Senator Blanche Lincoln: The 60th Vote

Wednesday, 01 July 2009 13:14

To:           Interested Parties
From:     Rob Jesmer, NRSC Executive Director
Re:           Senator Blanche Lincoln: The 60th Vote
Date:       July 1, 2009

After a hard-fought campaign to ensure that no Minnesotan was disenfranchised in 2008, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled yesterday in favor of Democrat Al Franken, ending the Senate recount. The outcome – while disappointing for Republicans – will have important national implications for Democrats across the country, including U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln in Arkansas.

The Democrats’ 60-vote Senate supermajority ends the era of excuses and finger-pointing, and it increases the pressure for supposedly “moderate” Democrats such as Senator Lincoln. Lincoln will effectively serve as the 60th vote on a number of controversial measures championed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and the Obama Administration, including government-run health care, card check, and cap-and-tax.

On the critical issue of health care reform, Senate Democrats have already clearly stated that they don’t intend to work with Republicans if they don’t have to. According to Politico last month, “Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says he’ll ditch bipartisanship in the Senate if it means getting a health care reform bill.”

Earlier this week, the White House refused to rule out tax hikes on the middle-class to pay for health care – something the President pledged that he would never do as a candidate on the campaign trail. According to a new national poll released today, “most people worry that their health care costs would go up if the administration’s proposals passed and only one in five thinks that his or her families would be better off under the Obama plan.”

The White House’s waffling comes during the same week that Senator Lincoln is conducting health care events across Arkansas during the congressional recess. But thus far, Lincoln has failed to state whether or not she will she support the White House’s government-run plan, which could cost a trillion dollars and raise taxes for middle class families, or whether she will renounce any plan that breaks the President’s pledge that he would not increase taxes on those making less than $250,000 a year.

Clearly, with the Democrats obtaining 60 votes in the Senate, Lincoln will be under intense pressure to back the President’s plan – even if it ultimately means higher health care costs for middle-class families and small businesses in Arkansas.

In March, Lincoln was faced with another contentious measure when she finally rejected the Democrats’ card check legislation, contrary to the union bosses’ claims that they were “confident” that they have Senator Lincoln’s vote in the bag.

At the time, Lincoln equivocated, saying she could not support the job-killing legislation in its “current form” even though the bill Lincoln rejected had only a one-word difference from the original bill, which she co-sponsored. The Arkansas News’ John Brummett pointed out, “U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln deems herself in serious trouble for re-election… This had to be for political purposes rather than policy… That tells me she is highly concerned that she is at risk of running counter to the winning Democratic equation in Arkansas, which is to keep the farm and business communities assuaged.”

Already this year, with 59 votes in the U.S. Senate, Lincoln has helped the Democrats drive up America’s debt by voting for trillions of dollars in new spending legislation. She helped pay AIG executive bonuses with taxpayer dollars, and she helped to make every American taxpayer a shareholder in the auto industry.

Now with the Democrats’ new supermajority, Senator Lincoln will certainly face new challenges and pressures in Washington as she faces reelection. Will she continue to serve as the Democrats’ 60th rubber stamp on critical issues such as health care and card check? Or will she finally stand up to represent her constituents?

Clearly, her decision will have a major impact on her re-election viability in 2010.