Despite the confusion surrounding the changing of power in the Senate, things are still getting done in Washington. The Senate recently passed the education bill, a major item from the agenda of President George W. Bush, and sent it on to conference with the House of Representatives that had already passed a companion bill. That, plus the tax bill already signed, Bush can call it a rather successful first five months. He has passed the top two priorities on his agenda under difficult and unusual circumstances.
The Senate has rearranged the deck chairs, but it still has not come to a final agreement on the power-sharing arrangements necessitated by the change of control from Republican to Democrat. When the Senate was 50-50, the two leaders, Republican Trent Lott and Democrat Tom Daschle, put together a plan that accommodated the strange environment. With the tie-breaking vote in the hands of Vice President Dick Cheney, the Republicans got the best of it, as well they should. They enjoyed the general perks of the majority. They chaired the 50-50 committees, although they provided items that were subjects of a tie vote in the committees to come to the floor for a vote.
Now the shoe is on the other foot. The Democrats enjoy the extra vote. They will enjoy the chairmanships and the perks of majority by right. They could stonewall the president's appointments. They could shelve his favorite programs. It has happened in the recent past, like last year when the Republicans controlled the Senate under Democratic President Bill Clinton. The Republicans fear that the Democrats will play tit for tat and prevent Bush from getting his conservative judicial appointment on the bench. They are worried that the Democrats will play the same games they played when the roles were reversed.