Harkin considers raising bill to end filibuster

Good! I know some here will disagree because when the GOP gets into power, but do the Dems ever really effectively use the filibuster threat? Let's face it nothing is getting done--period--in the senate due to the filibuster even with 60 "Dem" Senators.

http://www.thehawkeye.com/story/harkin-filibuster-121209

Given what he sees as the abuse of power by a couple members of his own party whom he said are threatening to join the minority party if their every demand is not met, Harkin is considering reintroducing the legislation.

"I think, if anything, this health care debate is showing the dangers of unlimited filibuster," Harkin said Thursday during a conference call with reporters. "I think there's a reason for slowing things down ... and getting the public aware of what's happening and maybe even to change public sentiment, but not to just absolutely stop something."

Harkin noted with interest that his original legislation was cosponsored by Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., who has been threatening to filibuster the legislation. According to www.filibusted.us, a Web site that tracks how lawmakers vote on closing debate to avoid a filibuster, Harkin -- a member of the majority party now -- has voted to end debate 32 of 34 times, rather than filibuster. It said further he consistently votes to end filibusters.

"I did a lot of research on this back in the '90s, and it turned out the filibuster is just a Senate rule, not the Constitution or anything like that," Harkin said. "The reason, as best as I can ascertain it from historians that I talked to, Senate historians, was that it came into being when the Senate ... would meet and they would pass a bill before other senators could get there."

I am forced to remind you all that the dems used the filibuster often earlier this decade.

he isn't trying to amend the constitution

that institution are bound to be disappointed. I'm afraid you are going to be disappointed. In fact, I'm quite sure of it.

What you are suggesting is tantamount to the Senators cutting their own pay by half and giving up their health care plan. What do you suppose the odds of that happening might be?

And as Randi Rhodes noted yesterday, if Lieberman squawks about this, point out how he himself co-authored and earlier attempt to pass this sort of bill many years back with Harkin, and basically use his words to indict himself as a senator that's not doing his job and working against the interests of the American people!