Can It Be?
by digby
If the Dems are paying attention surely they realize now that Financial Reform is a political winner and that they should beat the Republicans about the head and shoulders with their votes against it. (Uhm, yeah.)
Huge pieces of this package are passing with bipartisan support, including the Durbin interchange fees amendment this afternoon. Of course, the biggie -- the Consumer Financial Protection Agency --- remains along with the Lincoln derivatives amendment (subject to primary outcome apparently) and Merkley-Levin. So it's not over yet. Still, the Senate voted down John Thune's amendment to sunset the CFPA (perhaps because it was completely idiotic --- but that's never stopped them before.)
This is really excellent news for the ability of a tiny bit of reason to find its way into politics in the middle of a systemic meltdown. It's not really all that much, but it's something --- and it's obviously politically potent enough that they were able to break the Republican obstructionist strategy for the first time. It's true that except for the Audit the Fed vote which passed unanimously, only a handful have voted with the Dems, but it's enough to make it more than a Maine token vote. And that makes it a perfect tool to hammer the Republicans who voted against it in the fall campaign. Well played, Democrats (and for once I'm not being facetious.)
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