Posted on 06/07/2012 9:15:50 AM PDT by Bubba_Leroy
A frustrated Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said he and other Democrats would likely push for changes to Senate filibuster rules if the Democrats hold the Senate in November, and blamed Republican obstructionism for forcing these changes.
"I'll just bet you … if we maintain a majority, and I feel quite confident that we can do that, and the president is reelected, there is going to be some changes," Reid said on the Senate floor Thursday morning. "We can no longer go through this, every bill, filibusters on bills that they agree with. It's just a waste of time to prevent us from getting things done."
Reid was frustrated over Thursday's planned 10:30 a.m. procedural vote on the farm bill — specifically, a vote to end debate on the motion to proceed to that bill. Reid implied that Republicans have not consented to proceeding to the bill, which forced his hand to try ending debate through a vote.
"We're going to have a cloture vote on the ability for us to proceed to the bill, the ability of us to start legislating," Reid said. "I don't need to give a lecture … about how vexatious this is that we have to do this every time."
Despite Reid's frustration, the vote to end debate on the motion to proceed to the bill is expected to succeed, which should launch several weeks of work on the farm bill.
Still, the Senate has been plagued with many of these procedural votes in the 112th Congress, which has slowed Senate work on several key bills and has contributed to what members of both parties in the House have said is a historically underperforming Senate.
Reid spoke in a morning session over which Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) presided, and noted Udall's proposal last year to amend the filibuster rules. Udall is a leading proponent of reform, and last year proposed that senators should have to remain on the floor in order to maintain a filibuster. He also proposed an end to secret holds on nominations.
Last month, Reid said he should have listened to these reform proposals last year, but said no changes would be made in this Congress.
” “I’ll just bet you … if we maintain a majority, and I feel quite confident that we can do that, and the president is reelected, there is going to be some changes,” Reid said “
will lose Senate.....and Obama too.
Unless they cheat.
Speaking about November, I can see it from my lanai.
5.56mm
Bump to read later
No filibuster change, not gonna happen!
Obama has convinced independents who are not particularly politically astute that he is an American hating communist racists.
He will not win one state in the next election, he’s toast!
You could run the Dog catcher against him.
And that crack about his wife “ not going all the way down “ He is a living on the down low PIG! scum!
It’s even worse....he actually said first that Ellen said Moochelle didn’t go all the way down (on her)!!! DISGUSTING, CLASSLESS, DIRTY GHETTO SCUM!!
Are these Senate “procedural rules” changes the Democrats are contemplating the same rules that the media always refers to as “The Nuclear Option” when Republicans are in charge?
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