Republicans setting filibuster record

[kpete]

Source: Associated Press

Analysis: Republicans setting filibuster record

By STEVEN R. HURST (AP) – 15 hours ago

WASHINGTON — The filibuster — tool of obstruction in the U.S. Senate — is alternately blamed and praised for wilting President Barack Obama's ambitious agenda. Some even say it's made the nation ungovernable.

Maybe, maybe not. Obama's term still has three years to run.

More certain, however: Opposition Republicans are using the delaying tactic at a record-setting pace.

"The numbers are astonishing in this Congress," says Jim Riddlesperger, political science professor at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gRk0FZDifKVczo6ssCt82rw2lTYQD9E5NHCO1

[bemildred]

1. Desperate times call for desperate measures. nt

[eagertolearn]

2. Maybe they should limit how many times each party can use the filibuster.

If they said you can use it only 10 times a year then neither party could abuse it but could still use itlike it was planned!

[AlbertCat]

3. Then there's making them ACTUALLY filibuster!

Go on.... get the cots and sleeping bags out. Just threatening to filibuster should not make everyone throw up their hands and give up. Make them stay and read the phone book. Make them work for it. All those Senators who's weekends were ruined will remember. But this is their job. We pay them to filibuster (if that's the route they wanna go) and to also stay and listen to the filibuster. So DO YOUR JOBS senators of both parties.

And then the Dems will have hours and hours of video of Repug's obstruction, the the brave Dems enduring it for the American People.

It's called turning the GOP tactic on themselves. If they want to filibuster.... make 'em actually do the work.

[AlinPA]

6. Next year when we filibuster, they will make us get out the cots and sleeping bags. nt

[mbperrin]

14. Yes, dammit! I'm tired of the threat being the action! Let them filibuster!

Then, when they stop, vote!

My dad told a potential carjacker who was threatening him with a crowbar, "You may be able to whip my ass, but you'll HAVE to."

[rhett o rick]

7. Who will change the rule? The republicans love it and many Dem's feel that

it gives them a good excuse not to pass progressive legislation. Who will change the rule. Congress is rotten to the core and will not fix itself.

[eagertolearn]

16. But limiting how many times you could use it would make them wait for

something important to filibuster instead of doing it for everything (or I guess they are mainly threatening to do it so I agree with you above that we should make them do it!).

[harun]

4. If the Dem's don't like it, remove it.

[AlinPA]

5. We will need the filibuster after January when we lose the Senate. nt

[rhett o rick]

8. Yeah right. Like we used it when Little Bush was president. Remember

whenever the Dem's threatened to use the filibuster, the repukes threatened the nuclear option and the gutless Dem's cowered back under their desks.

Many Dem's are happy that the repukes are filibustering. Then they can pretend to be progressive but still be true to their corporate sponsors. Fuck Congress.

[harun]

11. Dem's don't listen to their leadership like the Pukes do, hence the Pukes don't need

to worry about them filibustering.

Besides something as egregious as ending Social Security the Senate Dem's will give in, whine about it and let the Pukes pass whatever they want. Dem's in the House however will stop most of the Puke nonsense.

[Bitwit1234]

9. If the democrats don't find a way to drop this damn filbuster

they are not going to get anything done and the republicans will take back the senate as least.

[Bitwit1234]

10. And if we loose seats I hope to goodness they are all the blue dogs.

might as well have a republican who says they are a republican and not hiding under the democrat name.

[AlinPA]

15. Those (blue dogs) are the seats that we will lose. They were elected with small margins and now the

tea baggers are fired up and some Democrats will stay home, being disappointed in what these blue dogs have done (rather not done).

[Hansel]

12. Whatever happened to the Group of 14 that the media was so in love with.

They were suppose to prevent the abuse of filibusters. Remember them?

THE GROUP OF 14
Democrats
Robert Byrd (West Virginia)
Daniel Inouye (Hawaii)
Mary Landrieu (Louisiana)
Joseph Lieberman (Connecticut)
Ben Nelson (Nebraska)
Mark Pryor (Arkansas)
Ken Salazar (Colorado) - gone
Republicans
Lincoln Chafee (Rhode Island) - gone
Susan Collins (Maine)
Mike DeWine (Ohio) - gone
Lindsey Graham (South Carolina)
John McCain (Arizona)
John Warner (Virginia)
Olympia Snowe (Maine)

It's all spelled out in here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/23/AR2005052301169.html

I particularly like this gem:

McCain added, "We will try to do everything in our power to prevent filibusters in the future." The accord was "in the finest traditions of the Senate: trust, respect and mutual desire to see the institution of the Senate function in ways that protect the rights of the minority," he said. "I believe that goodwill will prevail."

All but a handful of them are still in the Senate. So John...did you just mean all future Democratic filibusters? I think your slip is showing.

What ever happened to the glorious group of 14? And why has the media stopped mentioning them?

Edit to add: Apparently now, at least the Dems in this "honorable" group, need to be bribed in order to stand by these "convictions."

[optimator]

13. threatening a filibuster is not a filibuster

.