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Senate Democrats Poised for Power Grab
Fox News ^ | 23 Dec 2010 | N/A

Posted on 12/23/2010 9:29:22 PM PST by Jet Jaguar

Senate Democrats are going to be working over the Christmas break to deliver a lump of coal to the American people in the form of a radical changing of the Senate's rules. This is a naked power grab by liberals in the Senate pure and simple.

The National Journal reports that Senate Democrats are laying the groundwork to chip away at the filibuster on January 5, 2011. They are going to push the idea that a simple majority of the Senate can abolish the filibuster rules, or radically change the rules, in a new Congress.

Read more: http://nation.foxnews.com/filibuster/2010/12/23/senate-democrats-poised-power-grab#ixzz190FZDuFW

(Excerpt) Read more at nation.foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 111th; 20110105; communists; congress; democrats; fillibuster; harryreid; rats; reid; senate; tomudall; udall; ussenate
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To: rawhide

What made you think that I believed otherwise?


121 posted on 12/24/2010 8:54:57 AM PST by Blood of Tyrants (Islam is the religion of Satan and Mohammed was his minion.)
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To: devere

I thought of the judges after I posted that. Yes, this is probably about packing the judiciary with liberals who will completely disregard the Constitution.


122 posted on 12/24/2010 8:57:17 AM PST by Blood of Tyrants (Islam is the religion of Satan and Mohammed was his minion.)
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To: madprof98
I'll bet you are wrong. If they change the rules for their own chamber, the House GOP will simply accept it. This lame-duck session established a pattern: defiant talk followed by acquiescence in whatever the Dems wanted. It's a pattern we're likely to see next session.

I thought the rules for running the Senate didn't have to be approved by the House or the President.

The Constitution says each house can make its own rules - I assumed that meant without having to get the approval of the other.
123 posted on 12/24/2010 9:00:04 AM PST by Tzimisce (It's just another day in Obamaland.)
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To: Blood of Tyrants

Sounds like the “Nuclear Option” which was proposed several years ago by Senate Republicans in order to get Bush judicial appointments confirmed.


124 posted on 12/24/2010 9:06:33 AM PST by trumandogz
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To: Jet Jaguar
The sign at the tea party said, "You shove it down our throats in '09, we will shove it up your a$$ in '10."

We got it part way right in '10. Now, we can make the proctologists proud in '12.

5.56mm

125 posted on 12/24/2010 10:32:08 AM PST by M Kehoe
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To: Ranald S. MacKenzie

Quite a while back, Russ L. said that if you wanted to see where Obaba and the Dems would try to take the USA, just look at Chavez and Ven.

Seemed absurd at the time.

Not so, now.


126 posted on 12/24/2010 11:20:43 AM PST by OldArmy52 (Obama & the "Dem Party" have proved America is ready for Fascism/Socialism.)
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To: sickoflibs

Changing old rules that have been around for a long time, should be done with a lot of thought and wisdom. Those rules are there for a reason and have worked fairly well for many years.

EVERY TIME we consider a rules change, it must be done with the idea that the opposition will get the advantage when they are in power. If we can live with that, then it may be a sound change. In this instance, I am convinced it wouldn’t be.

I am surprised that Levin thought differently at one point.


127 posted on 12/24/2010 12:00:27 PM PST by DoughtyOne (All hail Obama, Lord of the Skid-mark, constantly soiling himself and our nation.)
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To: lonevoice

All the more reason to elect conservative senators in 2012.


128 posted on 12/24/2010 12:36:51 PM PST by Pride in the USA
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To: Tzimisce

I was responding to someone who claimed the new GOP majority in the House would not go along with what the Senate wants if it unfairly changes the rules this way. I think that is far-fetched. The House will bluster, perhaps, but ultimately the Dems will get their way, and GOP voters will perhaps get some pork thrown their way.


129 posted on 12/24/2010 12:36:51 PM PST by madprof98 ("moritur et ridet" - salvianus)
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To: madprof98
I was responding to someone who claimed the new GOP majority in the House would not go along with what the Senate wants if it unfairly changes the rules this way.

The House has nothing to say about Senate rules.

Nor has it anything to do with confirmation of judges or approval of treaties.

But it dows have the power of the purse...

130 posted on 12/24/2010 12:51:09 PM PST by okie01 (THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA: Ignorance on Parade)
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To: okie01
I'll try again. Of course, I know that the House cannot do anything about the rules the Senate adopts. But an earlier poster suggested that our newly-elected House members might try to thwart legislation from the Senate if the Democrats in the new Congress do not allow the GOP Senators to filibuster. Here's what he said:

No law they pass will get through the House next year.

