The third caucus

The dominance of the two-party system—perhaps unavoidable in the way our government is structured—causes people to think of the U.S. Senate as divided into two caucuses, which in a way it is. But it's actually an amalgam of three caucuses: the Republican, the Democratic, and the Independent. The latter consists of Angus King of Maine and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, both of whom sport an “I” after their names, but have agreed to caucus with the Democrats. 

There is a lot riding on the outcome of next month's run-off election in Georgia, since there are two Republican U.S. Senators trying to hang on to their seats. As everyone knows, if both lose, the U.S. Senate will be in a fifty-fifty deadlock, with Vice President Kamala Harris holding a tie-breaking vote once she takes office on January 20. But it won't really be 50-50. It will be 50-48-2, with the Independents holding the balance of power. 

So why wait for Georgia? Sen. King could sidle up to Susan Collins, his Republican colleague from Maine, and ask her how much she enjoys being humiliated and abused by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Wouldn't she prefer to have McConnell at her mercy instead of vice versa? 

Then there's Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who as a matter of fact was elected to her second term as a write-in after being defeated for renomination as a Republican. What does she really owe the party? 

To the list of potentially disaffected Republican members of the U.S. Senate we could certainly add Mitt Romney of Utah and possibly Ben Sasse of Nebraska, both of whom have chafed under the hyper-partisan reign of McConnell. 

Most political caucuses have an ideological basis, but the Independent caucus in the U.S. Senate could be an organizational caucus, a swing bloc prepared to oust McConnell from his leadership position in return for a fair shake from the Democratic caucus. While “good government” groups are quickly mocked as “goo-goos,” a group opposed to the bad governance epitomized by McConnell would have instantaneous credibility. 

A U.S. Senate organized on a 46D-6I-48R basis (even if the Republicans squeak out victories in Georgia, 48D-6I-46R otherwise) would give Vice President Harris a little more leisure and would push McConnell into a well-deserved position of impotence, where he would have ample time to meditate upon his sins.

Such a Senate would not simply be a true blue Democratic operation, and Sen. Schumer of New York might not be able to negotiate the ideal coalition package, but that's not the real objective of getting rid of McConnell as leader and restoring the upper house to a competently functioning state. Other deals might need to be struck.

Angus, you interested in being Majority Leader?