We all know from civics classes that a bill passes the Senate with a simple majority vote. That someone can filibuster to delay the passage which takes a vote of 60 to end.
Reminder: A couple of years ago when the Democrats were the Senate minority, they threatened filibusters now and then of course. Often to oppose really bad judge appointments (which is only about 15% of the time).
But then the Republicans clamored and clamored how the Democrats kept stalling the process, and threatened “the nuclear option”: rewrite Senate rules to eliminate the filibuster!
Yikes!
So, you think the Republicans would be pretty against filibusters, huh? Would have some moral qualm against them.
Oops.
The Republicans in the Senate have filibustered 62 times in 2007. That’s a record! What’s the 2nd-place? 61. What year? Oh, not one year, the entire 2001-02 session! The GOP has blocked all progress in the Senate and not offered any alternatives to the issues they’ve blocked and the public wants: Providing healthcare to millions of children, allowing Medicare to fight for better prescription drug prices, stem cell research, ending the war, things the majority of Americans express they want.
People, including myself, keep complaining the Democratic Congress hasn’t been accomplishing anything–and the reason is because the Republicans have in essence rewritten Senate rules basically forcing 60 votes for anything to pass.
♦ The Conservative Block and Blame Game
And the so-called “liberal media” is complicit. Two years ago they reported all about the Democrats blocking bad judge appointments; but today, when the Republicans block a bill the press doesn’t report on the Republicans blocking it, they simply report “it didn’t pass” even though it did pass, but got blocked.
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