Try To Remember
Facing a Senate with 47 Republicans (they're lucky it's that low), the Democrats are now talking about changing the filibuster rules. It's hard to say if they'll succeed, or how far they'll go. For those with short memories, here's what they said five years ago.
Oh, but it's different this time. This time, it'll help us...er, we mean, the Republican abused the rules so badly all former statements are inoperative.
By the way, even though I think the last two years were a disaster because of all the dumb laws Congress passed, I've always thought the filibuster rules are absurd. The only reason they're even constitutional is because the Senate can make its own procedural rules by majority vote, and as long both sides worry about losing the majority, they want to ensure they'll still have some control.
posted by LAGuy @ 12:30 AM
4 Comments:
I like Dodd best. He says no laws are good unless they have sponsors from both parties. That especially applies to the health care law they passed this year.
One more thing. Here's a good law to pass. No more lame duck sessions. If we allowe people to keep their seats after an election, and we shouldn't, at the very least if one party gets kicked out, they're not allowed to pass the kind of laws that the public just kicked them out for.
Too bad Jeff Bridges just won an Oscar. Otherwise it'd be obvious he'd have to win an Oscar for True Grit.
The party that benefits from the filibuster usually screams to high heaven about any change the majority wants to do to lessen the filibuster power and goes on and on about tradition.
The chnges being proposed currently actually go back to tradition- if a party wants to filibuster- make the preening bastard get up and talk forever- the traditional way it has been exercised. There might be some PR backlash as the hold up of legislation favored by a majority will be far more visible (of course there could be some "frontlash" too- re Bernie Sanders' true believer support for quasi-filibuster earlier this month)
Hey Anon- logical fallacy- its just as likely that the incumbents were voted out for NOT passing the laws they couldn't do until the lame duck when everybody figured out cooperation again.
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