Durbin Concedes Lieberman’s Leverage

Another notable passage from Sen. Richard Durbin’s (D-Ill.) interview on MSNBC this morning finds the majority whip conceding that the Democrats have few alternatives but to bow to the sensitivities of Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), who this week single-handedly blew up a Democratic proposal to expand Medicare.

I can count, and in the Senate, you need 60, and if you don’t have 60, you’re empty- handed. In this case, we need to find a way to get to 60 votes, and that means accommodating and making concessions on a lot of issues we’d rather not make concessions on.

This is what happens when progressive ideas meet political reality.