now time to seat Al Franken, and Arlen Specter has just given the Dems the leverage to squeeze the GOP with: Specter's current committee seats.

Seat Al Franken and give him his committee assignments now, or we'll block a new organizing resolution that would let you reassign Specter's previously Republican committee seats to one of your own.

Until a new organizing resolution is adopted, Specter's committee seats (Appropriations, Judiciary, Veterans' Affairs, Environment & Public Works, Special Aging) are locked in. He'll be caucusing and (sometimes, anyway) voting as a Democrat, but will be occupying Republican seats.

Democrats should demand Republican agreement to seat Franken and give him his committee assignments now, or they'll just block a new organizing resolution until he arrives, and change it as they see fit later on. After all, with 60 Democrats (once Franken is finally seated), they can give themselves any ratios they want, whether they opt to remain true to the 60/40 split in the Senate or not, since there won't be enough votes to filibuster an unfair organizing resolution.

But we wouldn't want it to come to that, would we?

Until there's a change, Appropriations goes effectively from 17-13 in favor of Democrats to 18-12. Judiciary to 12-7. Environment to 12-7. Veterans' Affairs to 10-5. Special Aging to 12-7.

Now of course I can totally see Evan Bayh trying to scuttle this, but even he can't complain too much about getting the legitimately elected Franken seated without bringing the hammer down from Rahmbo up top.

Still, it's an effective plan. It's nasty and stooping to the level of the GOP over the last 8 years, and they were made to pay for it (and the Dems must keep that in mind). But it's an option.