Posted by 
Last night at the Jefferson County Blue Dot Ball, I asked state Sen. E. B. McClain (D – Midfield) if the Senate Democratic Majority Caucus would get to 21 votes. (Twenty-one votes would be a filibuster-proof majority. See background here.) He pinched his thumb and forefinger together and said, “We’re this close.”
He went on to add, “We have 20 votes. [Larry] Means is there. He is ready.
“We are putting the full press on Tom Butler. We hope we are going to get there. I don’t know if we are ever going to get [Jimmy] Holley and [Jim] Preuitt. But we hope we will get there with Tom Butler.
“What people don’t realize is that in the history of the state, in the history of Alabama, there has never been so much effort by Democrats – to defeat Democrats. There is a lot of hurt there. There is a lot to get through.” [More on last year's effort by some Senate Democrats to defeat other Senate Democrats here.]
“I think we’ll get there.”
Related Articles:
Legislative Dispatch
Purple Dot Connection
2010 Big List
2010 Senate Elections
2010 House Elections
Press Releases
Here’s to hoping Tom Butler remains on the right side of this and sticks with
the Dell Marshs of the senate as opposed to Lowell Barron’s trio of slime.
Butler will probably come back a b/c Preuitt will retire in 2010 and Holly may switch parties.
Fillibuster proof senate, that is scary!
I look forward to the bold new legislation a filibuster proof Senate majority will provide.
Be careful what you wish for, Walt. . .
“Filibuster-proof majority, that is scary!” Amen…
I noticed that the one of the first things McClain did when he was switching sides back to the majority was to introduce legislation that has the citizens pay for the Senators insurance. I couldn’t think of a better way for him to ingratiate himself with the Democratic majority than to find a way to put a little more money in their pockets.
Comment deleted at the request of its writer.
[...] If Democrat Tom Butler leaves the Senate minority coalition caucus and joins the Democratic majority caucus in the Senate, the Democrats would have 21 votes without Senate District 35. If that were the case, Riley might be more amenable to appointing Brooks to the bench. Losing the 14th vote in the minority coalition caucus would not be nearly as painful as losing the 15th. [...]
I think joe turnham should be in the senate.