What ever happened to the old fashioned kind of fillibuster

[LittleClarkie]

the kind where you won't give up the floor, and you talk a blue streak. "Mr Smith Goes to Washington" kind of stuff. When did a cloture vote become a substitute for that.

[ewagner]

1. It's alway been there

afaik

[tcfrogs]

2. That's why the 40 votes for cloture are needed

Then you talk up a blue streak a/k/a a filibuster.

[debbierlus]

3. When did America become a fascist state?!

Oh, five years ago.

Never mind.

[onenote]

11. yeah, it was so wonderful when civil rights legislation was filibustered

I want Alito defeated as much as anyone, but let's not get all weepy eyed about the fate of the filibuster in general. The enactment of civil rights legislation that had the support of a majority of the Senate was delayed for years by filibustering tactics led, in many cases, by southern Democrats. In the late 1980s, the repubs used the filibuster to stop campaign finance reform legislation.

The fact is that Democrats were the ones that pushed for reforms in the filibuster rule in 1970s. At the time the Democrats controlled the senate (between 1973-75 there were 56 Democrats in the Senate; from 1975-77 there were 60.

One of the reasons that the filibuster rule has been weakened over the years is that, notwithstanding Mr Smith Goes to Washington, the public at large generally doesn't "get" the idea that when a majority favors certain action, they can still be prevented from acting by a determined minority. We live in a society that understands things in sports terms: whoever has the most points wins. The filibuster, to the average person, is like saying that a basketball team that is behind by 10 points with a minute to play can call a time out that lasts forever.

Again, I think the filibuster can have some utility,particularly in forging legislative compromises, but let's not romanticize it too much

onenote

[slackmaster]

4. Excellent question - Cloture Rule (Senate Rule XXII)

See http://www.yuricareport.com/Law%20&%20Legal/Senate%20Rules%20on%20Filibuster.html

Complete list of Senate rules at http://rules.senate.gov/senaterules/

[TacticalPeek]

8. Nice link.

:toast:

[Innocent Smith]

5. The rules were changed in 1917

The were two rules changes one in 1917 and then again in 1975.

[slackmaster]

6. Correct - Here's more

Rule 22

The filibuster is related to "cloture," a rule adopted almost 100 years ago two-thirds vote. At times this was two-thirds of those voting; for a limited time, it was two-thirds of membership.

In 1975, the Senate reduced the number of votes needed to invoke cloture to three-fifths (60) of Senate membership. At the same time, they made the filibuster "invisible" by requiring only that 41 Senators state that they intend to filibuster; critics say this makes the modern filibuster "painless."

Thank about it. 1975. 1975.

http://uspolitics.about.com/od/usgovernment/i/filibuster.htm

[unblock]

7. it's been done away with, in the '70s i think

a filibuster used to bring ALL senate business to a halt. dramatic stuff, and you did it by monpolizing the floor and refusing to acknowledge anyone else who wasn't in on the filibuster. which sucks what it's only you.

the newer rules now merely table the one filibustered issue. the senate is free to take up other business, so there's no need or point in the dramatic marathon phonebook readings. in fact, the rules don't even permit it anymore. but the point of the filibuster remains, that the one issue remains tabled until 3/5th of senators agree to stop debate on the issue and take a vote, even while the senate is conducting other business.

[blm]

10. Tell that to all the pinheads demanding ONE SENATOR stand and filibuster.

PLEASE?

Sometimes it can get embarrassing around here when even Dems start to sound as uninformed as freepers.

[spanone]

9. It went out of style, just like the Constitution.

:sarcasm: