Reply #26: Rand Paul will likely be the most dangerous person in Congress. [View All]

[Dr Morbius]

U.S. Senators have the ability to apply a "hold" on any legislation, and they can do this publicly or anonymously. While it is true that when they do so anonymously, it usually comes out who's holding up the bill, it remains a fact that no one has the authority to make that Senator release the legislation, and allow it to come before the chamber for a vote. Party leadership (both sides) in the Senate frankly do a pretty good job of preventing too much abuse of this power. The United States Senate gives VERY broad powers to each and every Senator.

Imagine the civil rights bill coming before the Senate today. Rand Paul would hold it up. Imagine something much more likely; in our struggling economy an emergency funding bill becomes necessary for unemployment. Rand Paul will prevent it from happening.

I hate losing Alan Greyson and losing Russ Feingold - a man I once hoped would be President someday - hurts, and hurts a lot. But allowing a legitimately crazy and dangerously irrational person into the Senate looks like the most disastrous result of Tuesday's nightmare. Michelle Bachmann is another person I'd hoped could be removed from government on the grounds that she's also bat-guano crazy. But at least she's only a representative; the powers of a member of the House are significantly more restrained than the powers of a member of the Senate. Putting Rand Paul in the upper House is a virtual guarantee of governmental paralysis not only for the next two years but the next SIX years!

I could fucking weep.