> Her comments prompted Republicans to invoke an arcane rule to cut her off.
Arcane? Fake news. Anyone who follows civics knows this is why Senators are always referring to “my good friend from the state of Maryland,” rather than “Senator Whatshisname,” or, worse still, “that jerk.”
To refer to actual names or worse still derogatory labels violates Senate rules dating back to at least the Civil War. Rule 19 denunciation of Sen Pocahontas was not arcane, but fully anticipated.
The Rule 19 isn’t invoked frequently because most senators are more respectful of the body and its members than that person from MA.
It is not arcane. Any parliamentarian system based on Robert’sRules of order has a similar rule of personal privilege to stop slander on the floor during debate,