DADT possible vote tonight!

[Riot]

Today the GOP filibustered simply opening discussion on giving seniors a $250 check as their Social Security hasn't had a COLA raise in 2 years.

The GOP isn't filibustering as they and the Dems both have in the past, averaging 40-50 per session (filibustering = parlamentary obstruction). The GOP have not reserved it for really important stuff, the votes on bills, etc.

The GOP has a standing filibuster on simply bringing stuff to the floor of the Senate.

The GOP has been blocking the Senates work - bringing topics (bills) up for discussion. A filibuster takes about a week to be taken off.

Let alone the GOP putting additional filibusters on voting, etc.

They have been, IMO, obstructing the Constitution, which requires a majority in the Senate - not a supermajority of 60 - to bring things up, do the normal business of the Senate, pass legislation and get stuff done. There has been historical inaction in the Senate. We all have to hope it will be changed. We elect leaders to discuss and vote on the issues of the day. The GOP minority has single-handedly blocked that.

And no, neither the Dems nor the GOP has ever done this before. "Both parties do it" does not apply here. What the GOP has done is exceptional.






What the data clearly shows is that he GOP is filibustering at twice the rate of what the Democrats did before, including what they did under Bush. So Republicans can't claim that Democrats did it too - they didn't. Not like this.

March 2, 2010: Another interesting data point: IN the last ninety years, there have been 1,195 cloture motions filed, and a874 cloture votes, per the Senate site. The Republicans in the last three years that they've been in the minority, have caused 215 of the motions to be filed, and 157 of those cloture votes. That means in just the past three years, the Republicans have been responsible for 18% of all filibusters recorded in the past 90 years.