If Barack Obama wins on November 4th and Democrats extend their dominance in the House, Republicans will have only two weapons remaining in Washington, DC.<\/p>\n
First is the Supreme Court. <\/p>\n
Back in the days of Franklin Roosevelt, when Democrats last saw their clout soar to these heights, conservative justices shot down much of Roosevelt’s early New Deal legislation.<\/p>\n
The Roberts court is pretty conservative — so the clash between the Judiciary, an Obama administration, and the Democratic Congress could be profound.<\/p>\n
The second GOP weapon will be the Senate filibuster. <\/p>\n
Senate rules allow the minority party to block legislation, unless they’re overwhelmed by a 60-member “cloture” vote. <\/p>\n
Only now there appears to be a very real chance that Dems will win a 60-seat majority next month, pushing Republicans further to the margins. <\/p>\n
Here’s New York Senator Chuck Schumer’s take on the race, in an interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:<\/p>\n
As for 60 [Senate seats], it is possible,\u201d said U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). \u201cYou can look at the map yourself. But given the red terrain we\u2019re fighting in, it\u2019s very difficult. And I don\u2019t want people to get such high expectations, because it\u2019s hard to win in states like Georgia or Mississippi. It is. And we need some of those states to win.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
And read this analysis by the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza:<\/p>\n