McClatchy: Senate tied in knots by filibusters

[Gold Metal Flake]

Senate tied in knots by filibusters
By Margaret Talev | McClatchy Newspapers




WASHINGTON — This year Senate Republicans are threatening filibusters to block more legislation than ever before, a pattern that's rooted in — and could increase — the pettiness and dysfunction in Congress.

The trend has been evolving for 30 years. The reasons behind it are too complex to pin on one party. But it has been especially pronounced since the Democrats' razor-thin win in last year's election, giving them effectively a 51-49 Senate majority, and the Republicans' exile to the minority.

snip

Nearly 1 in 6 roll-call votes in the Senate this year have been cloture votes. If this pace of blocking legislation continues, this 110th Congress will be on track to roughly triple the previous record number of cloture votes — 58 each in the two Congresses from 1999-2002, according to the Senate Historical Office.

snip

Even Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., who's served in Congress since 1973, complained that "the Senate is spiraling into the ground to a degree that I have never seen before, and I've been here a long time. All modicum of courtesy is going out the window."

[aquart]

1. STFU, Trent, dear.

[chaplainM]

2. By "modicum of courtesy...,"

does Senator Lott mean Mr Cheney telling us, "Go f**k yourself?"

[defendandprotect]

3. Remember when the Democrats were threatening a filbuster . . .

you would have thought from the GOP reaction that they were tearing down the Capitol building!!!

Remember, the GOP was so up in arms that they were going to do away with the filibuster????

And the press reaction -- over and again -- alarms ringing!!!

Nothing now . . .

Not even any real acknowledgment that the Dems won on the Iraq vote -- 52 -- 43??? was it???

[stillcool]

4. yeah...what was the 'nuclear' option

anyway? My memory has a lot of static. Everything is familiar in an unfamiliar way.

[lvx35]

5. Oh yeah. Wasn't the nuclear option to ban filibustering?

I don't think that would have hurt the 2006 election. Where would be be now if we let them use the "nuclear option"?

[lyonn]

10. We might not have Alito on the Supreme Court!

That was one vote that Needed filibustered. We could have watched Dr. Frist rant and rave on the Senate floor trying to change the rules. We could try that tactic, it was perfectly alright for Frist to threaten. Course the repubs have nothing to loose at this point, they'd probably welcome a diversion from the pit they are in.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

6. Precise, so why is the media not up in arms?

And why are we not writing the media about this?

[Selatius]

7. Fuck Trent Lott. He only helped make it worse by siding with corporations against workers

The only people who vote for Lott are ignorant people who vote based on name recognition and people who would never vote for a Democrat.

[lyonn]

11. Trent Lott is probably Strom Thurmons illigitimate child!?

As I recall Strom dided on the floor of the Senate??? Just kidding of course, although they did wheel him out a lot. Why did they keep voting for that worthless One?

[spanone]

8. they were calling democrats OBSTUCTIONISTS last year. haven't heard that word once.

[lyonn]

9. When you have the media in your pocket the repubs can get by with murder

The all night session the Senate had got bashed from the first announcement of Reid's plan. How else could the Dems get Any Attention by the media and it was all bad press for Reid. Ugh

Media has no intentions of explaining what the bills and amendments are that the repubs are filibustering. They are all against what would be benifical for the common person. Makes for bad press. Dobbs did a real bad number of the Dems for the "sleep over". Had to write him and asked him if he had any suggestions as to how the Dems were to pass anything with the requirement of 60 votes to pass almost everthing.

[Gold Metal Flake]

12. This is true. Every repuke has a megaphone, every Dem has a muzzle...

...by virtue of the Corporate media effect. Just remember the takeaway. More filibusters than any other Congress in history.

Repeat it often.