Filibuster

Eliminate The Budget Filibuster Rules First

... passed as part of a budget resolution. If some piece of legislation can fall within this exception to the filibuster rule and can comply with the Senate Byrd Rule, then a simple majority vote in the Senate is all that is needed for passage. But Senate Byrd Rule operates to prohibit the use of the reconciliation process where the proposed change would increase the deficit without an offset that reduces spending. Since the budget already has mandatory spending items that take 100% of tax revenue, virtually any reform which involves taxes or spending is going to be subject to the Byrd Rule and the Senate filibuster. Which is why nothing is ever reformed. The recent brouhaha over repealing Obamacare is a prime example of this. For those who want to cut taxes and governmental spending, the current budget process means that unless the reformers have majority control of the House and a 60% majority control in the Senate, then reform is dead on arrival. The Republicans were given the majority control in the House and Senate by the voters because they want to ...

Democrats Have Enough Votes To Filibuster Gorsuch

... going public, but Vivero said he "wouldn't rule it out.". Our thought bubble: There's a clear appetite for price and network transparency in health care especially as high deductibles, both for employer-based coverage and Obamacare plans in the individual market, aren't going away. But there's a limit to shopping in health care, as many studies have shown. If your appendix explodes or you have a heart attack, you won't have time to rush to a transparency website to find the best deal or the quality ratings of a surgeon. Other transparency companies, like Castlight Health, also have struggled to catch on. They're sending a message that we have capabilities and that you are not the only player in town. NSA Deputy Director Richard Ledgett called it the cyber version of "hand-to-hand combat.". 2. Newfound aggression: In 2014 the hackers stopped backing down when they knew they were being detected. Before that, as Kevin Mandia, Chief Executive Officer of cybersecurity firm Fire Eye, told the Senate Intel Committee last week, the Russians would back down when they were detected. 3. China and Iran are increasingly aggressive, too: Current and ...

How Harry Reid And His 'little Sister' Barbara Boxer Saved The Filibuster For The Supreme Court In 2013

... “obstructionism.”. They appeal to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to blow it all up so that they could have their way and implement the next three years of President Obama’s second-term agenda. “Frustration causes people to do things they would not do otherwise," remembers Senator Boxer, then a 20 year veteran from California. “There was a lot of frustration.”. But when the Democratic Caucus, lead by Merkley, Udall and Harken, barrels towards “nuking” all four of the areas that The Senate controls by filibuster - legislation, lower court judges, Supreme Court Justices and Presidential cabinet and other executive level appointments - 4 foot 11 and 3/4 inch Barbara Boxer rises up. She walks into Harry Reid’s office and says, “Harry, we can’t do it for ‘The Supremes’ or for legislation. This is a huge mistake.”. When asked why, Boxer says, “You’ve got to think about what is the worst case scenario. This is the most important Court in the land. It literally holds the lives of the American people in its ...

If Dems Willing To Filibuster Gorsuch, 'it’s Obvious They Would Filibuster Anybody

... the Iowa Republican wrote. "If we’re ever going to get past the well Senator Schumer poisoned when he led the Democrats to 'change the ground rules' in 2001 and systematically filibuster circuit court nominees for the first time in our nation’s history, we’re going to need to dig a new well. With or without Senate Democrats.". Just three Democrats so far have said they will vote to confirm Gorsuch while 39 have said they will vote no on his confirmation. 1 day. Trump signs internet privacy repeal President Trump signed a bill on Monday repealing internet privacy rules. 668 Shares. Blackwater founder held meeting to. The meeting, in the Seychelles islands, reportedly occurred less than two. 397 Shares. Senators fear fallout of nuclear. Senators in both parties are speculating that a blowup over ...

Sen. Hirono On Support For Democratic Filibuster On Gorsuch Nomination

... a fight that at the moment it would appear you're not going to win, but it's still worth fighting. HIRONO: I believe in fighting those fights that are worth fighting. That's always been my perspective. And it's not going to stop now (laughter). SIEGEL: But just to be clear, Senator Hirono, what do you say to someone who might sympathize with your view of Judge Gorsuch but who would say the filibuster is going to be merely symbolic, a symbolic act of protest? The consequences of it, the loss of the ability to filibuster, will be real and will harm the institution. HIRONO: Well, that certainly will not be the case with regard to other procedural votes that we take with regard to the laws that we are passing. They - those still require 60 votes in order to attain cloture. SIEGEL: But why shouldn't - why shouldn't those constraints all fall by the wayside. HIRONO: Because this is the Senate, not the House. It's not just majority rule. There need to be more checks and balances. Things should take longer. ...

Let's Just Scrap The Filibuster And Keep It Simple

... called, should inspire its members to be free agents, not to be bound by party discipline. This recent controversy should be the last time we as a nation have to endure this duplicitous game. It should not always be about winning or evening the score (as the Democrats are now trying to do, since Republicans refused to hold hearings on President Obama's last nominee to the Supreme Court). Without the filibuster, senators in each party would be required to work the other side of the aisle — to find new friends; to convert foes and make them allies. Every bill and every appointment should be voted on the merits. That's how a functioning democracy is supposed to work. Doing away with the filibuster forever in all situations would produce a big win for democracy — something we surely need. Mark Plotkin is a contributor to the BBC on American politics and a columnist for The Georgetowner. Previously, he was the political analyst for WAMU-FM, ...

Nebraska Lawmakers Ok 'choose Life' License Plates After Chambers' Filibuster Fails

... Gov. Pete Ricketts and Lt. Gov. Mike Foley, as well as the Nebraska Family Alliance, the Nebraska Catholic Conference and Choose Life Nebraska, but opposition from Planned Parenthood of the Heartland and a number of abortion rights supporters. The new plates would add to the rapidly expanding variety of license plates available in Nebraska. A number of other states offer versions of a Choose Life plate. Two years ago, Living Word Ministries, an anti-abortion group, attempted to gather enough applications to create a Choose Life organizational plate. State law allows nonprofit groups that follow certain guidelines to get specialized license plates by collecting 250 prepaid applications for the plates. Examples of such plates include the Union Pacific Railroad plates, Creighton University plates and Beef State plates. Henry Doorly Zoo plates were the latest addition to the list. Although created by organizations, the plates are available to any driver. Going that route, the plates would have cost $70 extra, with the money ...

Dems Would Never Filibuster Republicans’ Nominee

... be used later to push through their judicial nominations. "If the Democrats are bent on changing the rules, then I say go ahead," Sen. Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa) said on the Senate floor. "There are a lot more Scalias and Thomases out there we'd love to put on the bench.". O'Donnell said in November 2013 that at first he agreed with Republican critics. "Like the traditionalists in the Senate, I was afraid of, OK, what happens when the other side has this power?" he argued in a clip first  noted by Newsbusters' Rich Noyes. "But I very recently came around … to the realization that of course they have got to do this, because in fact, when the Republicans have power and the Republican presidency, the Democrats in the Senate would not be attempting to use the filibuster this way to that degree anyway," O'Donnell said. "So, they don't need that protection in the minority.". O'Donnell ...