Fillibuster, Schmillibuster
Everyone knows it takes 60 votes to pass the Stimulus bill in the Senate because any Senator could filibuster the bill, and to terminate the filibuster takes 3/5's of all Senators, rounded up (3/5 * 99 = 60 rounded up).
But they would be wrong, sort of. A Senator could filibuster the bill, but they don't have to. All any Senator has to do is raise a point of order because the stimulus bill causes the deficit to grow. The current rules of the Senate prevent any bill which causes the deficit to grow to be passed if anyone objects by raising a point of order, unless the point of order is overruled by, again, 3/5's of all Senators.
Why is this even remotely interesting? Because once a bill has passed the Senate, and a different version has passed the House, and the two have agreed upon a compromise bill in committee, the compromise that comes out of that negotiation is not subject to filibuster. But it is subject to the same point of order rules.
Which means that the Senators who negotiated the compromise Stimulus bill, assuming it does
pass the Senate with 60 votes (or, more correctly, overcomes the point of order which I believe has already been raised), effectively have total control over the negotiations which will create the final bill. Basically three Senators (Nelson, Specter, and Collins) hold absolute control over $800,000,000,000. That's power.
gory details
But they would be wrong, sort of. A Senator could filibuster the bill, but they don't have to. All any Senator has to do is raise a point of order because the stimulus bill causes the deficit to grow. The current rules of the Senate prevent any bill which causes the deficit to grow to be passed if anyone objects by raising a point of order, unless the point of order is overruled by, again, 3/5's of all Senators.
Why is this even remotely interesting? Because once a bill has passed the Senate, and a different version has passed the House, and the two have agreed upon a compromise bill in committee, the compromise that comes out of that negotiation is not subject to filibuster. But it is subject to the same point of order rules.
Which means that the Senators who negotiated the compromise Stimulus bill, assuming it does
pass the Senate with 60 votes (or, more correctly, overcomes the point of order which I believe has already been raised), effectively have total control over the negotiations which will create the final bill. Basically three Senators (Nelson, Specter, and Collins) hold absolute control over $800,000,000,000. That's power.
gory details