American Politics Thread 2013: I'm a cool Rodham grandma in the USA

A successful filibuster was once the sign that a very substantial minority had extreme reservations about a bill, extreme enough to merit bringing the Senate's business to a complete halt for the rest of the session if need be.

I laugh when I think of how serious these jackasses take themselves. I wonder if Byrd is spinning in his grave.

the real reason probably that making each other stand and talk amounts to pissant trolling of each other, might as well just get rid of it. we're talking about a bunch of old people here.

it's just too bad democrats didn't come around last time that happened (and too bad ted kennedy died) otherwise we'd have a much better healthcare law right now and cap and trade and prob all sorts other cool laws

opium is wonderful, huh

Teddy was losin' it twd the end, about the best he could do after 2000 was crap like No Child Left Behind.

most honorable classic example i can think of would be la follette leading filibuster against US entrance into WW1. struggling to think of a more recent example where it's been used well.

opium is wonderful, huh

― eclectic husbandry (Dr Morbius), Thursday, November 21, 2013 3:10 PM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

you realize the house passed cap and trade right, once again see the problem w using the everything is fucked heuristic in place of actual knowledge, opium is meh imho fwiw

what are you talking about, cruz filibuster (well, long speech, technically) made him a huge hero and laid the groundwork for whipping the house into the shutdown

Yeah, how'd that work out for them? If it wasn't for the ACA's unforced error they'd still be in the ropes. To mix sports metaphors.

struggling to think of a more recent example where it's been used well.

http://patdollard.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/mr_smith_goes_to_washington_61073-1920x1200-600x300.jpg

yeah. cruz and rand paul doing their one-man filibusters was a deliberate echo of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and had no other purpose than to generate publicity. as legislative tactics, they were pointless nonsense. if we went through a period where this happened with any regularity, that aura would soon vanish and people would start to see it more clearly as vapid posturing. the spectacle of a talking filibuster is only compelling for its current novelty, not any inherent drama.

crazy that one event didn't totally turn the tide, mustve not worked at all then

josh, your statement was "If the fallout from Cruz's theatrical buffoonery showed anything, it's that many legislators might think twice about making such a public ass of themselves over silly stuff, and save it for the big battles."

the fallout from cruz's theatrical buffoonery was that he got even more popular and powerful, so

advocating for the talking filibuster is pretty hilarious it's like if there's one thing that clearly demonstrates what an absurd nonsensical practice it is

we shd make them talk a lot be cut then theyll have to talk a lot and um um

yeah, like, why would "ability to stand up bullshitting non-stop for 8+ hours at a stretch" be a characteristic you'd seek out in a legislator

becuz politics are entertainment duh

xpost Did he? I was under the impression Cruz's position and power has been weakened. I mean, he'll keep his seat, but that was a given.

lets not only continue the filibuster but make it take up more time and produce easy bs media ops yay

filibuster motherfucker!
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_29_shKT4Elw/S2HlIkDMVgI/AAAAAAAAJXk/ZlX5qgy-eX8/s400/camachobbb.jpg

I'd advocate for it because it is absurd and I don't think many people would do it. If you told me I could shovel shit by pressing delete on my computer all day, I'd do it. If you told me I had to actually grab a shovel, I'd think twice about volunteering.

his fellow senators think he's a blowhard asshole but the primary voter base and RW mediasphere love him. the first is not insignificant but the latter is huge.

xp

Do you all think that if you had to do a stand til you drop filibuster every time you wanted to stop something, there'd be just as much stuff getting blocked? You think the Republicans would be doing OK if they were visibly holding things up, loudly and stupidly, all day every day, for months, rather than doing it from some back room? I think they'd get laughed out of office.

are we really making the case that Cruz has long term staying power because of that stunt? I'm not convinced.

republicans are doing okay despite visibly holding things up loudly and stupidly for decades

he might stay, but he's not gonna get anything accomplished legislatively

xpost No, man, I mean actually doing shit like reading Green Eggs and Ham for hours.

(Which for all I know is how most of them spend their time, anyway, brushing up on the ol' phonics)

they spend most of their time fundraising.

I think they'd get laughed out of office.

i think you're a little naive frankly

besides, sen. reid chose to skip right past this delightful compromise position so idk why we're gaming it out

Do you all think that if you had to do a stand til you drop filibuster every time you wanted to stop something, there'd be just as much stuff getting blocked? You think the Republicans would be doing OK if they were visibly holding things up, loudly and stupidly, all day every day, for months, rather than doing it from some back room? I think they'd get laughed out of office.

― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, November 21, 2013 3:28 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

thing youre not considering is the quorum of democrats has to be there the whole time to vote when you give up, it sounds all nice and cinematic but when you really think abt it its deeply silly and untenable, senators are busy raising money and jerking each other off they dont have time for this sort of thing

yes exactly, they all know the job is 100 old people on the phone all day

nah, all it needs is one bored senator in the chair to send out the quorum call when the lad or lass drops.

Nobody hangs out in the Senate anymore; that's why Cruz can read Dr. Seuss for hours.

they still have to be nearby

they send out the quorum call and another senator starts their own filibuster it's dum who cares the filibuster is in its last days it doesnt require hairbrained never gonna happen schemes

btw for everyone itt who doubted my predictions over the years that the end of the filibuster was near bow down and suck my nuts

filibuster deez

Lets get those DC Circuit vacancies filled

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/11/21/another-reason-for-filibuster-reform-it-will-help-dems-crack-down-on-wall-street/

"crack down" on Wall Street is comically absurd

Do we need to list all the high level officials on Team Obama both present and past who worked there?

I guess since we're on the subject of political theater, we might as well pretend that Dems WILL GET SER-EE-US ABOUT WALL STREET.

fwiw wall st already p mad re current levels of cracking down, which says more abt their extreme entitlement than anything but still

but still, there is no cracking down

j0e u don't make any fucking sense when you pick at my "heuristics"

bye, no nuts for me

I make ALL the sense

http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2013/11/21/nuclear_option_obama_was_for_filibusters_before_he_was_for_it.html

he;ll be back to suck nuts

It's going to be great when someone asks Jay Carney about that at a presser.

Well, not really. Who gives a shit anyway.

there's nothing scandalous about changing your views on the filibuster after republicans decided to filibuster literally everything

totally

hey conservatives, talk about miguel estrada some more, it's really turning me around on this *makes jerky offy motion*

thing youre not considering is the quorum of democrats has to be there the whole time to vote when you give up, it sounds all nice and cinematic but when you really think abt it its deeply silly and untenable, senators are busy raising money and jerking each other off they dont have time for this sort of thing

That's pretty much exactly what I meant? It's so silly and untenable, and not nice and cinematic, that if it were the norm, it would not happen much, because everyone - inc. the filibuster-er - has better things to do with their time. I suspect one reason things got out of control is that senators were allowed to multi-task while folks dithered around with cloture rather than stand there and talk.

opium is meh imho fwiw

never trust a guy who doesn't love opium tbh

http://fimgs.net/images/perfume/nd.93.jpg

aero otm, shit gets me AMPED