Quote:
Originally Posted by Danzig
interesting:
there are a variety of ways both parties attempt to block legislation. but somehow, i bet this instance won't be quite as horrifying as it would be if republicans attempted it.
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It's not the same thing. The letter you speak of is just a straw poll of the Democratic caucus, it was taken today, showing 53 House Dems don't like the Obama-McConnell pact. But that cannot physically block the vote from coming to the floor as a filibuster can. It just says how they are going to vote, and hopefully the bill won't be brought until amended, if the President wants a positive vote.
The filibuster exists as an extreme obstructionist tactic. The Senate rules of debate, amendment, majority vote are supposed to rule the business of the day.
The GOP has a standing filibuster on bringing topics to the Senate floor. Not debate and discussion, not voting, but simply against the elected majority bringing topics to the floor to discuss. THEN the GOP also block debate, and block votes. Their whole point the past two years was to gum up the works of the Senate, including routine business, so the Dems couldn't pass anything, and it's worked very well.
There were 53 votes in the Senate to pass the tax extensions without extension of tax cuts for those over 1 million. That would have "passed" in any other Senate, and it "passed", according to the Constitution which states simple majority rules in the Senate.
Except the GOP filibusters every single thing, and that changes the rules (which is why they do it) now requiring a special vote of 60 votes to pass. Thus virtually everything that has passed in the Senate over the past two years - including the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act - even when on party had the majority in the Senate, elected by the public, had to get, and got, at least 60 votes. Not the majority required by the Constitution for Senate votes.
And that's why the filibuster rules will finally be amended. Filibuster has never been abused to such an outrageous degree.