FLASHBACK: Conservatives Tried To Kill The Senate ‘Minority’s Right To Filibuster’ Three Years Ago

[laststeamtrain]

FLASHBACK: Conservatives Tried To Kill The Senate ‘Minority’s Right To Filibuster’ Three Years Ago

In The New York Times this morning, reporter David M. Herszenhorn analyzes the “muscle flexing” by conservatives in Congress, who he says “effectively have a stranglehold on the Senate.” Herzehhorn notes that Senate conservatives are now “so accustomed to blocking measures” that they reflexively objected to an AMT patch they wanted, forcing them to scramble “to approve it later”:

"In fact, the Senate Republicans are so accustomed to blocking measures that when the Democrats finally agreed last week to their demands on a bill to repair the alternative minimum tax, the Republicans still objected, briefly blocking the version of the bill that they wanted before scrambling to approve it later."

Herzehhorn goes on to explain that the conservatives believe they are “merely exercising the minority’s right to filibuster“:

"The Republicans are not shy about their strategy, which they say is merely exercising the minority’s right to filibuster, which has existed since the earliest days of the Senate."

He does not mention, however, that just three years ago, many of the same conservatives (then in control of Congress) threatened to use the “nuclear option” to remove “the minority’s right to filibuster” judicial nominations.

Conservative Senate leaders who are now doing everything they can to obstruct critical legislation, were “not shy” three years ago about their willingness to do away with the filibuster:

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http://thinkprogress.org/2007/12/12/flashback-filibuster-shy/

[fascisthunter]

1. Conservatives or Totalitarians?

Their behavior has been etched into stone for all to see.

[Bitwit1234]

2. IF only the MSM would pick this up ..but no such luck.

They are so entrenched up the republicans ass it is a wonder they know what day it is.

[krkaufman]

4. Agreed. The lack of coverage of the Republican obstruction should be ...

... one of the "under-reported stories of 200N."

http://www.projectcensored.org/censored_2008/index.htm

[Igel]

3. Nominations and bills are different kinds of critters.

The kind of rules that apply to them are different, not just in practice, but in principle, IMO.

I was against removing the right to filibuster nominations, in principle. Had the repubs gone and done it, I would have been irritated.

Had they seriously *suggested* removing the right to filibuster regular bills, I would have been incensed and gone on a letter writing campaign, and almost certainly gotten off my fat butt to work on a political campaign or campaigns; certainly I'd be donating and making sure my reps were informed as to the level of my outrage.

Oddly, which party does it doesn't matter. It's a matter of principle, of parliamentary rules, not of ideology (except in a broad sense that includes both dems and repubs) and certainly not of partisanship.

[murielm99]

5. Funny, that,.

That is what I did after 2000. I went on a letter writing campaign, got off my butt to work on campaigns, donated, and made sure my reps were informed as to the level of my outrage.

I had taken too many years off from activism. Not any more.

[Igel]

6. We all have things that overcome our lethargy.

That's one that would overcome mine.

Personally, I'd rather see my lethargy in the field of political activism continue unabated since I'm fairly convinced my lethargy in some other field would have to increase to compensate. And in those I'm barely holding my own.

[bemildred]

7. Hypocrites, all or them:

Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS): “ is wrong. It’s not supportable under the Constitution. And if they insist on persisting with these filibusters, I’m perfectly prepared to blow the place up.”

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) spokesman: “Senator McConnell always has and continues to fully support the use of what has become known as the ‘’ option in order to restore the norms and traditions of the Senate.”

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX): “I support the option, I support a rule change, I support elimination of the unconstitutional filibuster by any legal means.”

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/12/12/flashback-filibuster-shy/