GOP Shutting Democrats Out of Conference Committees

[Justice]

The GOP has been shutting Democrats out of conference committees, most recently on the energy bill (no Democrats) and the medicare bill (2 democrats). It seems to me that this issue is a fundamentally more "un-democratic" than any filibuster on any issue, and most certainly on the confirmation of judges.

How can a Senate that is 51-49 send Senators to a conference committee and have them all be from the same party?

I realize this is technically permissible, but the democrats (including us on this board) should be making a bigger issue out of this. We send senators and representatives to Washington to represent us = and a small handful of people (let's face it, white men) end up writing the bills that radically change our lives.

This has a much greater impact on me than a judge in a circuit court across the country (although that is important - I don't mean to minimize it).

[JackSwift]

1. Well, maybe we need to stage a 30 hour filibuster over it

Because I sure don't want to retaliate the next time we control a chamber.

[Don Claybrook]

2. What's more, they do whatever the hell they want in conference

The House and the Senate both voted overwhelmingly, and in very similar language, to lift the Cuba travel embargo (via withholding of appropriations). So they got together in conference committee and just dropped that pesky little part of the bill, like it was never there and approved by both sides.

And of course, this went largely unreported. Not too many people cared. World's greatest democracy--right.

[salin]

3. ANOTHER argument to use to push fighting the Energy Bill

if it passes - this will be the standard operating procedure for the rest of this congressional session - and possibly in the future.

Do not let them win the rhetoric war of "undemocratic practices ala fillibuster". What the heck was Jesse Helms doing all those years that earned him the title of "Senator No"? He did this ALL the time.

The Democrats in the senate need OUR support to fillibuster the energy bill - WE have to push them. Or the republicans will have succeeded in completely shutting down/out the entire Democratic Party.

[Papa]

4. I just don't get the Democrats at times

Why are they not raising a stink about this? Any democrat that is on TV should be talking about this. This is an issue of fairness and Americans do understand a simple issue like this. This is a homerun issue in my book. They should be able to knock this one out of the park....sadly, they'll lie down and take it.