I am kind of sad there are no real filibusters anymore

[Jennicut]

Found this funny anecdote about Strom Thurmond:

"They used to call it 'taking to the diaper,' a phrase that referred to the preparation undertaken by a prudent senator before an extended filibuster. Strom Thurmond visited a steam room before his filibuster in order to dehydrate himself so he could drink without urinating. An aide stood by in the cloakroom with a pail in case of emergency." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filibuster

We need some humor after all the turmoil this week.

[SharonRB]

1. Vitter gives a whole new meaning to this n/t

[NutmegYankee]

2. The man sure does love his fillibusters

:evilgrin:

[Jennicut]

3. LOL.

:7

[NutmegYankee]

4. I agree. We need to have real fillibusters.

Let them be filmed live on the news, so people can see obstructionism in all its ugliness.

[Occam Bandage]

5. If we want that, we'll have to change the Senate rules.

There's nothing in the Senate rules any more claiming that people have to keep talking and talking or it comes to a vote. They can all sit in silence. They can all go home. They can talk about something else. It doesn't matter what they do; the bill does not come to a vote unless 60 Senators vote for cloture.

[Jennicut]

6. Yeah. I know. Who changes the rules, Reid?

Mr. Wishy Washy would never change it back.

[Occam Bandage]

8. Reid brings it to a vote, at which point we only need a majority.

That would be something of a nuclear option.

[w4rma]

7. Those rules worked for hundreds of years. I think the new way has failed. (nt)

[tbyg52]

10. And that sucks, IMHO.

They can block anything with no inconvenience to themselves whatsoever. Bring back the *real* filibuster!

[Hippo_Tron]

14. The Majority Leader could clear the calendar thereby forcing them to filibuster

But the problem with that is that it means that the senate grinds to a halt while people are filibustering. Traditional filibusters took place because while there were not the votes for cloture, there were only a few senators willing to filibuster and thus the strategy by the majority was to just let them talk until they can't talk anymore.

Now with the way things are presumably everybody who votes against cloture is also willing to filibuster. You can't ware down 41 senators without keeping the senate in session 24/7 for months. Plus the Democrats would have to stay there as well should the filibuster be broken.

[Historic NY]

9. I'd love to see the looks when a Sen. came in with a cooler, a pottie & a sweater.

[Raine]

11. Vitter has it made, he's ready at

any given time for a filibuster. :hurts: :rofl:

[quakerboy]

12. I am more than Kinda Sad

Anymore, they don't even have to sit in silence, all they have to do is say that they might filibuster and everyone stays home. It takes all the life out of things. Its not a young persons world, not in the senate.

[Jennicut]

13. Well, the youngest person in the Senate is now Gillibrand

and she is 42. There are a lot of oldsters but Strom Thurmond did some and I never remember him being young. He was ancient when I began paying attention to politics in the early 90's.

[salguine]

15. Know what would be an even funnier anecdote about Strom Thurmond? God is black.

[Jennicut]

16. Good old Strom

At least he was mildly amusing towards the end. The Rethugs now are boring.

[treestar]

17. It really would be better if they actually had to do it

The present method seems to let them just threaten it, and that's too easy. And with the modern media showing them going on and on and on it might be good.

Hard to say, though. It might just give them a stage for their talking points for hours and hours. These days they wouldn't read the phone book but transcripts of Rushbo's shows.

[Jennicut]

18. Yeah, hadn't thought of that. No one outside of the the nuttters

want to hear Limpballs.