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Schumer To Hold Hearings On Undoing Filibuster Rules

samsmart said:
Rules for the filibuster isn't set up anywhere in the Constitution.
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Of course not. My response was in reference to the idea that we need to 'make it easier for the government to get things done'.
 
Goobieman said:
Then explain why you dismissed, out of hand...

And as I've explained to your colleagues twice already, the claim that an increased number of cloture votes is proof of increased obstruction belies a lack of understanding of Senate procedures, statistics, and politics in general.

http://www.debatepolitics.com/break...urb-insurers-rate-hikes-2.html#post1058583292
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As usual, you have things backwards. It was your NYC friend who dismissed me out of hand, with his condescending lesson totally ignoring the facts and charts in my link.

Since it seems to be too much to expect some people to even look at provided links, I'll spell it out for you. Or at least Arianna will... :cool:

In the 110th Congress of 2007-2008, with Republicans in the minority, there were a record 112 cloture votes. In the current session of Congress – the 111th – for all of 2009 and the first two months of 2010 the number already exceeds 40. The most the filibuster has been used when Democrats were in the minority was 58 times in the 106th Congress of 1999-2000.
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GOP Filibuster Record: Republicans Using Obstruction Tool With Astonishing Frequency

I look forward to hearing from you, or any other rightee, on how this extreme increase in the number of filibusters (or cloture votes), used by the Repubs, can be explained away by "you don't understand how the Senate rules work". :doh

This is proof that the Repubs are more concerned with working against the Dems than working for the American people.
 
ADK_Forever said:
As usual, you have things backwards.
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Yeah....
:roll:

This is proof that the Repubs are more concerned with working against the Demsthan working for the American people
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You -do- realize that these two things go hand-in-hand, right?
 
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ADK_Forever said:
Absolutely, in the selfish minds of the Repubs. Absolutely.
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Absolutely, period.
The idea that the only way these issues can be addressed is the way the Dems want to is nothing but partisan bigotry, as is the idea that to oppose them is to work against the American people.

Its no diffferent than the partisan loons that argued (and still do) that to oppose The Obama's policies is to hope that the US fails.
 
ADK_Forever said:
Spare me your lessons. Some numbers don't lie. Repubs have abused the filibuster to try to obstruct almost anything the Dems tried to accomplish.

The "Party of No" doesn't come close to doing justice to how the Repubs have abused their power. It doesn't come close to illustrating how the Repubs aren't concerned with doing the job they were elected to do. ALL they are consumed with is their trickery to try to regain power in November. The Health Care bill will be passed and the Repubs will pay for their part. Americans want this. They need it. And they will not be happy with those who tried to keep them from getting health care.

Watch and learn.
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So rather than attempt to understand or refute my point, you're just going to repeat your earlier assertion and throw in a bit more ranting about the Republicans. Par for the course.
 
ADK_Forever said:
Spare me your lessons. Some numbers don't lie. Repubs have abused the filibuster to try to obstruct almost anything the Dems tried to accomplish.
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How is opposing the Dems an 'abuse' of the fillibuster?

The "Party of No" doesn't come close to doing justice to how the Repubs have abused their power. It doesn't come close to illustrating how the Repubs aren't concerned with doing the job they were elected to do.
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Which is... what?

ALL they are consumed with is their trickery to try to regain power in November
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Can you show that this is true?

The Health Care bill will be passed and the Repubs will pay for their part. Americans want this. They need it. And they will not be happy with those who tried to keep them from getting health care.
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If it fails, it will be because of the Dems, not the GOP.
 
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RightinNYC said:
So rather than attempt to understand or refute my point, you're just going to repeat your earlier assertion and throw in a bit more ranting about the Republicans. Par for the course.
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Before you go and try to derail this discussion, making you look the victim, let's back up a bit. Why don't you address the data in my links. Why don't you explain why there was such a large increase in filibusters, and threats of, while the Repubs have been in the minority, going back to when they were kicked out of power while Bush was prez. Please explain to us, so we simpletons can understand it. Please explain how us "not knowing the rules" minimizes the Repubs setting records for their use of the filibuster. Thank you, so much. :allhail
 
ADK_Forever said:
Before you go and try to derail this discussion, making you look the victim, let's back up a bit. Why don't you address the data in my links. Why don't you explain why there was such a large increase in filibusters, and threats of, while the Repubs have been in the minority, going back to when they were kicked out of power while Bush was prez. Please explain to us, so we simpletons can understand it. Please explain how us "not knowing the rules" minimizes the Repubs setting records for their use of the filibuster. Thank you, so much. :allhail
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Er....That's exactly what I did 10 posts ago.

You can't draw conclusions like this based on something as simple as the number of cloture votes.

In addition, it's pointless to use the number of cloture votes in an attempt to draw any conclusions about the changing perception/use of the filibuster over time. First, the number of votes needed for cloture was 67 until 1975 when it was reduced to 60. Second, the reason the number has fluctuated so wildly in recent years is because whether or not something counts as a technical filibuster depends on whether a Senator brings something up for a procedural vote. Since 99% of the time everyone knows how the vote will turn out, Senators don't make cloture motions that they know will be doomed to failure unless they're doing so for political reasons.

Think about it - if you were part of the majority and wanted to paint the minority as "obstructionist" in order to score political points, what would you do? You'd take a few dozen bills that you know would never win a cloture vote and bring cloture motions on all of them. They all fail, and BOOM! You've got a ready-made headline: "Obstructionist Minority Filibusters Record Number of Bills."
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The purpose of the filibuster is to prevent Congress from enacting controversial bills via slight majorities in both houses. The purpose remains the same whether it's used once or a thousand times. Obama et al. had no problem with it when they were the ones benefiting.
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Right, you dastardly dog you...

Are you actually suggesting Democrats AREN'T pure as the wind driven snow and are just apt to be playing the dirty game of politics as the Republicans, and that one can't assume notorious devious political ploys from one while ignoring that the other side is also likely using ploys?

How DARE you make an assertion so reasonable. Don't you know such things are kryptonite to mindlessly bloviating hyper partisans?
 
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