Financial Reform Fighter III: Third Strike

And today's revote failed 56-42.  Ben Nelson?  Still an idiot.  There's lots of happy talk about a deal still coming however.  Several Republicans keep acting like one's just around the corner and the Dems are talking about making the Republicans stay all night to keep filibustering the bill.

This apparently is Harry Reid's Plan C.  I hope it's more effective than Plans A and B have been, because right now the Republicans sure aren't acting like there ever going to stop filibustering the bill.

Ever.

I don't buy the happy talk for a second.

[UPDATE] TPM is reporting there's now a deal according to GOP Sen. Richard Shelby.  Perhaps Plan C really did work...but what's the price?  The bailout fund, the derivatives rules, both, or something more?  Who caved here, the GOP or the Dems?

I'd like to know.

[UPDATE 2] Greg Sargent is reporting that the GOP apparently really did fold.

So what happened here? As the GOP aide candidly told me earlier today, Shelby’s negotiations were about buying time to win as many concessions as possible, and if it looked as if Dems were not going to concede any more, the GOP would have little choice but to allow debate and hope to win more concessions on the floor. That’s what appears to have happened.

I'm sure ads like this had something to do with it too.




I am pleasantly surprised.

[UPDATE 3] And the GOP has completely collapsed, going from filibuster to a unanimous consent motion that means there's not even a need for a vote.   Harry Reid, Chris Dodd and crew actually did it, and won completely.

Of course, now the real battle begins and the GOP can in fact filibuster the bill again to stop a final bill from being voted on, but frankly I'm very glad to be wrong here.