legislative process

So I know the filibuster and super-majority control of the Senate is of course NOT in the Constitution. But clearly the filibuster and the 60-vote rule for cloture has become a very useful tool. The Dems have used it to stop some very irresponsible and dangerous laws, like Concealed-Carry...

There's LOTS of continuous talk online and elsewhere about the US Senate filibuster and how current desired legislation is being snagged on it by Mitch and rogue Dems, etc. I know what the filibuster is, but it does seem that, as a Senate rule, it is more a convention than a law. I understand...

Normally I see the use of the fillibuster - or, rather, the use of the threat of a fillbuster - as some kind of political gamesmanship where the Rules Of Order are used to subvert the Will Of The People. But y'know what? I really do get jazzed at democracy in action, probably because it is so...

Over two and a half hours ago, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul began a filibuster in the Senate in opposition to the nomination of John Brennan as CIA Director and to unlawful drone strikes on American soil. He's still talking. FILIBUSTER! ETA: You can watch this live on C-SPAN 2.

Democrats watch in awe as McConnell filibusters himself :confused: [/LEFT]

I hadn't realized this will be the 33rd time Republicans have tried to repeal--in total or in part--the ACA since it was passed into law. Given that some 3/4 of Americans disapprove of the job Congress is doing right now, do they really think this nonsense will achieve anything? I mean...

When will the Senate filibuster rule end? This is being used, and abused, more and more. It was never even intended to be a rule. It now essentially requires a 60% vote instead of a 50% vote to pass a bill. Everybody complains that Congress isn’t doing enough. With the filibuster, months of...

On one side of the debate, we have President Obama, who wants to do away with the filibuster. http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/10/28/914338/-President-Obama-endorses-filibuster-reform On the other side of the debate, we have, um, Senator Obama...

THe House voted to adjourne until after the November elections. This leaves not a lot of time for important tax votes. From a Wall Street Journal article http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704644404575481903960961386.html?mod=WSJ_Taxes_Taxes_2 They just came back from a month not...

That is to say, the REPEAL of it was voted down. http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-september-22-2010/are-we-run-by-a--holes-

I saw an article about how a lot of Obama's judicial appointments are being held up in committee, often by a single Senator. This is nothing new, both sides do it, but it does seem ridiculous that a single Senator can hold up the nomination of a judge that would easily pass the full Senate. This...

My niece and nephew, being politically minded, posted this, which is how I found out about it. 4qTjv4D7byU I've been away from Maryland for over a decade now, but I didn't expect this kinda crap from them. From my new state of Arizona? Sure. Shame on Van Hollen.

NPR this morning ran a segment on the use of "secret holds" by congress: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127368817&ft=1&f=1014 This in regards to Obama administration appointees needing confirmation. Over 100 of these nominees, many for rather critical positions, are being...

I think it's time for a new thread on this. Now that the bill has passed, and the House has passed the reconciliation package, the Senate has taken up this set of amendments. Republicans have vowed to do all they can to block it. If they succeed in getting even one amendment to this package...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100320/pl_nm/us_healthcare I read this afternoon, that NOT only do we now have enough votes in the House to pass health-care reform, but we can even do it without the sneaky way of not voting for the Senate plan, while voting for changes to it. We will follow the...

Rules Committee meeting descends into chaos By: Byron York Chief Political Correspondent 03/20/10 12:42 PM EDT ...........At the House Rules Committee meeting, Democrats desperate to pass their national health care plan are running into the barrier of basic civics. Here is the problem: The...

The arguing about procedures related to the health care bill got me thinking about House and Senate "rules". Do these things have the force of law? I got to wondering whether laws were overturned if they were passed in violation of the rules as they existed at the time in the House or Senate...

"Each bill that comes before the House for a vote on final passage must be given a rule that determines things like whether the minority would be able to offer amendments to it from the floor. In the Slaughter Solution, the rule would declare that the House "deems" the Senate version of...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704625004575089362731862750.html How low the current batch of democrats have sunk in order, as this article points out, I say if these people force this through Congress against the American people clear wishes, we the American people need to...

Filibusters are used by the minority in the Senate to keep a simple majority from passing laws. I do not believe such a procedure was created to allow for constant and repetitive use, due to pure political wrangling and dissagrement. Additionally, Reconciliatiion is used by the majority to...

So, today we had the big summit. We heard what the GOP and the Democrats have in common, and how they differ. Its now pretty much all out there. So, what do we do now? The Democrats and Obama clearly do not wanna "start over". We see this as just a way of killing reform. We think it would...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100218/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_health_care_overhaul_14 Good for Obama. Time to show some balls. Good to have you back. If the GOP chooses politics over the American people, then we will do what needs to be done..without you.

So right now the meme from the GOP and the right is that Senate should not pass legislation with only 51 votes. http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/02/quayle-51-votes-not-what-our-founding-fathers-had-in-mind.php...

My father suggests that we pass a new rule, that a filibuster cannot take place until there has been a week of breathing room and time out. And then, if they still wanna filibuster, it can be broken by 55 Senators..and not 60. This way, the Senate cannot be held hostage by 41 Senators, which...

I was trying to decide whether the Obama admin would get a bigger backlash by pushing the affordable health care bill through via other means, or by seeing it crater. Don't know really. I don't think this is working out very well for the US but others opinion might differ. (I confess I have a US...

Does anyone know what they have agreed upon so far in the House-Senate negotiations? will there at least be a non-profit co-op plan for Americans to buy into? i want there to be some sort of non-corporate plan for us to buy into.

White House nears deal on health care How can anyone support these clowns anymore? Whether you're anti-union or not, making special tax breaks available only to people who happen to be in unions is an affront to the idea of equality under the law.

Video: James Madison Impersonator James Madison - Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rReS6uA-C_A&feature=related The above is part 1 of a video of a James Madison Impersonator (JMI) shot in July, 2008. The JMI is about the same height and weight of James Madison and bears a striking...

Senate Dems to W.H.: Drop cap-and-trade (Politico) It might pass in abbreviated form if there's enough pork barrel bribery, but it's worth it for the planet, right?

I don't believe these health care bill items are Constitutional (and I'm sure there are many more). Care to discuss this? http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704398304574598130440164954.html The Constitution gives us equal protection under the law (14th Amendment). So why are...