Thursday, March 18, 2021

Filibusterbuster


Our founders included the filibuster in the Constitution for good reason: Democracy, they agreed, in which government responds to and reflects the will of the people, depends on the ability of a minority of senators, representing a minority of the population, to block legislation; especially bills supported by a majority of voters. Seventy-six-percent, in the case of the American Rescue Plan. Those wise men knew what they were doing. 

Omigosh. So sorry. Doggone spell-check. The founders did no such thing. In fact, they couldn’t imagine requiring a sixty-percent majority to pass legislation. This we know because the singular role they created for the Vice President was to cast the decisive vote in the case of a Senate tie. By simple majority, is what they considered the logical way to ratify legislation. Supermajorities were for impeachments and overriding vetoes.

Nor, when the filibuster appeared, like a carbuncle, could a forty-percent minority simply say, “Don’t do that or we’ll grind things to a halt,” and not actually have to do it. Back then, like Jimmy Stewart’s Mister Smith, they had to hold the floor continuously.

Because there were no rules limiting debate, when persuasion wouldn’t work, legislation could be suffocated by filibuster. Eventually, as pressing issues facing the country grew in number, so did demands for ways to force an end to debate. Cloture, it’s called.

That came about in 1917, when cloture was allowed if agreed to by two-thirds of the senators. Over the following forty years, it was invoked only five times. Inevitably, filibusters (from “filibusteros,” Spanish for pirates) became increasingly frequent, especially to block civil rights legislation, including laws against lynching.

It wasn’t until 1964 that a filibuster was overcome to get the Civil Rights Act approved. In 1975, the required amount of senators voting for cloture was reduced to three-fifths. Now, insidiously, that super-majority has become the default to pass all legislation except, once per fiscal year and subject to many qualifications, for “budget reconciliation.” For Mitch McConnell, filibuster is the weapon of choice. So much for the will of the people. 

“Gee whiz,” weep the Mitch-like. “Without the filibuster, the majority would have all the power. There’d be no effort at bipartisanship.” They’re right, of course. That’s why, if the Mariners are behind when the game ends, they threaten to stay on the field until the runs they need are added to the score. It’s only fair.

If anyone knows about bipartisanship, it’s Mitch. Ask the Republican leaders he gathered, literally on President Obama’s first inauguration day, agreeing to block whatever he proposed, sight unseen. Ask Mr. Justice Gorsuch. Ask President Obama, too, who included Republican demands in the Affordable Care Act and the Recovery Act, disappointing liberals, thinking (silly man) it’d garner Republican votes.

Having received much of what they wanted, they still voted no, every single one of them. Which they’re now doing to President Biden. Republicans dumped bipartisanship decades ago. Crocodile tears.

Just you wait, warns Mitch. If Democrats end the filibuster, it’ll become a “scorched earth” Senate when Republicans regain control. Really? He scorched the earth during every Democratic presidency. When that recently-defeated guy was “president,” he did it by spiking over 400 bills the majority House Democrats sent over. He did it with every Federal judge foisted by the Federalist Society, no matter how unqualified.

President Joe Biden said he prefers bipartisanship, but no Republicans voted for his plans. Therefore, he was lying. Funny thing, though, about that seventy-six-percent approval of his rescue legislation: it’s more than twenty-percent higher than his winning election margin. Which means it appeals to many Republicans; just, unsurprisingly, not the impactions in Congress. It’s only by Foxian definition that that’s not bipartisan. Joe Biden aims to be a president for all Americans, not just the far right-wing. That was the recently-soundly-defeated guy.

And how’s this for bipartisanship: after passage, several voting-no Republicans are touting the Rescue Act to their constituents as if they deserve credit. The hypocrisy is stupefying.

After their Georgia defeats, it was re-confirmed to Republicans that fair elections are their enemy. Therefore, across America, they’re busy creating legislation designed specifically to hinder voting by Democrats. If they’re able to filibuster the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, which, because Democrats believe in democracy, would make voting equally accessible to all citizens and each vote given equal weight, America would become a minority-rule plutocracy. Undeniably, that’s their goal.

As used by Mitch McConnell, the filibuster has become incompatible with democracy. It needs to go. Or return to what Jimmy Stewart did, all those years ago. 


