Shaheen/Harkin target filibuster abuse.

This Does Not Surprise Me (4.00 / 4)

One of Senator Shaheen's excellent qualities is that she has common sense, and ending this abuse is just plain common sense. This is not about pushing an agneda, it is about getting the work done.  Senator Shaheen believes in getting the job done.

Once again, kudos for our soon to be senior Senator!

 

"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    

---

by: Kathy Sullivan 2 @ Thu Feb 11, 2010 at 16:07:59 PM CST

Then why is the Senator opposed to reconciliation? (0.00 / 0)

Her office told me that the Senator is not considering reconciliation as a tool for health care.  Politics aint beanbag...you need an iron fist in a velvet glove.  

This reeks of a publicity stunt that goes nowhere - the equivalent of saying, "oh, yeah."  

---

by: j cicirelli @ Fri Feb 12, 2010 at 08:24:34 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Kudos to Senator Shaheen (4.00 / 2)

She, Paul Hodes, and CSP continue to make me proud to be a Democrat in this great state.  It's time to end the GOP's "party of no" obstructionism.  The problems we have are too great for 41 individuals to deny millions of Americans a better life in this country.

---

by: Timmy J @ Thu Feb 11, 2010 at 16:17:02 PM CST

I love Jeanne and Gail Collins too! (4.00 / 3)

David Brooks and Gail Collins, columnists for the NY Times, held a discussion yesterday on the Times website during which Ms. Collins presented her proposal for fixing the political process.

And voila!  Jeanne delivers.  Well, at least she proposes.  It's a good start and I am very pleased with my Senator.

We believe in prosperity & opportunity, strong communities, healthy families, great schools, investing in our future and leading the world by example. We are Democrats; we are the change you're looking for.

---

by: bloomingpol @ Thu Feb 11, 2010 at 16:25:14 PM CST

And when will our Senior Senator Judd Gregg (4.00 / 2)

add himself as a co-sponsor?

How could he not support this with a statement such as the following?

"The point, of course, is this: If you have 51 votes for your position, you win," Gregg told his Senate colleagues on the floor.

... Is there something wrong with majority rules? I don't think so."

---

by: Dean Barker @ Thu Feb 11, 2010 at 17:10:45 PM CST

White House getting tougher? (0.00 / 0)

In my inbox, bold mine:

Statement by the President on Senate Confirmations

Today, the United States Senate confirmed 27 of my high-level nominees, many of whom had been awaiting a vote for months.

At the beginning of the week, a staggering 63 nominees had been stalled in the Senate because one or more senators placed a hold on their nomination.  In most cases, these holds have had nothing to do with the nominee's qualifications or even political views, and these nominees have already received broad, bipartisan support in the committee process.

Instead, many holds were motivated by a desire to leverage projects for a Senator's state or simply to frustrate progress. It is precisely these kinds of tactics that enrage the American people.

And so on Tuesday, I told Senator McConnell that if Republican senators did not release these holds, I would exercise my authority to fill critically-needed positions in the federal government temporarily through the use of recess appointments.  This is a rare but not unprecedented step that many other presidents have taken.  Since that meeting, I am gratified that Republican senators have responded by releasing many of these holds and allowing 29 nominees to receive a vote in the Senate.

While this is a good first step, there are still dozens of nominees on hold who deserve a similar vote, and I will be looking for action from the Senate when it returns from recess.  If they do not act, I reserve the right to use my recess appointment authority in the future.

---

by: Dean Barker @ Fri Feb 12, 2010 at 04:25:43 AM CST

In other news (0.00 / 0)

the cloture vote for the nomination of Craig Becker to the NLRB was overwhelmingly defeated 33 Nay to 52 Yea (that's 60% in favor of Becker for those who miss my sarcasm).  This massive defeat caused Sen Hatch to declare that a recess appointment of Becker would "circumvent the will" of the Senate.  

This is the alternate reality that the president has decided to participate in.  Labor will abandon him - it may have already reached a tipping point.

I'm next - I already unfriended him on Facebook.

---

by: j cicirelli @ Fri Feb 12, 2010 at 08:19:40 AM CST

Dick Durbin Joins Them (0.00 / 0)

Via mcjoan; Greg Sargent:

Senator  Dick Durbin is now throwing his weight behind a new effort to reform the filibuster, a move that could give it a boost, given Durbin's clout as a senior member of the Dem leadership.

Durbin spokesman Joe Shoemaker confirms to me that the Senator supports the new effort, which was unveiled yesterday by Senators Tom Harkin and Jeanne Shaheen.

The Harkin proposal would officially amend the process by which a filibuster is broken, allowing a four-step process that could eventually allow it to be broken by a majority vote. The first vote would require 60 votes to break the filibuster, followed by motions requiring 57, 54, and finally, 51 votes.

The key is that Durbin is apparently playing an active role in backing the Harkin effort. A senior leadership aide tells me Durbin is "in talks with a number of other Democratic senators regarding possible changes to Senate rules."

www.KusterforCongress.com  

---

by: Jack Mitchell @ Fri Feb 12, 2010 at 15:07:02 PM CST

Saw That (0.00 / 0)

It contradicts the idea that this is a publicity stunt. There are a number of senators who have had it with the inability to get work done. Perhaps Harry Reid will read the poll that shows people are getting fed up with this tyranny by the minority.

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo...

"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    

---

by: Kathy Sullivan 2 @ Fri Feb 12, 2010 at 15:17:07 PM CST

[ Parent ]

I'll believe it (0.00 / 0)

when I see it.  For some cynical reason, I find it difficult to believe that this bloated-ego body will neuter itself in any meaningful way.  BTW, and not for nothing, Harkin introduced the same bill in 1995.  http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-sear...

Durbin's leadership maneuvers notwithstanding, this goes nowhere - it's not even close to what the Republicans threatened over the judicial nominees a few years ago.  

I hope I'm wrong, but history and Congressional feebleness are on my side.

---

by: j cicirelli @ Fri Feb 12, 2010 at 15:46:00 PM CST

[ Parent ]

In 1995? (0.00 / 0)

That would be the 104th Congressional Session.



www.KusterforCongress.com  

---

by: Jack Mitchell @ Fri Feb 12, 2010 at 15:52:58 PM CST

[ Parent ]

If that's a real question, the answer is YES. (0.00 / 0)

Harkin introduced the bill when the Dems were in the minority.  It was as unsuccessful then as it will be now.  The threat of filibuster creates a power structure in favor of the Senate over the House, and provides additional power to minority factions in the Senate in an already unbalanced legislative body.  HCR is a perfect example.

---

by: j cicirelli @ Fri Feb 12, 2010 at 16:38:17 PM CST

[ Parent ]