2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumFilibuster was a GOOD thing today--our shitty goddamn Congress and Senate are the problem.
Toomey-Manchin, as watered-down as it was, got 54 votes today.
The NRA's #1 legislative goal--nationwide reciprocity which would nullify most state gun control laws completley--got 57 votes today.
So, the filibuster was a good thing. It's the only thing that prevented the NRA's dream of a nationwide abolition on gun control from passing the Senate and heading over to the house.
The problem is that the gun nuts outnumber the rational people even in the Senate, which is nominally controlled by Democrats.
whathehell
(29,090 posts)filibuster, we might have PASSED it with a simple majority, instead of having to get 60 votes.
You wouldn't think that dems are a majority in the Senate, would you?
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)That's the problem.
Their big deal shitty bill got more votes than our modest decent bill.
whathehell
(29,090 posts)geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)Grouped By Vote PositionYEAs ---57
Alexander (R-TN)
Ayotte (R-NH)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Baucus (D-MT)
Begich (D-AK)
Blunt (R-MO)
Boozman (R-AR)
Burr (R-NC)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coats (R-IN)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Collins (R-ME)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)
Cruz (R-TX)
Donnelly (D-IN)
Enzi (R-WY)
Fischer (R-NE)
Flake (R-AZ)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Hagan (D-NC)
Hatch (R-UT)
Heinrich (D-NM)
Heitkamp (D-ND)
Heller (R-NV)
Hoeven (R-ND)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johanns (R-NE)
Johnson (R-WI)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lee (R-UT)
Manchin (D-WV)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Moran (R-KS)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Paul (R-KY)
Portman (R-OH)
Pryor (D-AR)
Risch (R-ID)
Roberts (R-KS)
Rubio (R-FL)
Scott (R-SC)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Tester (D-MT)
Thune (R-SD)
Toomey (R-PA)
Udall (D-CO)
Udall (D-NM)
Vitter (R-LA)
Warner (D-VA)
Wicker (R-MS)
whathehell
(29,090 posts)I'm almost sorry none of them live in MY state of Illinois so I could tell them OFF!!
PFunk
(876 posts)Besides, even this week bill would have died in the house.
Time to use this fiasco to rally and kick the gun wacko supports (both Dem and Repug) out of office in 2014.
Unfortunately I fear we will have another Sandy Hook before that happens.