10 comments:

  1. "...the impactions in Congress" ROLFLMAO

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It isn't just you; "conservatives are already erecting barriers". From an article this morning about making chemical abortions available over the internut.
      The pandemic has proven the safety of this, the article goes on to say.
      What could possibly go wrong, no?
      I love your assertion of "76% approve". I have to wonder who they asked that disapproved! I can assure you if I was one of the 2,013 asked by the pollsters if I would want a $1,400 check sent each to my wife and I, I would most certainly say yes! (wouldn't you?).
      I wonder if they took a poll of another 2,013 voters, and asked them if they would be willing to pay for it with $1,400 out of their own pocket, how many would say yes? (no need to wonder, since it's a fantasy question anyway).
      btw, there are "only" about 10 million households that make more than $150,000 in the United States, with an ever-increasing number of H-1B Visa holders making that amount instead of qualified U.S. Citizens (make them citizens, fast!). So, ~300 million Americans times $1,400 equals $420,000,000,000. I included all ages in that, but I could have doubled the number of kids, since it's looking like they'll get $3,000 each, one way or another.
      [am I the only one who's calculated that?]
      It's an interesting calculation. Makes one wonder, i.e. $1.9 Trillion? Heck, if they took back $420 Bill-ion from the ones who will profit from it, leaving them (insert estimate here), then they could do it again this year even.
      The whirled goes round and round and round. Do it not?
      Forbes keeps an ongoing list of the 400 profiteers, which is an interesting study in itself. Or, go to B&M's "Giving Pledge" for a different view of the same, uhhh, phenomenon.

      Delete
    2. "[am I the only one who's calculated that?]"

      With all due respect your math has fur.

      Delete
  2. I agree...The progressives need to go nuclear to save the country.

    https://www.salon.com/2021/03/21/robert-reich-on-how-to-unrig-the-gops-minority-rule-_partner/

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  3. Why do Yurtle's hysterics remind me of the scene in Blazing Saddles where Bart (Cleavon Little) takes himself hostage?

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    Replies
    1. It's all they have. Fear and mayhem always with the smell of violence. Brainwash your base. Treat them like N. Korean's and keep them living in the stone age. They indeed imprison themselves. To the point of building a physical wall to keep themselves in the gated community known as The Confederacy. They have the ability and the laws on their side but they don't know it and are often too desperate to care.

      They turn down free medical care because the "dirty kids" who don't belong here might get free medical too! They are so concerned with others that they can't take care of themselves and live in "shithole states" full of alt right haters who will fight to the death to work for almost nothing. Angry they have to compete against each other for a job at any wage. Having a job at Dollar General is an asperation! You are "privileged" to have the "opportunity" for a job.

      Then it is us they blame. The "libs". Especially the coastal states. If not for the blue states, the red states would be blighted industrial wastelands. Oooops, too late! We subsidize idiots that have no idea who is their friend and who's the enemy of their success.

      The easy way to find who's who is follow the polluter money. Just follow that money and you'll uncover maybe 80-90% of all our problems.

      Delete
  4. This is why Federal lawmakers need to act on the bill for voters rights. The first step being smash the filibuster.

    The alt right savages are still trying to arrest their way through legislation. By snatching duly elected officials out of the capitol for secret signings that restrict voters to the extreme.

    Lumpy claimed Armageddon of the filibuster is removed. Well, the alt right has brought on whatever changes happen vs. civil rights. They are all anti govt. of the people for the people. They want an elite minority to rule and the only way for them to do it is the filibuster. Remove that and equal rights will soon follow.

    This makes me sick and we need to fight.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/03/25/park-cannon-georgia-arrest-voting/

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  5. "The media did not distinguish themselves. By asking about immigration multiple times and echoing the false narrative that Biden had created a “surge," they showed they were more interested in sound bites than actual news. Their failure to ask about the pandemic, the recession, anti-Asian violence, climate change or even infrastructure (Biden had to bring it up himself) was nothing short of irresponsible. They pleaded for a news conference and then showed themselves to be unserious. They never laid a glove on Biden; they did, however, make the case for why these events are an utter waste of the president’s time."

    I absolutely agree! The reporting sucked. To be honest, reporting there is usually not the best. It's a hard job to get right for sure, but, nobody did their job or got it right. Not one of those reporters, not one. They all sucked! *HEADDESK*

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/03/25/biden-excels-his-first-news-conference-media-embarrass-themselves/?outputType=amp

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