Republicans may have power, but conservatives don't have solid power. By the most generous (widest) definition, conservatives may be a majority of Republicans, but even with such a definition they wouldn't be a large majority. At best they are a majority of a majority, but still a minority of the whole. More likely they aren't even a real majority of the Republicans.
Its not just about wealth and power for personal benefit. Its about a vision of what you think is right and just and practically good. Conservatives, esp. "constitutional conservatives", have had things move against them for a long time. Even when Reagan one by a landslide and used terms they like they didn't really get movement in their direction, just maybe a slowdown or temporary halt of the move against them. Finally they look like they might have real power, they might really have a chance to do something, but they still haven't quite reached it yet, its still on the horizon. And having reached the brink of power they are supposed to show generosity to the people who have slammed them and trashed their ideals for generations and continue to do so, and who upon regain power would happily continue down the old road of twisting the constitution more and more in to something unrecognizable...
I do think that it might be good to have the Senate have some way for the minority to slow down the majority, but I don't think it should require 60% to get any movement on what the minority refuses to accept. If the filibuster isn't to be remove on this issue it should be trimmed (probably for all issues) by either requiring actual debate (rather than just declaring a filibuster), or by reducing the majority needed to end it, or perhaps by both.
Tim |
