Filibuster

Time To Reform The Filibuster As It Is Out Of Control! :(

Ronald Leave a comment

It is time for Senate rules to be changed and the filibuster to be reformed, if not, ended!

President Obama made the assertion, in a meeting with Senate Democrats today, that the Republicans had abused the filibuster, and the need for a cloture vote of 60 senators to end a filibuster had gotten out of hand.

He is totally right, as CNN proved! From 1949-1970, records show that a total of 30 cloture votes were needed, with no more than seven in any session.

Starting in the 1970s, with cloture possible with 60 votes, rather than 67, the tactic was used more often, with the 110th Congress in 2007-2008 using it 112 times, a record.

So far, in the 111th Congress, it has been used 41 times, with 39 last year and two this year so far.

Obama’s statement is that the present Congress had used it more than all the Congresses in the 1950s and 1960s combined, and he is totally correct! Remember, the number is 30 over twenty two years from 1949-1970, and now 41 in a year and a month.!

This tactic must be fought against, as it blocks progress and allows a minority to abuse its position. The minority has the right to its views; it does NOT have the right to deny the majority its rights to pass legislation, as a simple majority in the House is enough to pass a bill.

This is not democracy in action; it is obstructionism, pure deception and truculence, and it is time it ended! The majority should have the power, not the minority! Enough of this dirty tactic which has never contributed to anything good, as for years it prevented civil rights laws! Now it is negating the results of the Presidential election of 2008! The people voted, and their will should be obeyed and respected! 🙁

Barack Obama Chides Republican Opposition In Senate On Filibuster Tactic

Ronald Leave a comment

The first thing that stands out about Barack Obama’s State of the Union address tonight is his chiding of Senate Republicans on their refusal to cooperate, and instead working to prevent any action unless there are 60 votes, by constantly using or threatening the use of the filibuster.

The tactic of the filibuster has certainly been overused and too often threatened, and another practice has been one or two senators claiming, often without being identified, that action be held up on a nomination or a piece of legislation without being specific as to the reason. This legislative privilege has become an abuse that Obama declared must be stopped.

He joked and smiled as he chastised the Republicans, and of course they sat on their hands with glum looks on their faces. But Obama stated that the American people wanted cooperation between the political parties, not only in the Senate, but also in the House of Representatives, to do the country’s business. He said both parties have a responsibility to the people to move beyond petty differences and political one upsmanship.

Whether any change will come in this regard is doubtful, but at least the President took a stand, showing courage and conviction, but with a touch of humor designed to disarm critics. Certainly, he made a great impression in his approach to this issue, so let’s hope through some miracle it succeeds!

John McCain, Health Care, And “Reconciliation”

Ronald 1 Comment

Arizona Senator John McCain has come out against any “public option” in the health care debate, and has condemned any thought of using “reconciliation”, the concept of having the Senate pass legislation with a simple majority of 51 senators.

This would bring about a drastic change of method in how the Senate operates, McCain declared.

Hmmm, this is very interesting. It is enough to pass a bill with a majority of members of the House of Representatives, but doing the same in the Senate is unfair, heh?

Seems to me MANY many times throughout the history of the Republic, we have had legislation pass by a bare majority of the Senate, and sometimes only passing after a 50-50 tie with the Vice President breaking the deadlock.

Apparently, it is more democratic, (not the party, but the idea), to require a 60 vote majority, which is three fifths of the Senate. This is what we call the filibuster, a tactic which has been used many times in history to BLOCK something the majority wanted, usually something that benefits the country at large, but can be prevented by a determined, obstructive minority.

So this is more fair, Senator McCain? I say, NO, it is UNDEMOCRATIC!