This is pure gold. Your congressional Republicans everyone! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/06/debt-ceiling-mitch-mcconnell_n_2251515.html
Ordinarily, you need 67 votes - but there are ways around that, and it seems Dems are ready to use it. The current Dem plan seems to be: * eliminate filibusters on beginning debate of a bill (you can still filibuster ending debate) * making you actual filibuster by talking forever - I love this one as it basically puts the burden of filibustering on the people trying to obstruct. Right now, just 1 Senator has to say "I filibuster!" and then the Senate has to have 60 votes to end it. Personally, I would also change the 60 rule to make that you have to have 40 votes to continue the filibuster rather than 60 to end it. It puts more focus on the people trying to filibuster rather the rest of the Senate and you can't "quietly" filibuster a bill.
Do any Republicans or "conservatives" have a comment on this? Mitch McConnell is a disgrace to the Senate. His behavior since Obama was elected is shameful. Can't stand the sight of this guy.
There's a super special rule that says on the first day of a new session, and only the first day, you can make changes to senate rules with a simple majority (can't be filibustered). This is what the Democrats are aiming for. Not all senate Dems have indicated they'll be willing to vote for such reform, but if the Dems have the votes, there's not much the Republicans can do about it.
The funny part was the Senate Republicans crying about the proposed changes while simultaneously seemingly agreeing that if you want to filibuster, you should be willing to get up and defend your position. The way the filibuster works right now is total crap. Not only do you not have to defend your position, but you can do it anonymously so nobody can hassle you about it. It's such a p***y move right now.
Their idea of a fillibuster is spamming the D&D with crappy threads. Don't worry, they'll start soon enough.
Yes, you sure can, and the two reforms Major mentioned will make a huge difference. They also won't actually end the filibuster, but insure that it is more like it's been historically. I'm all for it, and if the Republicans complain they can only blame themselves.
Its bizarre how in the insular world of the Hill, total idiots manage to hold on. Mcconnell is indeed a disgrace, Boehner is horrifying- crocodile tears, fake tan, K street insider on the take - just a reprehensible figure and a weak leader with a record of epic fail; Pelosi and Reid are no great shakes themselves. But on the Hill they just hold on and on until forever
Another embarrassing day for the repubs -- it has to be tough to call yourself a 'conservative' these days.
Seems like Mitchy lost this one. Gamesmanship the day before: http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/harry-reid-denies-senate-chance-vote-obamas-plan_665091.html Senate majority leader Harry Reid is denying the Senate the chance to vote on President Barack Obama's proposal. Reid calls Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's request to vote on the plan a "stunt." "I reserve the right to object. I just a minute ago moved to the Russia trade bill," said Reid. "The purpose of moving to this bill is to protect American jobs. If we don't do this legislation, we'll lose American jobs for sure and put American companies in even worse shape than they are with Chinese and European companies. So the question is really this: are we going to get serious here and legislate or is this more of the obstruction we felt so much during this last Congress? "The answer to that is really obvious. The answer is yes. Or are we going to continue the sort of political stunts that the Republican Leader is trying to pull today, now? On the substance, the Senate has passed a bill that goes a long way to address the fiscal cliff. That's already passed here. Last July the Senate passed a bill to continue tax cuts for 98 percent of all Americans and 90 percent of all American small businesses. If the Republican leader were serious about preventing us from going over the fiscal cliff, he would urge his colleague, the speaker, to get the house to -- to get the House to take up the Senate-passed bill now. "There are Republicans who have already said that's the right thing to do, conservatives, moderates, we had one senator today who said she thinks that should happen. In the meantime -- that was a republican senator, by the way. The Republican leader is, Mr. President, just as stunned. The election is over. It's time to get down to business. Mr. President, this paper he has, Secretary Geithner didn’t bring that stack of stuff to me. It was a private meeting, trying to work something out with this very troublesome issue facing this country: the deficit, the debt. This private meeting turned out to be a publicity stunt for republicans talking about what he had said in private. So, Mr. President, object."
I'm sorry, no matter your political leanings: it is an epic waste of our taxpayer funds for the Senate to have some idiot filibustering his own motions.
Filibusters at all were only ever supposed to be quixotic efforts by which one senator was able to make his strongly held feelings known before a bill in opposition to those feelings was passed. Since Obama (and ONLY since Obama) they have been the order of the day. Even since Obama's second mandate Boehner acts like he won as big as Obama did and McConnell acts like nothing changed from October to today. If that's true about the ruling party being able to make law on day one (only) without threat of filibuster, they have to do it. The work of the government stopped in its tracks on Jan. 20, 2009 so that the GOP could do the important work of denying Obama a second term. They failed at that. Are we going to have another four years of obstruction now? Because, if we are, 2014 is going to be a bloodbath. And it will probably be one from which the GOP will never recover as a party.
McConnell resembles a spoiled brat who won't share his toys he hasn't even touched in 5 years. Where are all the adults in Congress?