I responded that I doubted the GOP in the House would stand firm on something like that. They might say they would hold up legislation from the Senate, but they would not really do it.

Is my point clear now?

131 posted on 12/24/2010 12:58:54 PM PST by madprof98 ("moritur et ridet" - salvianus)
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To: Blood of Tyrants

All we will hear about when the dems are once in again (God willing) in the minority, is how important increased minority rights are and how we need the filibuster.

They are chronic liars and deceivers, changing the rules as it suits them, and the republicans are stooopid enough to go along with them.


132 posted on 12/24/2010 1:03:39 PM PST by prairiebreeze (Proudly celebrating CHRISTMAS!)
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To: Windflier
Fire up the tar kettle and grab the feathers. They’re giving the one finger salute to The People.

First came the tea parties. Then came the tar and feather parties. I am not advocating violence. I am advocating that we find ways to tar those who trample the Constitution and the will of the people and decorate them with feathers of shame.

133 posted on 12/24/2010 1:04:50 PM PST by UpInArms (without failure there's no success only slavery)
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To: UpInArms; Windflier
Fire up the tar kettle and grab the feathers. They’re giving the one finger salute to The People.

And it may come back to bite them in the butt.

If the 'Rats eliminate the filibuster, making for a majority rule on every issue, how hard will it be for McConnell to separate four 'Rat Senators? Especially, since 23 of them are up for re-election in '12, twelve of themin red states.

That's assuming, of course, that he can keep the likes of Snowe, Collins and Brown in line...

134 posted on 12/24/2010 1:10:47 PM PST by okie01 (THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA: Ignorance on Parade)
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To: prairiebreeze

If the Rats change the rules to suit them and then the GOP changes them back in order to “protect the minority”, I will personally go to Washington to kick both my senators asses.


135 posted on 12/24/2010 1:11:47 PM PST by Blood of Tyrants (Islam is the religion of Satan and Mohammed was his minion.)
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To: madprof98
I responded that I doubted the GOP in the House would stand firm on something like that.

My mistake. I should have been addressing who you were, yourself, responding to.

The House should recognize that the Senate's rules are irrelevant. If they pass a good bill, support it. If they pass a bad bill, defeat it.

There's no point of making an issue in the House about the Senate's rules -- anymore than you would expect the House's new rules to be an issue in the Senate.

136 posted on 12/24/2010 1:35:41 PM PST by okie01 (THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA: Ignorance on Parade)
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To: Jet Jaguar
2011 will be Backlash City. Even spineless RINOs like Lugar & Collins will be outraged.

Thanks, Dingy Harry & Upchuck Schumer, for the thoughtfulless gift.

137 posted on 12/24/2010 2:34:43 PM PST by rfp1234 (Badgers? We don't need no stinkin' badgers!)
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To: Jet Jaguar

You know what I would like? If in order to filibuster, you had to pull a Jimmy Stewart and REALLY talk for hours without a break. I’ve never liked the fact that you could filibuster just by threatening to.

Remember that we WILL take the Senate again, and when we do, you know the Dims won’t be able to filibuster for real. Whereas we’ve got the gumption to keep it going, just like Jimmy in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.


138 posted on 12/24/2010 3:46:47 PM PST by VictoryGal (Never give up, never surrender! REMEMBER NEDA)
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To: bgill

“There are still plenty of RINOs who didn’t come up for re-election this year. They’ll cave to the RATS and we’ll have all three branches destroying the nation.”

I get that there are still lots of RINOS, but we have a much more conservative GOP Senate caucus coming in. Is it not true they need 67 to change the rules? If Mcconnel can’t keep 14 GOP senators in the new Senate from defecting, he needs to step down.


139 posted on 12/24/2010 4:35:55 PM PST by lquist1
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To: AD from SpringBay
Since tha passage of direct election of senators, the filibuster and related rules are the only things that distinguish the Senate from being a mere half-sized copy of the House.

It was supposed to be harder to get bills through the senate. The Senate was intended to be a quorum of representatives of the several States, not replicas of House members, a moderating influence on the popular passions of a given time. Democrats of course would love to just eliminate the Senate altogether, as an anachronistic remnant of a dead federalism.

This fight has been going on since the first, btw, when the House demanded to be able to review and vote on treaties. Washington himself had to stand in the way and defend the constitution, almost from the very outset.

140 posted on 12/24/2010 6:24:30 PM PST by hinckley buzzard
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