Posted on 11/09/2008 9:27:54 AM PST by PugetSoundSoldier
LOOK - I read it here time and time again "well, at least the Republicans will have the filibuster"...
NO. We will NOT. The filibuster is a RULE of the Senate; it is NOT a constitutional requirement! Rules are set at the start of each Congress, meaning the new Senate in January can vote on the rule of the filibuster, and change it as desired.
Do you think the Democrats are going to let the Republicans hold things up? NEVER. They have the House; they have the Senate. Now they have the White House. They are NOT going to let the GOP slow things down.
Now, you may say they did not change the filibuster rule for the 110th Congress; of course not! Why change the filibuster and take the political risk when you still face a Presidential veto? Well, that's now GONE. No Presidential veto from this point out...
My prediction - the filibuster will "exist" but will be gutted. It will be lowered to 55 votes needed to overcome a filibuster, or leave it at 60 votes for the first week, then drops by a vote every day thereafter. In other words, it'll still exist (so the Democrats can talk about being fair), but effectively neutered.
So give it up - realize that there won't be this magical thing called a filibuster to "save the Nation" - it's gone. The GOP in the Senate will be as irrelevant as they are in the House - little more than a voice in the corner to be ignored at will.
Come Jan 20th, 2009 the filibuster will be the last thing we will worry about.
There will be no effort made to change it.
No point in fighting now. [/sarc]
and what so don’t fight and suck up and sing around the campfire??? what kind of defeatist attitude is that? as long as you have a strong party chair and one party person elected, fight back. sorry, not giving in like you have
What makes you think the Democrats aren’t going to need to filibuster when Abomination is in the WH? It will stay in place.
Well we will see if Osama Huessein’s minions overplay their hand. There will be consequences.
And this means what? Did Republicans ever use it?
It sort of depends on what you obstruct. If you fight tooth and nail against taxes, waste, spending hikes, social meddling by the government or weakening the country’s ability to defend itself then you get points for it.
They won’t get rid of the filabuster. I’ve known many a Senator and they really look at the Senate as a very sacred institution and are loathe to change rules. Plus, Dems know that one day they may be the minority again. This is why the nuclear option never passed. Most Republicans knew they would be on this end of it all one day.
However, the Senate majority is going to be VERY close to 60 - - - probably 59. And “moderate” Republicans are going to be loathe to put themselves in jeopardy for the next election. So, practically, the filibuster is dead. And where will this have the most effect? The courts.
As soon as Obama takes office he will be aboe to change the 4th Circuit to a liberal leaning Circuit. That’s the 4th Circuit, perhaps the most conservative circuit in the country. Add to that that Scalia is 80 years old and, well, in 4 years the judiciary is going to be VERY different.
Democrats have no problem wielding the sword of power. If necessary, they will easily do what Republicans were unwilling to do regarding judicial nominees. However, it probably won’t be necessary for them to change the filibuster rules since a good number of Republican Senators are already collaborating with the Dems. (The name McCain comes to mind). There are not 41 GOP Senators that would be willing to stop the Democrats with a filibuster. Heck, I doubt there are 20. I know my two GOP Senators certainly won’t (Isakson & Chambliss).
Relax, changes to Senate rules still require two-thirds of Senators voting.
The GOP isn’t gonna let the Rats change the rules on them.
The filibuster is already broken at 60 votes for us, by the time the RINOs vote. Almost any filibuster can be broken with 57 dem votes when you throw in 2 or 3 liberal republicans. I suppose on the more extreme legislation, such as gun bans, there might be 2 or 3 dem defectors, but I’d hate to be counting on them to save the day. If the Coleman and Chamblis seats fall, things become even MORE difficult.
Well, actually they don’t have to change the rules. SInce they control at least 57 seats and they have people like Olympia Snow and that Fruitcake Bernie what’s his name from Vermont. they can pretty much do whatever they want with the current rules.
But thanks, I didn;t know they could do that.
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