Out, Out, Damned Filibuster

These days, in our very closely divided U.S. Senate, it takes a 60 vote majority to get anything of controversy passed. It’s stupid!
by Charlie Leck

Almost all U.S. Senators admit that it takes a majority of 60 votes to pass anything of importance in their chamber. It is flat-out wrong in terms of what the founders of our democracy intended. Now, one of America’s best lawyers, Emmet Bondurant, intends to challenge the concept of the Filibuster and argue that it is unconstitutional. He wants to make that argument before the U.S. Supreme Court.

I won’t go on and on here. If you’re interested in the concept and the argument, you should read Ezra Klein’s Wonkblog (Is the filibuster constitutional?), published in the Washington Post.

Personally, I hate the filibuster. It was born out of a mistake and I think Bondurant is correct to take it on.

Reid and a couple of other Senators are going to try to reform the Senate rules in such a way that filibuster rule will be removed and votes requiring a super majority will be limited to the six occasions the writers of the constitution intended – (1) impeaching the President, (2) expelling members of the Senate, (3) overriding a presidential veto, (4) overriding a presidential order; (5) ratifying treaties and (6) amending the constitution. Bondurant will argue that by specifying these six exceptions, the framers were excluding all others and the filibuster rule should never have been made or accepted in the Senate. Should the Senate fail to eliminate the filibuster, Bondurant’s argument will be very compelling.


UPDATE (12:15 PM, 15 May 2012): Common Cause, which promotes itself as a nonpartisan advocacy group, has filed suit against the U.S. Senate to challenge the constitutionality of the filibuster rule within the Senate. The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court on Monday.

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Senate Rules

Frankly, the day of the filibuster should end. It’s time for a change in the Senate rules.
by Charlie Leck

Enough already!

I’m tired of sending people to Washington to do the people’s work and then sitting back to watch them make fools of themselves because of the archaic rules in the U.S. Senate. Here’s my analogy: It’s like watching Nero fiddle as Rome burns!

On Monday of this week, a bill was introduced in the Senate to reform America’s banking system and to put in effect stronger regulations over the industry. The people of the nation call it a reform of Wall Street by Main Street. I don’t know if it’s the best thing to do. I was anxious to hear the debate about the issue. The Republicans, using the threat of a filibuster, blocked that debate and didn’t let it happen.

I’m not talking about blocking a vote, now, please understand that. They are blocking a debate of the issues. Obstructionists! The country has gone mad. Stop already! Stop!

It takes 60 votes to end a filibuster and the Democrats don’t have that. In essence, Democracy is stalled and a majority is not a majority in the eyes of the U.S. Senate.

I hope the voting public holds the Republican Party accountable for the lack of production on the part of the current Congress. It’s the Grand Old Party that has blocked action and production in the years 2009 and 2010. The voters should not forget it.