TPMDC reports that the Senate Democratic Caucus is having lunch with former president Bill Clinton today to discuss health care reform. It could be like asking Bob Shrum to run your presidential campaign, or it could be a valuable wake-up call of what it’s like to lose power in Congress a mere two years into a new Democratic president’s term. An interesting feature of the debate is that the most reluctant members of the Dem Caucus have a lot to lose if the Republicans regain power. Mary Landrieu would probably have to hand her gavel on the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship over to Diaper Dave Vitter. I know that would be a bitter pill. Blanche Lincoln just won the chairmanship of the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Saxby Chambliss would take over for her. Kent Conrad chairs the Committee on the Budget. I wonder how he’d like to take orders from Jeff Sessions of Alabama. Joe Lieberman cherishes his chair of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Of the most likely hold-outs, only Ben Nelson doesn’t stand to lose a full committee chair if the Republicans make a comeback.
But, even if they retain their chairs, their power will be diminished if the Dems lose seats. They’ll never achieve cloture without winning over Republicans. And, a Republican House would cause them all kinds of nightmares. It’s still unlikely that the Republicans can regain either house in just one election cycle, but you never know. Why risk it?
President Clinton had two years to make sweeping progress. He spent the next six years playing defense. I hope he can convince wavering Democrats that they don’t want to repeat that history.
