It's a Christmas miracle!

(Stuart Carlson)

This is a lame duck? Congress ends "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," then funds the 9/11 responders health care bill and approves the START treaty. What has gotten into the Democrats, anyway, that they're actually willing to fight for what's right?

Most of these votes weren't even particularly close. Once Democrats stood up to the GOP, the Republican leadership just couldn't keep their members from bolting - enough, at least, to break a filibuster. (All of these had majority support. The only problem was getting a vote permitted at all, and that took breaking those never-ending Republican filibusters.)

That's not all, either. The Food Safety and Modernization Act passed the Senate Sunday evening, and the COMPETES Act, which re-authorizes science funding, yesterday afternoon. The defense authorization bill, held up two weeks ago by DADT, was passed, and, of course, Obama's tax cut compromise. 

(Jim Morin)

Of course, not everything succeeded in overcoming GOP obstructionism. The DREAM Act couldn't quite make it, unfortunately. And Republicans blocked the Child Marriage Protection Act. The DISCLOSE Act didn't make it, either, and that's something we desperately need in this country (minus the NRA exemption, if possible).

And this is a lame duck Congress. The Republicans take over the House of Representatives next year (I still can't believe we were dumb enough to let that happen), and that won't be pretty. And the Democrats not only have a narrower lead in the Senate, they've got even loonier opponents across the aisle than they did the past two years.

But, hey, let's celebrate good news while we can. Maybe, if we're really, really lucky, the Senate will vote to change those stupid filibuster rules next term (which takes only a simple majority of votes, if they do it the first day). I still think the current rules are unconstitutional.

It's kind of funny, but according to TPM, the Democrats set a new record the past two years in breaking filibusters. The only Senate that even came close was the one immediately preceding this one. Of course, that's mostly because they've had more opportunity. Republicans have been filibustering nearly everything, which is not at all how the Senate traditionally worked. (And note that the filibuster itself is not in the U.S. Constitution.)

Well, it's the season of cheer, right? Do I hear the clip, clop of tiny hooves?

(Tony Auth)