Democratic Underground - Reid allows them to.

Reply #14: Reid allows them to. [View All]

Statistical

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Wed Oct-28-09 09:03 AM
Response to Original message

14. Reid allows them to.

Edited on Wed Oct-28-09 09:33 AM by Statistical

Reid could demand an actual filibuster. He has the authority and senate bylaws allow it.
He simply chooses each time to not exercise that authority.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fillibuster#Procedural_filibuster

In current practice, Senate Rule 22 permits filibusters in which actual continuous floor speeches are not required, although the Senate Majority Leader may require an actual traditional filibuster if he or she so chooses. This threat of a filibuster where no floor speech and no quorum is required may, therefore, be more powerful than an actual filibuster, which would require attendance by a quorum of Senators as well as the physical presence of the Senators speaking.

Previously, the filibustering senator(s) could delay voting only by making an endless speech. Currently, they only need to indicate that they are filibustering, thereby preventing the Senate from moving on to other business until the motion is withdrawn or enough votes are gathered for cloture.

The majority leader's inability to apply consequences to filibuster has only encouraged an explosion of procedural (non debating) filibusters.

Likely this explosion will grow larger and larger and larger until a new Majority leader demands debating filibuster at which point there becomes consequences for being the party of No and we see this graph crash.

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Reply #14: Reid allows them to. [View All]