Should Franken prevail, Democrats would be one vote shy of 60, which would give them the power to musclethrough major legislative initiatives over Republican objections.
"Supporters of this online sales tax bill are trying to muscle it through before senators find out how disastrous it would be for businesses in their states, " Ayotte said.
One of the great unwritten histories of the tech revolution is how hot new industries, prospected by innovative young companies, get hijacked by established companies that merely re-label what they already have to confuse the issue and then triumph through marketing muscle.