If the big corporations and powerful special interests have their way, there's going to be a lot of obstruction and filibustering over the next two years. Jeffrey H. Birnbaum has the details on the front page of today's issue of The Washington Post.

The Democrats' takeover of Congress this month has turned official Washington upside down.

Labor and environmental representatives, once also-rans in congressional influence, are meeting frequently with incoming Democratic leaders. Corporations that once boasted about their Republican ties are busily hiring Democratic lobbyists. And industries worried about reprisals from the new Democrats-in-charge, especially the pharmaceutical industry, are sending out woe-is-me memos and hoping their GOP connections will protect them in the crunch.

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Companies caught in the Democrats' cross hairs, such as oil and drug firms, are hiring Democratic lobbyists, but they're holding on to their Republican lobbyists. They reason that they will need to persuade Republican lawmakers to block bills they dislike in the Senate, where 60 out of 100 votes are required to pass anything of consequence. Democrats hold only a 51 to 49 majority.

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Even as additional Democratic lobbyists are hired, Republican lobbyists don't expect much falloff in business because GOP lawmakers will be key to stopping legislation that corporations oppose. "You may need to bring other voices to the table as well, but it's not like a light switch being thrown when someone else is in control," said GOP lobbyist Mark Isakowitz of Fierce, Isakowitz & Blalock.

This is what we have to look forward to for the next two years: Senate Republicans, goaded on by high-paid corporate lobbyists, disregarding the clear message of change sent to Washington by voters and actively impeding the progressive platform being forwarded by the newly-elected Democratic Congress.

Mitch McConnell, the incoming Senate Minority Leader, has already made a not-so-veiled threat to tie up the business of the Senate should the chamber's Democrats fail to confirm the President's slate of extremist jurists to the federal bench. He also has a record of filibustering in his past, most notably trying to stop campaign finance reform legislation. How far will McConnell and his colleagues go? Will the Republicans shut down the federal government as they did a decade ago? Will they filibuster the much-needed increase in the federal minimum wage? Will they filibuster easing the President's draconian restrictions on stem cell research? Will they filibuster changes to the Medicare Part D program to ease costs for seniors? Will they filibuster port security and other 9/11 Commission recommendations for homeland security? Will they filibuster efforts to offer real oversight for America's Iraq policy? Will they filibuster any move to start bringing our armed forces out of harm's way in the Iraqi civil war? Will they filibuster lobbying and ethics reform?

More and more, the Republican Party is becomign the party of "no", before using the power of their majority to not even allow votes on key policies, now, it seems, using the filibuster to block legislation needed to move America forward. But if the Senate Republicans and their wealthy lobbyist supporters believe that they will be able to reclaim their seat of power in two years by simply obstructing for the duration of the 100th Congress, they are terribly mistaken. Any attempt Republicans make at blocking the Democrats' highly-popular platform will be met by strong disapprobation by voters and the Republican Party will be reduced to an even smaller minority on Capitol Hill during the 111th Congress.