Pat Oliphant for January 26, 2010

Well I guess the GOP had nothing to do with blocking everything, and now that they have enough seats in the Senate to Filbuster everything and anything they wont do that because, as they use to say, it’s Unamerican. Last year they invoked the filbuster 112 times, imagine what they will do this year.

So, as the GOP always says, it’s all Obama’s fault, and we should just give up and let the GOP back in - Bush Sr.has anouther son we can aways vote for.

wow … strong toon from Oliphant

Ken, you really can beat a dead horse, you know that? “Don’t liken him to no common folk” is well said. Even J. Meacham on Charlie Rose said Obama “needed a heart”.

Ken, it seems to me that Obama is a great orator but not a great leader.

I apologize if I said that previously; I know I did, but I can’t remember where. AARP moment.

ANN - I agree, but the GOP is still the reason so little is getting done, and even if he isn’t a strong leader that is no reason to let the GOP back into power.

He’s not an American…

anna, I don’t think he’s been a great leader this year. I’m willing to give him another year.

Bush was a TEXAN which is about as Anti-American as you can get.

Don’t forget they have the right to leave the Country if they don’t like what we are doing.

Ken, How could the republicans invoke a filibuster 112 times last year, when the democratic had a filibuster proof majority of 61 votes?

Also, it’s not “un-American” the US Constitution in section one, purposely sets up the Legislative branch in two houses, with separate rules, to slow down the legislative process.

WOW!!! Is RIGHT!!!

a pox on both their houses (as granpa useta say)l

wjlott, a few corrections:

First: Democrats haven’t had 61 seats in the Senate for decades now, and they’ve only had 58 during this class (with 2 Independents nominally caucusing with them).

Second: The filibuster appears nowhere in the US Constitution. Rather, it specifies that the Senate may lay out its own rules.

Third: No informed person believes that the Founders ever intended that 60 votes would be required to pass any legislation in the Senate. Whether it is “American” or not, it certainly flies in the face of the principles of democratic republicanism, the very principles that the Constitution is meant to uphold.

@ Ken: “ANN - I agree, but the GOP is still the reason so little is getting done, and even if he isn’t a strong leader that is no reason to let the GOP back into power.”

Then who should be back in power? Socialist Bernie Sanders, the Blue Dogs, Mods, Independents (they go both ways in Massachussets, much like their sexual predilections)? The problem is that Obama is now working with a Congress of Democrats that do not share his potential to transcend the party politic and care only for their own skins and seats in November. Much like Reagan, whom Obama admires, I’m sure the President finds himself saying, “Do you ever feel like things are getting away from you?”

Strong leader? I want Putin or Chavez. At least they’re proactive, as Cincinnatus was.

The problem with those two is that the second you say something bad about them they’ll arrest you and put you in gulag custody.

Hee hee, wonder who’s gonna fly off the handle tonight at the SOTU? (à la the aforementioned Joe Wilson)

got front row seats!

Ken Warren said, about 18 hours ago

Well I guess the GOP had nothing to do with blocking everything, you are correct for once

He’s Kenyan by birth and Indonesian by vocation.

good one Pat!

This is long, so feel free to skip it. It’s intended for those who will be sympathetic – all others can ignore it. When I say it’s for the sympathetic, I don’t mean that it should not be criticized. But I hope the criticisms will be positive.

Here’s what worries me. Over the past five hundred years or so there has been a pretty steady increase in creating the conditions for the good life for an increasing proportion of the population – at least in some parts of the world. In other messages I’ve gone through the list, and I don’t want to repeat unnecessarily – but just for example, the abolition of slavery in most of the world, the recognition in many parts of the world that women should be considered equal citizens, and so on. These have been coupled with certain technological advances – indeed, probably some of the social advances would not have been possible without the technological advances. There has been resistance at every stage, but there has also been progress. Some of the progress has been mixed – for instance, the technological progress has created new problems. Western imperialism was also a mixed blessing, or perhaps a mixed curse. Nonetheless, overall I would argue that over the last five hundred years or so there has been an increase in the conditions for the good life.

But I am worried that we are losing any sense of a continuing progressive project and progressive agenda. The forces of negativity are very strong right now, and those of us who look to this progressive tradition need to keep our eyes on the prize, our hands on the plow. Obama is not the issue. I like Obama and I wish him well. I hope he learns more about how to get things done. But he is only one person, and no single person, not even a president, can do this job. All progressives need to work together. Don’t get distracted by silly arguments over trivialities. Try to build and maintain an idea of where we need to go and what we need to do. Keep the goal in mind and keep it simple. Sorry for the sermon, but I’m in a bad mood.

Tpenna

Thanks dude/dudet!

I’ll concede point one. That was miscounting by one on my part as I was counting the two Senators who caucus with the Democrats. However 60 is necessary for cloture.

Point two: And the Senate requires 60 votes except for reconciliation. That is a rule per the constitution.

Point three: Read the Federalist Papers. The Senate was to be the cooling saucer of the legislative process. The rule they established to meet that end was 60 vote supermajority for cloture. Of course at that time the Senate represented the individual state legislatures not the people (17th amendment changed that). Democrats don’t like it when the Republicans have the majority and the Republicans don’t like it when the Democrats have the majority.

Point four – I love these forums!

Under current Senate rules all the Minority Party has to do is inform the Head of the Senate that they, or one of their members, is going to Filbuster the bill or matter under discussion and then the Leader of the Senate has to call for a vote to overturn the Filbuster, if the require 61 votes can’t be mustered, or the Leader of the Senate already knows that Filbuster wont be overturned, the Filbuster stays in effect (no one has to stand there talking) and the bill or issue cannot be discussed or go forward until Filbuster is over turned, so what usually happens is the Republicans say they are going to Filbuster. If the Filbuster goes ahead then everything in the Senate comes to halt until the Senate has the votes to overturn the Filbuster, so what usually happens is the Democrats just postpone or the matter at hand or drop the issue.

^^fennec, I find your freeze-dried, antiseptic, milquetoast, pro-secular, anti-Truth mindset to be nauseatingly repetitive, off-the-mark, and anterior-retrograde oriented(bassackwards). Thank you.

^ Oh, it’s the pup who claims to have no fear but consistently changes online identities to disorient his interlocutors again. I agree with you, fennec. This particular incarnation is even more degenerate than usual. You’d think by now he would have at least recognized that his association with the birthers makes his arguments even less notable to intelligent people.

wjlott wrote: and the Senate requires 60 votes except for reconciliation. That is a rule per the constitution.

No, that’s not correct. A super-majority vote is only required when Senators notify leadership they intend to filibuster. tpenna is correct, the constitution doesn’t mention filibusters. (Unfortunately, the Senato now allows filibusters without actually have to filibuster by talking.)

visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloture

for a chart that display the incredible increase in filibusters in recent years.