Weekend Open Thread
Welcome to your weekend open thread. Oh glorious winter! I hear we’re going to get snow tomorrw but hopefully not the kind of snow we got in February. What’s on your mind?
Yesterday Bernie Sanders electrified the political world by doing an old-fashioned filibuster. Except it wasn’t an actual filibuster – it was a floor speech since the Senate had no scheduled business. Brian Beutler at TPM has a short explanation of the filibuster and why we can’t force them to read the phonebook.
So here’s the medium length answer. A long time ago, a change to the Senate rules created a loophole, which allowed Senators to drone on and on endlessly and run out the clock on legislation. They could read from the phone book, or from the bible, or rant in paranoid fashion about how some day there would be a black president, and he would try to raise taxes on rich people. Whatever.
It looked a lot like what Bernie Sanders is doing today.
But when Senators began to abuse the rule, the Senate created another rule to allow a supermajority of members to vote to cut off debate. That’s what happens in the current era when the Senate invokes “cloture,” and what will almost certainly happen with the tax cut debate.
The consequence of that change was pernicious, though. It meant that a minority of senators could very passively block legislation, simply by saying they’d vote against cloture. That’s what happened with health care reform. The “filibuster” of health care reform was, in essence, the several weeks between when Harry Reid introduced the bill, and when he finally secured his 60th vote.
But in the meantime, you didn’t see Republicans boldly and tirelessly hold the floor to prevent passage. They just made it clear that they’d never vote “yes”.
A filibuster now is a stated intention not to allow a bill to be brought to the floor. Once this happens a supermajority of 60 votes must vote to allow debate. The burden is actually on the majority to have 60 votes – not just 2/3. In the current rules there is no way to force the minority to hold the floor. That’s why Senate reform is so critical. There is an opportunity to change the rules on January 5 and there are several good proposals out there. These reforms do not remove the filibuster, they simply curtail its abuse.
BTW, Politifact rated Sanders claims from his speech “True.” We already knew about the issues of income inequality, but if you need a refresher please look back at this series by Tim Noah of Slate, “The United States of Inequality.”
This news was lost among all the other political drama yesterday but Richard Holbrooke is in critical condition following a medical emergency yesterday. Apparently the emergency occurred when he was in a meeting with Secretary Clinton.
The State Department says Richard Holbrooke, the president’s special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, is in critical condition at a Washington hospital after surgery to repair a tear in his aorta.
Department spokesman P.J. Crowley says the surgery at George Washington University Hospital was completed Saturday morning on the 69-year-old Holbrooke and that his family is with him.
A hole in the aorta is very, very serious. The next day is probably critical but the fact that he’s still alive is a hopeful sign. Get well soon, Amb. Holbrooke.
Tags: Open Thread
The roots of republicanism, circa 1971:
“The emigration of Jews from the Soviet Union is not an objective of American foreign policy,” Kissinger said. “And if they put Jews into gas chambers in the Soviet Union, it is not an American concern. Maybe a humanitarian concern.”
“I know,” Nixon replied. “We can’t blow up the world because of it.”
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/12/depth-of-nixons-racial-prejudices-exposed-in-audio-recordings/
Minneapolis Metrodome collapses, blames Senate.
UI, You know what else is pernicious? A dearth of leadership.
Israel attacked for arrests of hundreds of children
“Some as young as twelve subjected to “rough and abusive interrogation.”
9.8% official, 20% real US unemployment so …..
“House Approves Major Increase in Israeli Military Aid”
“3,000,000,000 shall be available for grants only for Israel”
If you’re a US citizen, you get 99 weeks max unemployment assistance. If you’re Israel, US aid is forever.
“Some as young as twelve subjected to “rough and abusive interrogation.”
I have a distant relative who, when he was young teen, was hanging out with some friends and was brought to the hospital unconscious and reeking of alcohol. Nobody would say what else he had swallowed.
His older sister’s fiancee, fresh out of basic training, took one of the other boys into the mens room while the father stood guard. Three minutes later they came out with the answer.
When life is on the line, you do what you have to do.
fiancé
Ron Williams made note of the creeping American police state in Wilmington in the NJ today:
“Misrepresentation of police dog shooting damages cops’ credibility”
No kidding.
“Although we stated [that Weit shot the dog] in the original news release, the information was not definitive.” When asked by a News Journal reporter about it, Cpl. Trinidad Navarro clarified his position. He was quoted as saying: “We believe that Weit shot Diablo. But because of the gunfight, we can’t say with certainty that the dog wasn’t shot in the crossfire.” Remember, Weit’s gun wasn’t fired.”
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20101212/OPINION05/12120313/Misrepresentation-of-police-dog-shooting-damages-cops-credibility
When you are being attacked by a police dog or a police taser, you are in a fight for your life, a fight that you need to be prepared to win. If you survive the police encounter, you can deal with your legal problems later.
And asshole1 demonstrates that he can’t even read what is put in front of him. Your *creeping police state* is being implemented by the NCCo PD, not Wilmington in today’s article.
Comment by anon @ 1:16 pm:
“Some as young as twelve subjected to “rough and abusive interrogation.”
I have a distant relative who, when he was young teen, was hanging out with some friends and was brought to the hospital unconscious and reeking of alcohol. Nobody would say what else he had swallowed.
His older sister’s fiancee, fresh out of basic training, took one of the other boys into the mens room while the father stood guard. Three minutes later they came out with the answer.
When life is on the line, you do what you have to do.
Oh yeah, the big bad palestinian 12-year old puts the poor little Israeli army’s life on the line. Gimme a f****g break.
Quote Of The Year: “I’m not a witch.”
The rest of the Top Ten list is good too. Christine is also #9 with: “You’re telling me that the separation of church and state is found in the First Amendment?”
The Westboro Rat Bastards are coming to Philly on the 20th to protest a a couple of Catholic schools.
If I’m here on that day, I may run up to join the counter protest.