Reid: Cloture vote on unemployment insurance by day's end

[tonysam]

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) stressed Thursday he hoped to advance a bill that would extend unemployment insurance to its next stage by the day's end.

Both Democrats and Republicans would have ample opportunity before the legislation is due for its cloture vote this afternoon to shape the legislation and debate a "finite" list of amendments, Reid added during his speech.

"That is so important; millions of people in America today... their unemployment benefits have run out," Reid stressed during morning business.

"I have had conversations with my Republican colleagues, and they want some amendments," the majority leader added. "I see no reason we can't have a reasonable number of amendments on each side, and complete the legislation today."

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What happens if it doesn't pass "cloture"? Why IS there "cloture" when Democrats have a majority to pass any legislation? Why is the Senate being a bunch of assholes when it comes to millions of unemployed Americans?

[tonysam]

1. Kick n/t

[sandnsea]

2. Not passing cloture is how they fillibuster

It's the senate rules to keep one person from gumming up the works. Unfortunately with Lieberman, Landrieu, etc, cloture isn't a given.

[Recursion]

3. Cloture means ending a filibuster

Or, perhaps more accurately, filibustering means denying cloture (cloture requirements were a procedural rule first, then filibustering was invented in the early 1800's as a way of gaming that rule). There's a more dramatic form of filibuster (Strom Thurmond reading from the phone book, etc.) based on the fact that any Senator with the floor can speak for as long as he or she wishes; these have always been quite rare and as far as I know have not succeeded in killing any bill but have usually garnered attention for the speaker.

[tonysam]

4. Cloture is just a bullshit procedure

And they need to just get with it and pass this damned thing.

The scary part is when the EUI runs out again in 20 weeks, and we have to go through the entire process with this Congress again.

The economy isn't going to turn around for a couple of years at the very earliest.