Ouch---betcha the pols getta thrill from this.
>>>”I’d be extremely disappointed in a Republican Senator that needed to listen to debate to figure out his opinion on abortion laws.”
Why have debates on the topic at all then? Propose the bill, call the question, and vote. If people are supposed to have their minds made up on certain topics before the debate, it’s a waste of time and money to have this fictitious grandstanding.
What other sorts of things should GOP legislators have made up their minds about already? Capital punishment? Tax cuts?
Ouch---betcha the pols getta thrill from this.
The floor debate is simply an exercise in grandstanding and procedure. I guarantee that no minds are changed, and would bet that most people aren’t even listening.
I expect Senators to have done their homework before a floor ‘debate’. They should know what they think, and where their constituents are, well before Harry Reid starts talking ... particularly on something as stark and controversial as abortion. Do we really want Republican senators waiting to hear what Chuck Schumer has to say before making up their mind how to vote?
>> Why have debates on the topic at all then? Propose the bill, call the question, and vote. If people are supposed to have their minds made up on certain topics before the debate, it’s a waste of time and money to have this fictitious grandstanding.
Even if they aren’t SUPPOSED to have their mind made up ... the reality is, they do have their mind made up. Floor debates ARE a waste of time and money. They have a debate so they can get on TV making a rambunctious speech to empty seats. They have a debate to get noticed by Sunday-morning talk shows, and to make a name for themselves. They have a debate for their own aggrandizement, not to do the business of the people.
It is an inefficient, ineffective, and largely ceremonial publicity stunt ... all of which are tried-and-true Washington traditions.
SnakeDoc