Al Franken has officially won the coveted Minnesota Senate seat after that state’s Supreme Court rejected former Sen. Norm Coleman’s challenge to last fall’s election.  The election of Senator Franken gives the Democrats control of 60 seats, the number needed to secure a filibuster-proof majority.  A filibuster is the procedure that can be utilized by the opposing party – in this case the Republicans – to delay a vote and block action on a particular issue.

And, while this news is good for the Democrats, it is not necessarily a given that that party will always have the votes to move their agenda forward in the Senate.  To ensure the 60 vote filibuster-proof majority the Democrats will have to secure all their party’s support which is not always an easy task.  Or, they will have to persuade some in the Republican party to side with them on certain issues.  The 60 vote filibuster-proof majority requires three-fifths of the Senate to close debate on a particular issue and bring the bill to a vote.  And, with both Senator Kennedy (D-MA) and Senator Byrd (D-WV) absent from the Senate due to serious illness, the vote count is currently only 58 Democrats.  

While Democrats are obviously gleeful by the overwhelming majority they are enjoying in the Senate – and their hold on the White House and the House as well – the downside is that voters will hold that party responsible for legislative initiatives that are enacted – or not enacted – during these two years.