From the diaries by Erick

This is a special appeal to you, the people in the three states with special elections on the ballot November 2. The winners of those special elections, as you may know, will be seated immediately, and will be fully voting members of the Senate during the “lame duck” session.

I believe that Democrats have reserved their most unpopular schemes for this lame duck session.

Now, I’m not a member of the inner circle of the Democratic Party, not privy to the plans of the White House, not a confidant of the hapless Harry Reid, nor do I even give counsel to the white knuckles soon to unclench themselves from the Speaker’s gavel.

But some things are obvious. Some things are clear. Some things are so painfully, unavoidably necessary to the Democrats that they will be unable to stop themselves. It is therefore up to you, good people of Delaware, Illinois, and West Virginia, to stop them.

Since they failed to pass a budget or even a budget resolution in either the House or the Senate, Democrats will take up the matter in the lame duck session. They won’t do that because they want a budget, particularly, but because it will allow them certain conveniences and bargaining power.

As CNN.com said last month, Democrats may wait for the results of the president’s bipartisan fiscal commission on Dec. 1. But that leaves November to pass a budget resolution and to get their final lame ducks in a row. Then, in December, with the clock ticking on their last chance at power for a very long time, Democrats will have to pursue the following:

• Cap and Trade
  Even though the EPA has determined to institute its own system for carbon trading, Congress has the Constitutional authority to tax, cementing a cap and trade system in law rather than in EPA rule-making.
• Value Added Tax
  The President’s commission may recommend a VAT, under which a small percentage of the value of an item is added to its cost at each step in production.It’s a great way to stifle economic growth, and governments that implement it soon find that they cannot do without it — and without increasing it.
• Bush Tax Cuts to Expire for the “Rich”
  They want this. They really want this. It’s not a question of what works, or that each person is treated equally by the law. It’s a question of fairness. By their definition, it’s unfair unless everyone ends up eating the same thin gruel.
• Union Bailouts
  Expect to hear about it November 3, and for Congress to act before December 15. The fine folks over at Labor Union Report lay it all out in disgusting detail.
• Seizing the funds in our IRA and 401(k) plans
  To pay for the union pension bailout, the Marxist Tom Harkin wants to steal your retirement savings. It’s not fair that some have more than others, according to these thieves. If the Democrats want to find themselves without a single officeholder anywhere in the country in 2013, they need to proceed on this matter.
• Additional “Stimulus”
  
• Golden Parachutes
  I almost put these last two together. But if you were leaving power for good, and you lacked any sense of decency, what would you do? Why, you’d grant yourself a piece of yummy pork from the Treasury, that’s what you’d do. And they will, unless someone raises a big enough fuss.

Notice something about all of those items? They’re all related to spending and taxation, and will be fair game for budget reconciliation.

Budget reconciliation bills are special, because they are not subject to normal Senate filibuster rules. That means they don’t take 60 votes, but only 51. The lame duck session may be the last time for a generation, or perhaps ever, when the Democrats will have over 51 votes for anything.

Reconciliation is an extremely powerful procedural vehicle in the budget process because it enables a Congressional majority to circumvent the 60 vote filibuster option in the Senate. Only a majority vote is needed in the Senate to adopt a budget resolution that calls for the reconciliation process, and only a majority vote is required to adopt the reconciliation bill that Congress considers to carry out the instructions in the budget resolution. A reconciliation bill is subject to strict rules in the Senate because of its filibuster-proof status. These rules limit the scope of a reconciliation bill so that only certain policies may be considered under the expedited process. [original link broken; replaced to KeithHennessy.com]

They may have believed in March that the two months between the election and the next session of Congress would be a time when they could quietly rejoice in the victory bought for them by ObamaCare, slipping in a few of their most controversial agenda items. But even with all eyes now on them, the urgency of the last moments of power will be too much. They will try to put in place the final items in their destruction of our Republic.

Though the situation is grim, there is hope. If enough delay can be inserted into the process, Senate Republicans, provided they hold together, may be able to run out the clock until the next session of Congress starts in January.

But here is the problem. There are are several retiring or defeated Senators who have axes to grind with upstart Tea Party Republicans, and have also histories of dining at the public trough. I’m looking at you, Lisa Murkowski. I see you too, Mr. Bennett of Utah.

We need all three of the special elections — Delaware, Illinois, and West Virginia — to have a realistic shot at delaying the start of budget talks until January. Because once they start, it will be 51 votes for the entire Marxist agenda to sail through Congress.

In Delaware, things are really happening for Christine O’Donnell. There is an energy, as people are realizing that they don’t need to vote for a liberal any more. I bet it will feel really good to vote for a conservative this year. Vote for Christine.

In Illinois, the choice is between the defense and fiscal hawk Mark Kirk and the corrupt Obama crony Alexi Giannoulias. Here again, the choice could not be clearer. Vote Kirk.

In West Virginia, you know the Obama agenda doesn’t work. Vote for John Raese.

So get out and vote. Tell your friends. Tell your coworkers and employees what’s at stake. If your church is pro-life, ask your pastor to do a GOTV sermon on that topic. Find a campaign and volunteer.

Visit the Concord Project to find even more ideas.

Your nation is counting on you.