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Wednesday, February 24, 2010

"Filibuster Follies"

Talking Points Memo
[T]he Senate just passed the jobs bill... 70 [to] 28. The 'vote' to allow a vote on the bill only passed on a 62 to 30 vote margin. In other words, a bunch of people who voted against allowing a vote at all then turned around and voted for the legislation. It shows you a lot of the cowardice, buck-passing and general nonsense behind the current use of the filibuster. By any logic, the numbers should go the other way: the number of people who are willing to allow a vote should if anything be greater than the number who are willing to vote for the legislation on its merits.


TPM goes on to elaborate, in further reporting:
The switchers who voted no on cloture but yes today:

Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
Thad Cochran (R-MS)
James Inhofe (R-OK)
George LeMieux (R-FL)
Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
Roger Wicker (R-MS)

And those who were absent Monday but voted yes today:

Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
Richard Burr (R-NC)

Definitely follow TPM as they surely will continue to squeeze this destructive hypocrisy and foolishness for all it's worth. Anything to keep up the momentum for reforming the anti-democratic filibuster, not only to circumvent literally unprecedented GOP obstructionism today, but, yes, also to better ensure that when -- not if -- the GOP manages one day to regain control of the Senate that they too will actually have to own their failures so long as the Democratic party actually opposes them (hence making them actually stand for something, too, if they ever mean to regain or retain control themselves).

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