For JTF's Reading Pleasure: "What is the Tea Party"

[CRedskinsRule]

The 2 "independents" that took the Democrats from the 58 that Miller said and the 60 supermajority basically always vote Democratic. So while the Democrats may technically have only had 58, they controlled 60 votes, or enough to break a filibuster, until they lost the special election early this year.

From Smoot's article:

Democrats currently have exactly 60 members in their caucus; Republicans have 40. The GOP knows that presidents typically lose House and Senate seats during midterm elections, and is banking on that fact to block much of Obama's agenda.