The Do Nothing Congress

[sealybobo]

It's called a philly buster. It was decried by the Republicans when they had the majority. It is now part of their religious belief that they are a minority. If you want to know why so little is being done, look in your own back yard.

Representative David R. Obey, the Wisconsin Democrat who recently sponsored a war spending bill that died after failing to get 60 votes in the Senate, said a lack of familiarity with filibuster rules was the cause of the biggest misunderstanding Americans have about the Democratic Congress.

“They think we have control of the Senate while we merely have custody,” he said, alluding to the party’s 51-49 majority. “They think that we can control the Senate when in fact we are nine votes short of having the 60 votes that you need to actually run the Senate. So the Senate is a choke point on everything.”

And a choke point it is.

Mr. Obey’s spending bill, providing $50 billion for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan but also setting a deadline for redeployment from Iraq, was approved by the House 218 to 203. But only 53 senators voted to close debate, killing the bill.

72 times.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/02/weekinreview/02herszenhorn.html?n=Top/Reference/Times Topics/Organizations/S/Senate

And today Republicans are trying to suggest it's best when Congress does nothing. This isn't the first time they've used this excuse when they were ineffective. It was probably 2005 the last time I heard them say it though. Right before they lost control of both houses. So if they want to keep doing nothing, that's fine by me.

http://www.investors.com/politics/editorials/is-it-time-for-paul-ryan-to-boldly-go/

Shortly after Donald Trump won the election, House Speaker Paul Ryan said that Republicans had to "go big, go bold, and do things." So far, the GOP has not delivered.

 

[manifold]

I love the filibuster. If you have more than 40 senators in such violent opposition to anything that they're willing to filibuster, then get your fucking ass to work on a compromise.

^what this wise man said, nine years ago.