filibuster - the practice of refusing to surrender the floor during a debate to prevent the Senate from voting on a proposal.
cloture - a rule of the U.S. Senate stipulating that debate on a legislative proposal be cut off and the proposal voted upon by the full Senate if sixty members agree.
Why are the Democrats afraid of Republican filibusters in the Senate? If the Democrats have strong, sound legislation that will help this nation, they should not allow the threat of a filibuster cause them to water down and weaken a bill.
Below are a couple of commentaries suggesting this very thing. The arguments are well made and I hope the leadership in the Senate pays attention. The filibuster has it's place, and is an important tool for a minority that is being bullied by a majority, but if a minority of senators are holding up legislation that Americans approve of, their filibuster will not ultimatelly succed.
If 40 Senators are actually willing to mount a filibuster, against Obama's health plan, his housing plan, or any other legislation, they have that right. I think the battle should be joined. Americans want action from their government, and the spectacle of a filibuster might actually engage more of the public in the legislative process.
(And this works both ways - a few years ago, when Republicans were complaining that the treat of Democratic filibusters were preventing conservative judges from being confirmed they should have called their bluff - lets get these debates out in the open!)
Below are the well written commentaries. And if you have never seen the classic movie Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, you may want to check out the short scene of Jimmy Stewart as Mr. Smith, staging a one-man filibuster in the 1939 classic film.
Op-Ed Contributor - Make My Filibuster - NYTimes.com
Filibusters: The Senate’s Self-Inflicted Wound
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment