When pigs fly, I'm afraid.
ff
You know what kills me about this whole thing is that the Rats don't even have to do a real fillibuster to stop legislation. They just threaten one and everybody clams up and goes home for the night. In the old days you had to hold the floor for as many hours as it took. Those guys would talk for hours on end. The majority needs to stand firm and force the minority to put up (for hours at a time) or shut up.
Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't the opposition just threaten to filibuster and that usually prevents the vote? Call their bluff and make them stand in the well and talk until they drop. See what they're made of instead of just rolling over before the "threat".
Refreshing. Now let's hope we get more out of this than empty talk.
Have there been any filibusters? Or just the usual Dem threat of a filibuster followed by an immediate surrender by the Republicans? I want Klansman Byrd reading the phonebook on the Senate floor for 24 hours. I expect there will be nothing more important this Senate term than the appointment of Supreme and Appeals Court justices. I don't want the Republicans to surrender.
I will say this,if the Republicans, with the majority they now have, cannot change the Senate rules at or before a new Congress conveins, they may as well pack up and go home.
You can bet your a$$ if the Democrats, with the majority the Republicans now have, wanted to change the rules, they would get changed.
As I have said before and take no pride in saying again, Janet Reno has more ba77s than all the Republican Senators, excepting the ones newly elcted, combined. Sad, Sad,and Tragic.
He needs to deal with and correct the problems that he can fix starting with Arlen Specter. Then maybe people will start to take him seriously.
Screw that, restore constitutional balance, PERIOD, end of story
Trent Lott should be stripped naked and beat with a rubber hose for capitulating to "Little Tommy Daashole"
He got the senate into this mess.
Rather than rely on a lot of parlimentary maneuvering that has no chance of succeeding, Frist and the Republicans should just call the Senate into session and keep it there until the fillibuster is broken. This is why a fillibuster is practically impossible to break now as opposed to years past. In earlier practice the senator had to actually hold the floor and speak. That's not required any more. There are literally weeks, if not months of inactivity on a particular question when a fillibuster is in operation because the opposing senators are sitting on their fat asses in their offices or home pressing the flesh. If Frist had the balls to call them all into session and force Byrd to stand at the podium for 96 straight hours, they'd fold like a cheap umbrella!
Wow. Frist sounds like he's REALLY getting mad now. The Dems better watch out.
"45 Republicans, 44 Democrats and a Democrat-leaning independent..."
Um.......55, 44, Indepen. I think.
"But in a Senate next year with 45 Republicans, 44 Democrats and a Democrat-leaning independent, Democrats still will have the 40 votes necessary to uphold a filibuster."
Now the Republican filibuster of Bush nominees can start.
Now the Republican filibuster of Bush nominees can start.
I wonder if Frist is offering just words or real action here.
Appoint John Kyl to chair the judiciary and change the vote for confirmation of judges to a simple majority (51%).
That should do the trick.
Frist & the GOP can do this now, this term, before we even have a 55-team majority! And expecially now that RINO Specter is fighting for his future and can drag the other RINOs kicking and screaming.
This can happen on Tues 11/16/04, as a point of order, when the senate is in executive session to consider the nomination of Francis Harvey to Secretary of the Army. And next session's 55 Repubs would leave the rule in place.
Frist & Lott have both said they could do this right after the November election. Let's hold them to it...
CONTACT THE GOP SENATORS NOW!
BE A FILIBUSTER BUSTER