What the f*ck...they need 60 votes to pass anything???!!!

[Roxy66]

I dont get this!!! How is anything supposed to be passed??!!

[rateyes]

1. Must have been a cloture vote

The Senate is phucking useless these days.

[leftofthedial]

2. how did the repukes pass all the totalitarian crap?

the congressional "democrats" are not on our side

[soothsayer]

5. we went along with

[Roxy66]

6. How are the Dems not on our side? They voted yes! This system just SUCKS!!

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

11. No, it doesn't suck.

Republicans suck. The Senate is the only thing that's stopped us from complete ruin over the past 12 years.

[Roxy66]

16. But if the Dems need 60 votes to pass anything how can they do anything?

[spanone]

3. whatever happened to a majority vote??????

[Pawel K]

4. Funny isn't it? It's like the democrats didn't seem to know they could do this too

[pansypoo53219]

9. bring out the nuclear option they threatened us with

AND FUCKING DO IT!

[bdamomma]

34. yea, the nuclear option, what ever happened with that??

[tridim]

17. They knew, and they did filibuster on occasion..

Democracy obviously doesn't work if everything is filibustered, and THAT is exactly what the Republicans are doing.

This is why we have to win a super majority in 08.

[tritsofme]

32. Republicans had a 55 member majority, we only have 51.

It was easier for them to find 5 Democrats to vote for cloture than it is for us to find 9 Republicans.

[Pawel K]

33. What is this, kindergarten? We don't need these bullshit excuses. nt

[tritsofme]

35. No, it is what it is. When you have a small Senate majority

And ours is about as small as it gets, you only have minimal control over Senate operations.

[Pawel K]

37. 5 votes is not easy to get, I don't get your point.

You just had another fine example of democratic ununity with only 25 senators voting against this ammendment. So stop making excuses for them, the fact simply is that they are chickenshit. If it helps you sleep at night by not accepting that then cool, but as you said it is what it is. If we had unity back then we would not be in this war, we would not be being spyed on, etc, etc, etc...

[tritsofme]

38. Most of these cloture votes end up failing at 56 or 57 votes

We are doing about as well as the Republicans did in the 109th, its just we have fewer players to work with.

[Ian David]

7. 60 is the new 50. n/t

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

8. It won't be a problem when there are 60 Dem Senators...

which is exactly where this strategy will lead Republicans, especially with so many vulnerable seats this election cycle.

[zbdent]

30. 61*

as long as Lieberman is spooning everything that comes out of Bush's ass and calling it vanilla ice cream ...

[Kajsa]

39. I like your thinking.;-)

60 is our goal, now.

[Roxy66]

10. I just don't get it! Help me understand...

It takes 60 votes to pass anything?

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

12. Calm down, will ya?

Read a textbook and chill out.

[bunkerbuster1]

18. You seriously don't understand?

For starters, there's this thing called "cloture." it means debate ends and a bill can be voted on. You need the approval of 60 Senators to end debate on an issue.

Here's some history:

http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/Filibuster_Cloture.htm

The wiki entry is decent and digestable:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloture

[halobeam]

21. just a quick thanks

I noticed there are other posters who are intolerant of those who are learning. Thumbs up to you for not being one of them.:thumbsup:

[bunkerbuster1]

26. I try to step back and recognize our system of gov't is kinda crazy

There's the Senate with its weird rules (and inherently anti-democratic, un-representational delegation of power). And the Electoral College ought to be an old joke that was long since replaced with a national popular vote, but... well, there's a long explanation for THAT, too!

So when someone freaks out a little on something like this, I figure that's just a rational reaction to hearing weird news.

[FredStembottom]

29. I don't post "what's wrong with DU" threads....... BUT......

There sure is a puffed-up sub-set of DU'ers that use the bandwidth merely to deride others for not knowing some pet piece of info that they "like, knew since frikkin' Kindergarten"!

Halobeam and I ask that those of you who know stuff use postings to teach stuff. Repeatedly if necessary.

Even if you learned the stuff in question in-utero.

Americans really don't know much about their own government and DU should be one (of many) places that folks can finally find some answers.

Thanks for your support.

[Roxy66]

24. I guess I thought this was the vote on an Amendment and it just needed a majority

not on cloture. Thanks for the explanation.

[immoderate]

31. It's simple. Understand that the Senate has unique rules.

Debate is unlimited in the Senate. Sixty senators can end debate and force a vote (cloture.) Otherwise, debate can continue indefinitely (filibuster, usually tabled) essentially defeating the bill.

What did I leave out? :shrug:

--IMM

[mikelgb]

13. re-bring it to the floor over and over again

[mike_c]

14. they need 60 votes to end a filibuster-- a simple majority can pass a bill...

...but if the opposition filibusters it 60 votes are needed for cloture. Dems could have done this when they were the minority, of course, but in most cases they were too weak spined to present a united front.

[Roxy66]

20. Thanks for the info...sorry for freaking out. I'm just so tired of all of this

[Roxy66]

15. I don't remember this being the case with the Repugs

[Marr]

19. Oh, don't worry-- it'll be back to normal when the Republicans are in charge again.

And the Dems won't filibuster a damn thing because it would be "obstructionist".

[madfloridian]

22. Good front page post about this "filibuster" at Daily Kos. or non filibuster

The Filibuster: now painless and more convenient than ever!

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/9/20/83313/0324

[MiniMe]

23. No, they need 60 votes for cloture so they can vote on it

For the vote, a simple majority wins.Cloture ends debate on a bill.

[budibudinski]

25. Stick em in the Eye Barbara !!

AYE !

[HughBeaumont]

27. Collusion

n. Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin collusion-, collusio, from colludere

A secret agreement or cooperation especially for an illegal or deceitful purpose.

You enable the Reich, that's what it is.

And that's how the weak-spined Dems went tits up for the Cabal these past 12 years.

Obstructionist Repukes are lead-piping us now, including that CT troll posing as an "independent".

[TahitiNut]

28. I just love how Ben Nelson, Mary Landrieu, and other "Dems" seem to vote with the Reich so often.

Both voted FOR Cornyn's POS amendment.

[Kajsa]

40. But- they all voted FOR reinstating habeas corpus.

A number of DINOs came back to the ranks on this one.
But, we didn't get the 60 we needed.
;(

Give credit where credit is due.

http://tinyurl.com/2jqxc3

[kerry-is-my-prez]

36. They have to "water" everything down too to get the votes of the Reps and red state Dems.

n/t