Senate Democrats were all about getting things done, and that kept them from getting anything done. They didn’t take on the filibuster head-on, so now obstruction is the expected norm. There have been more than 380 filibusters and the public (and apparently the media) doesn’t know there has been even one. It is time to [...]
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Mitch McConnell has wielded the filibuster as a weapon against a founding principle of the United States of America – self-governance by majority rule. McConnell’s revolt shows he believes Americans cannot govern themselves because, basically, he thinks the majority of Americans are wrongheaded. As any monarch would, he believes the minority is justified in overriding and ruling over the majority.
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Originally posted at Communications Workers of America. The American people need to demand that the majority have rules that mean that key issues of the day are discussed — not buried. I appeared on NewsTalk, a Washington, D.C., public affairs television show, on Tuesday to discuss how the Senate filibuster is undermining democracy. CWA and [...]
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The simmering but underreported Senate fight over filibuster reform may have greater impact on the legislative success of President Obama’s second term than the heavily watched budget battle. Without an end to filibuster abuse, Obama’s mandate could once again be throttled by conservative obstructionists who refuse to respect the spirit of our democracy and respond [...]
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They say “walk before you run,” but for politicians like Jim DeMint it’s the other way around. First you run, then you walk – walk out, that is, on your commitment to serve. But DeMint’s performed one public service by abandoning his post: He’s given us a glimpse of a half-hidden Washington where leaders don’t lead, [...]
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President Obama is enjoying a post-convention bump in job approval (Gallup says 7 percentage points – from 45 to 52 percent) after the negative and divisive Republican convention, followed by the energetic populism of the Democrats in Charlotte.
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Mitt Romney's out there with yet another whopper. Since Obama became President Senate Republicans have filibustered almost everything, but Romney said, "He got every piece of legislation he wanted passed, and it didn’t work." Wow.
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If a filibuster happens in the forest and no one is told about it, did it really happen?
The GOP is said to be ready to filibuster the bill extending jobless benefits today. Will this be reported as the national emergency that it is? Will this be reported as a filibuster? Will this even be reported?
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“But.” Everything you read about the filibuster talks about how important the filibuster is, allowing a minority to retain some power over abuse by a majority… and then it says, “But.”
For example, the Camden, N.J., Courier Post editorial today, "Alter filibuster rules in Senate," reads:
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Republicans filibustered an appeals court nominee today. This is, of course, not surprising. What is surprising is that news outlets are telling the public!
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