Democrats Corral Votes on Bank Bill

By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN
NYT

WASHINGTON — Final passage of sweeping legislation to overhaul the nation’s financial regulatory system is now a question of when — not if — according to Senate Democrats. Yet, there still seem to be a lot of questions about when.

As in: When will the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, be confident enough that he has the 60 votes needed to overcome any Republican filibuster and bring the legislation the Senate floor?

And that question could hinge on another: when will Gov. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia name a replacement for Senator Robert C. Byrd, a Democrat and supporter of the legislation, who died recently at the age of 92?

Yet another question is when the few Republicans who previously supported the bill will join Democrats on a motion to end debate and proceed to a final vote.

(More here.)