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

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

never trust a guy who doesn't love opium tbh

― combination hair (underrated aerosmith bootlegs I have owned), Thursday, November 21, 2013 4:47 PM (35 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

*irately chews benzos*

good questions http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/11/21/1257310/-Senate-GOP-blows-itself-up-What-the-hell-where-they-thinking

Chris Hayes just ran a clip of Bill Frist in 2005 lol. Remember Bill Frist?

Xpost

Wow, I didn't realize there were so many vacancies. I hope the dems act quickly and get them filled.

A centrist friend, quivering, wondered whether the change means President Christie and a GOP-controlled Senate can repeal ACA in 2017.

quivering with apprehension or anticipation?

Mewling quiv

Leaning Out

How Michelle Obama became a feminist nightmare.

By MICHELLE COTTLE

November 21, 2013

first quote is linda hirshman, haha

you do you, politico

http://obamafoodorama.blogspot.com/2013/11/after-quick-deaths-for-all-of-president.html

During the six decades the organization has been gifting Presidents with live birds, "generally we found they live for around two years" after pardoning, said Keith Williams, the Federation's Vice President for Communications.

...
But the eight turkeys President Obama has pardoned since 2009--the four birds the public sees and the four "alternates"--are all dead. Seven died within months of their White House ceremonies, Williams confirmed. Just one tom lived to a second Thanksgiving.

xpost Honestly, I think I'll take Obama appointing 90 Federal judges even if it means the Dems losing the Senate. Because the Dems can easily retake the senate, but those appointments are for life. Now let's see how the president screws up his advantage.

He's going to nominate a bunch of deceased turkeys.

I like this simplistic Wonkblog quote:

"The only thing worse than a Senate where the majority has the power to govern is one where it doesn’t."

Apart from the three empty seats on the DC Circuit Court, there are ninety other empty seats on the federal bench. President Obama has had fewer judges confirmed than either Bush or Clinton, and the vacancy rate is far higher than it has been:

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal-a/2013_11/with_the_filibuster_gone_time047908.php

Yeah I feel like this has been going on for both terms not just this one..

it has. this move was necessary for the admin to leave any mark on the judiciary, which it needs to do because the GOP is getting really bold at the legislative level.

And again, that part of this gamble is vital, because the legacy of the courts will outlast Obama and the, dunno, two presidents who follow him. These Federal courts, but particularly the DC court, are like lil' Supreme Courts, and they play really important roles. Given the Supreme Court is sort of dick heavy right now, it's important to have these lower court checks in place. Anything to make it harder for Scalia, Thomas, Roberts and Alito to go all Old Testament, er, Original Document on America.

spoken like someone who does not believe in the Devil

my gosh

http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/6cced1bcc581250dd41ef65103127343341f48d7/c=228-368-1392-1242&r=x513&c=680x510/local/-/media/USATODAY/USATODAY/2013/11/20//1384967146004-medal00006.jpg