[From Bill Powers (940823.1810 MDT)]
Tom Bourbon (940823.1433) --
Of course, in his telling he includes as a filibuster every instance in
which he has filed motions to _preclude_ a filibuster, a nifty trick
that makes the count look even higher than in the story you saw in the
New Yorker.
If I'm not garbling things again, the way things are done now is to
declare a filibuster, which then somehow (perhaps by the motion you
mention) results in the bill being put aside until a 2/3 vote is
obtained to reopen it for debate. Nobody actually has to go through any
Mr. Smith heroics as they used to do, staggering around and croaking as
they read War and Peace into the record etc.. So I guess that anyone can
now block any legislation for any reason at all, to the point where a
2/3 majority is needed to resume debate on it. And it's no inconvenience
at all to the Senator doing it.
ยทยทยท
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Best,
Bill P.
[From Rick Marken (940825.1230)]
Tom Bourbon (940823.1433) --
Of course, in his telling he includes as a filibuster every instance in
which he has filed motions to _preclude_ a filibuster, a nifty trick
that makes the count look even higher than in the story you saw in the
New Yorker.
Bill Powers (940823.1810 MDT) --
If I'm not garbling things again, the way things are done now is to
declare a filibuster, which then somehow (perhaps by the motion you
mention) results in the bill being put aside until a 2/3 vote is
obtained to reopen it for debate. Nobody actually has to go through any
Mr. Smith heroics as they used to do, staggering around and croaking as
they read War and Peace into the record etc. So I guess that anyone can
now block any legislation for any reason at all, to the point where a
2/3 majority is needed to resume debate on it. And it's no inconvenience
at all to the Senator doing it.
I read the New Yorker piece. I'm afraid Bill is right.
But there are a few things that help me maintain my "What, me worry?"
attitude. First, and most important, is that there are millions of people who
actually voted for people like Dole and Gram; it's not like these guys have
taken over the country by force. Second, and related to the first, is the
fact that this is a democracy so people are presumably getting what they,
collectively, want -- the most expensive and ineffective health care system
among the developed nations, tons of automatic weapons everywhere (and not
one well-regulated militia in sight), drug laws that create far more crime
than they solve, homeless people crowding the streets, an educational system
that rivals that of Rwanda, poverty so deep and entrenched that families have
little hope of staying together, etc. Finally, Bill Clinton actually TRIED
to get the job that he is now being attacked for and obstructed from carrying
out. If it were me, I would have said "OK, OK, never mind; I'm outta here"
months ago. I say give it back to the Republicans and see if we can reach
third world status BEFORE the year 2000; Ronnie sure had us well onto that
track by 1984. Apparently the voters like it. Far out, man.
Best
Rick