Republican Filibuster may be the Best way to Pass Healthcare in the Senate

[cal04]

by Byron Williams
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/byron-williams/republican-filibuster-may_b_358411.html

On August 29, 1957, South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond set the record for the longest filibuster on the Senate floor.

Thurmond made congressional history when he finally yielded the floor after speaking continuously for 24 hours and 18 minutes in order to block civil rights legislation.

In retrospect, it is an unfortunate legacy in that Thurmond tied up the Senate for more than a day by exploiting a parliamentary procedure that allowed an individual senator to hold the floor until two-thirds of the Senate voted for their colleague to relinquish it.

(snip)
Democrats have something more powerful that Thurmond did not have to contend: a 24-hour news cycle.

Thurmond's filibuster was behind closed doors. The mystery surrounding the filibuster no longer exists with the advent of C-SPAN and the various cable news networks.

(snip)
This is a game of political chicken and Democrats must be willing to call Republicans on their threat. A filibuster would be a live expose, succinctly explaining why Democrats reclaimed Congress in 2006.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. that would require the dems in office to have a spine.

I haven't seen any sign of that.

[Ozymanithrax]

2. The Senate does not do fillibusters that way anymore.

They do not insist that a member speak continuoulsy until a 2/3rd majority vote that he shut the fuck up.

Now, Republicans say they will fillibuster, the majority leader counts his votes, and if he doesn't have 60 to vote for cloture they don't even try.

By the rules the Thrumond followed, all members would be required to be there until they were tired.

I don't think it is a slam dunk. By the current rules, Health Care will fail and the 60% who want health care will realize Democrats are useless and either stay at home or vote for someone else.

[tritsofme]

3. Mr Williams would do good to read the following article:

The Myth Of The Filibuster: Dems Can't Make Republicans Talk All Night

[Atticus]

4. I've called for this in two or three posts over the last 6 weeks or so and the response each time

was a collective "Huh?"

Pull your heads out, people! This is a way to win AND eviscerate the GOP at the same time.