task0778
Diamond Member
First, a little information and history:
The filibuster is a powerful legislative device in the United States Senate. Senate rules permit a senator or senators to speak for as long as they wish and on any topic they choose, unless "three-fifths of the Senators duly chosen and sworn" (usually 60 out of 100 senators) vote to bring debate to a close by invoking cloture under Senate Rule XXII. Even if a filibuster attempt is unsuccessful, the process takes floor time. Defenders call the filibuster "The Soul of the Senate." It's designed to force senators to compromise unless they have a 60 vote majority, and that is why the US Senate is referred to by some as the greatest deliberative political body in the world.
It is not part of the US Constitution, becoming theoretically possible with a change of Senate rules only in 1806, and never being used until 1837. Rarely used for much of the Senate's first two centuries, it was strengthened in the 1970s and the majority has preferred to avoid filibusters by moving to other business when a filibuster is threatened and attempts to achieve cloture have failed. As a result, this has come to mean that all major legislation (apart from budgets) effectively requires a 60% majority to pass.
Under current Senate rules, any modification or limitation of the filibuster would be a rule change that itself could be filibustered, with two-thirds of those senators present and voting (as opposed to the normal three-fifths of those sworn) needing to vote to break the filibuster.
However, under Senate precedents, a simple majority can (and has acted to) limit the practice by overruling decisions of the chair. The removal or substantial limitation of the filibuster by a simple majority, rather than a rule change, is called the constitutional option or, colloquially, the nuclear option.
On November 21, 2013, the then-Democratic-controlled Senate exercised the nuclear option, in a 52–48 vote, to require only a majority vote to end a filibuster of all executive and judicial nominees, excluding Supreme Court nominees, rather than the 3/5 of votes previously required. On April 6, 2017, the Republican-controlled Senate did the same, in a 52–48 vote, to require only a majority vote to end a filibuster of Supreme Court nominees. A 60% supermajority is still required to end filibusters on legislation.
OK, so here's the problem: IF the democrats gain control of the Senate, it is highly likely that they will do away with the filibuster entirely, thus making the Senate a simple majority rule like the House is. Which means if the President is also a Democrat and they maintain control of the House then they can pretty much do anything they want, at least until the midterms in 2022.
So what does that mean?
It means they can do whatever they want on gun control, amnesty for illegals, reparations, taxpayer funding for abortions, no southern wall, higher taxes, climate change, state and local bailouts, police reform, and the public option (Medicare For All). Plus, DC becomes the 51st state, and maybe Puerto Rico becomes #52, making it harder for the GOP to win back the WH and either chamber of Congress.
Quite a list, no? That's a lot to do in 2 years, before the midterms come up. But whose going to stop them if the filibuster is gone? Certainly not the GOP, we've seen how the Dems treat the Repubs when the Dems are in control. And any Democrat who does not vote the party line or even voices any opposition will be quickly squelched and replaced in the next primary if not sooner. Used to be such a thing as a moderate democrat; but no more. Those guys take no prisoners and will eat their own. We are talking about the beginnings of a totalitarian regime here. The Far Left will not settle for anything less.
Can't happen here? I'll be they thought the same thing in Venezuela not too long ago.
The filibuster is a powerful legislative device in the United States Senate. Senate rules permit a senator or senators to speak for as long as they wish and on any topic they choose, unless "three-fifths of the Senators duly chosen and sworn" (usually 60 out of 100 senators) vote to bring debate to a close by invoking cloture under Senate Rule XXII. Even if a filibuster attempt is unsuccessful, the process takes floor time. Defenders call the filibuster "The Soul of the Senate." It's designed to force senators to compromise unless they have a 60 vote majority, and that is why the US Senate is referred to by some as the greatest deliberative political body in the world.
It is not part of the US Constitution, becoming theoretically possible with a change of Senate rules only in 1806, and never being used until 1837. Rarely used for much of the Senate's first two centuries, it was strengthened in the 1970s and the majority has preferred to avoid filibusters by moving to other business when a filibuster is threatened and attempts to achieve cloture have failed. As a result, this has come to mean that all major legislation (apart from budgets) effectively requires a 60% majority to pass.
Under current Senate rules, any modification or limitation of the filibuster would be a rule change that itself could be filibustered, with two-thirds of those senators present and voting (as opposed to the normal three-fifths of those sworn) needing to vote to break the filibuster.
However, under Senate precedents, a simple majority can (and has acted to) limit the practice by overruling decisions of the chair. The removal or substantial limitation of the filibuster by a simple majority, rather than a rule change, is called the constitutional option or, colloquially, the nuclear option.
On November 21, 2013, the then-Democratic-controlled Senate exercised the nuclear option, in a 52–48 vote, to require only a majority vote to end a filibuster of all executive and judicial nominees, excluding Supreme Court nominees, rather than the 3/5 of votes previously required. On April 6, 2017, the Republican-controlled Senate did the same, in a 52–48 vote, to require only a majority vote to end a filibuster of Supreme Court nominees. A 60% supermajority is still required to end filibusters on legislation.
OK, so here's the problem: IF the democrats gain control of the Senate, it is highly likely that they will do away with the filibuster entirely, thus making the Senate a simple majority rule like the House is. Which means if the President is also a Democrat and they maintain control of the House then they can pretty much do anything they want, at least until the midterms in 2022.
So what does that mean?
It means they can do whatever they want on gun control, amnesty for illegals, reparations, taxpayer funding for abortions, no southern wall, higher taxes, climate change, state and local bailouts, police reform, and the public option (Medicare For All). Plus, DC becomes the 51st state, and maybe Puerto Rico becomes #52, making it harder for the GOP to win back the WH and either chamber of Congress.
Quite a list, no? That's a lot to do in 2 years, before the midterms come up. But whose going to stop them if the filibuster is gone? Certainly not the GOP, we've seen how the Dems treat the Repubs when the Dems are in control. And any Democrat who does not vote the party line or even voices any opposition will be quickly squelched and replaced in the next primary if not sooner. Used to be such a thing as a moderate democrat; but no more. Those guys take no prisoners and will eat their own. We are talking about the beginnings of a totalitarian regime here. The Far Left will not settle for anything less.
Can't happen here? I'll be they thought the same thing in Venezuela not too long ago.
