Apparently Senate Democrats are hearing Josh’s warning about the “socialist death spiral.” A well-sourced friend mentioned to me that Harry Reid has been trolling for a Republican – any Republican – to join Senators Specter, Collins, and Snowe in voting for the upcoming stimulus conference bill.

Why? Because the original Senate vote scored 61 in favor. Reid would like to not have to call Ted Kennedy in to cast another vote, which would leave him with 60. And members of his caucus are getting cold feet about being labeled the 60th – or deciding – vote on a bill their constituents might not love. So Reid wants another Republican to get the Senate to 61 and provide some cover. Republicans are not inclined to provide it.

Dems may be having flashbacks to Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky who, as a freshman member of the House in 1993, cast the putative deciding vote in favor of President Clinton’s deficit reduction package. She was promptly bounced from her suburban Philadelphia district at the next election.

Could such a fate be awaiting Democrat #60? Who knows, but one big difference between the 1993 vote and the 2009 vote: That was a vote in favor of raising taxes; this one won’t be (at least, not directly).