Quote of the Day: Yglesias (Updated)

The Senate Republican caucus is organized, like the House caucuses of both parties, like a partisan political organization whose objective is to advance the shared policy objectives of the party. The Senate Democratic caucus, by contrast, is organized like a fun country club trying to recruit members. Join Team Democrat and Vote However You Want Without Consequence! But it's no way to get things done.  (Source, h/t Benen)

I don't know what Lieberman--or Bayh, Lincoln, Landrieu, Neslon--will do eventually, but I suspect they'll get in line when it comes to the cloture vote.  But the point Yglesias makes still stands--the senate Democrats' m.o. is farcical. 

UPDATE: Stating the obvious, Greenwald on the Maddow show tonight makes clear how both Bayh and Lieberman and their wives are shills for the insurance industry.  Do they really want the conflict of interest scrutiny that is going to come their way big time if they support the Republican filibuster?  I doubt it:

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Comments

[Jason]

My working theory is that Joe Lieberman decided that not enough attention had been paid to Joe Lieberman in this process. I mean, there's almost a final bill, and not once has David Gregory, Bob Schieffer, or Wolf Blitzer asked what Joe Lieberman thinks about it!

So he just needs his ego massaged a little bit, needs to feel like the Senate can't operate without him, and then he'll vote for cloture. I could be wrong, but this seems right to me.

Also, on Yglesias's point, I go back and forth on whether the Republican or Democratic model for party discipline (or lack thereof) is better, but it seems like there's a "mutually assured destruction" aspect to it. That is, if the Repubs are going to enforce party discipline, whether you think it's a good idea or not, Dems had best follow or their always going to be left in the dust.

[Jack Whelan]

Jason--

I agree. I'm sure Joe loves the kerfuffle he's created, but he'll come around. There is going to be too much pressure for him not to, if not from Reed or Obama, from the liberal media and organizations like FDL and Moveon. These people are too exposed and to easy to target and it be clear to everyone, nationwide and in their respective states, that their support of the Republican filibuster has nothing to do with principle and everything to do with their being in Big Insurance's pocket. The conflicts of interest, especially in Bayh's and Lieberman's cases are too blatant.

I still think we're going to reel this fish in. It's not going to give us a good fight before we do, though. It's not supposed to be easy.