GOP warns Reid of shutdown if he tries to change filibuster rules
Here’s what Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is considering: banning filibusters used to prevent debate from even starting and House-Senate conference committees from ever meeting. He also may make filibusters become actual filibusters — to force senators to carry out the nonstop, talkathon sessions.
Republicans are threatening even greater retaliation if Reid uses a move rarely used by Senate majorities: changing the chamber’s precedent by 51 votes, rather than the usual 67 votes it takes to overhaul the rules.
“I think the backlash will be severe,” Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), the conservative firebrand, said sternly. “If you take away minority rights, which is what you’re doing because you’re an ineffective leader, you’ll destroy the place. And if you destroy the place, we’ll do what we have to do to fight back.”
“It will shut down the Senate,” the incoming Senate GOP whip, Texas Sen. John Cornyn, told POLITICO. “It’s such an abuse of power.”
The push will happen at the start of the new Congress, when Reid will unveil a rules package certain to have some changes to the filibuster.
Blowback
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as if.
ctmom on November 26, 2012 at 11:51 AM
I will believe it when I see it! I hope the r’s do it, but who knows?
L
letget on November 26, 2012 at 11:52 AM
And in 2 years, when Dingy Harry has his 60, he’ll “graciously” put the filibuster back.
Steve Eggleston on November 26, 2012 at 11:54 AM
I actually support this one.
SAZMD on November 26, 2012 at 11:54 AM
Will the gop reciprocate once they are in the majority again
cmsinaz on November 26, 2012 at 11:55 AM
The next logical step is to eliminate the Senate. If the Senate is only a House with longer terms, why bother to have it?
Furthermore, the Senate has become a home for big government lovers. Dump all of them and return to real federalism
iconoclast on November 26, 2012 at 11:55 AM
May Reid, McCain and a few others be joined soon, in the creche, in diapers/Depends.
Schadenfreude on November 26, 2012 at 11:58 AM
Coburn is a “firebrand?” Politico is such a rag.
besser tot als rot on November 26, 2012 at 12:01 PM
Same here…I think a filibuster should be exactly that.
But everything else, don’t give in…
right2bright on November 26, 2012 at 12:02 PM
Before anything else from the Senate…the Republican’s should try to pass a bill (and make it a big story) to demand that the Senate pass a budget…
Every Republican Senator, and congressman, should start every comment with…”First we need to pass a budget”, and hammer them constantly with that one, don’t let up…every single comment to any MSM, be relentless.
right2bright on November 26, 2012 at 12:04 PM
Who cares? Obama doesn’t bother with Congress anymore, anyway.
The Rogue Tomato on November 26, 2012 at 12:06 PM
They’ll fold.
CurtZHP on November 26, 2012 at 12:10 PM
PLEASE shut it down! That would be the best thing for America. In order for the American people to thrive the government needs to go into severe recession. It is us or them, the America people verses the crooked elites who destroyed America in ’08, and prior years/decades, and have only been hanging on to power since ’08 by printing money like it grows on trees and enslaving future generations to profligate, unpayable debt.
FloatingRock on November 26, 2012 at 12:12 PM
Filibuster the rule changes.
Have everything read into the record, each and every bill and amendment.
Force every procedural motion to go through a full vote.
Object to everything and require full presentations.
Those last need to be done on the House side, as well.
It only takes one or two Congresscritters in both Houses to become the PITA members forcing everything to be done the right way without ANY unanimous consents to ANYTHING. Stall the works, gum them, up make everyone have to show all their work at all times and be prepared to be hated, viscerally, by your colleagues.
They will loathe you.
They will hate you.
But as long as you keep to the rules, they can’t very well deny you a seat.
All of this makes the ‘Christmas sessions’ last for days, if not weeks or months… no more in the dead of night bills since they must be read out, often for hours.
I actually want to see this happen.
You get smaller, compact bills, and less busy-body stuff since that all begins to take up valuable time.
Just a few Congresscritters willing to show up everyday, object to everything and be totally A-R to a fault. Is that so much to ask for?
ajacksonian on November 26, 2012 at 12:15 PM
And the difference will be what exactly?
Droopy on November 26, 2012 at 12:20 PM
Mighty tuff talk for wussies. We’ll have to see how quickly they fold when the Dems start spinning this to the public. The GOP will slide right back into the go along to get good pr mode – even though it never works.
katiejane on November 26, 2012 at 12:20 PM
Watch out Reid, expect a firmly worded message from the Republican’s…
right2bright on November 26, 2012 at 12:21 PM
Wait a minute, this may have some good points…
right2bright on November 26, 2012 at 12:22 PM
If nothing else, I look forward to reading the posts by our resident (D)s lamenting this action and detailing how, if we have learned nothing else from the civil rights and gay marriage movements, as well as the plight of our nation’s poor and millions of undocumented immigrants, we have learned the crucial importance of recognizing, respecting, and giving value to the minority voice in any situation.
Why, I bet there will be three to five relevant posts submitted just in the time it takes me to finish this prediction.
rogerb on November 26, 2012 at 12:23 PM
Dumb move. Sooner or later, the pubs are gonna take the senate. And when that happens, its gonna bite Reid in the a**. (oops sorry, that ain’t a good visual, is it?)
tommy71 on November 26, 2012 at 12:32 PM
STOP, or I’ll say STOP again!
ToddPA on November 26, 2012 at 12:33 PM
To the tune of the Internationale: It is the only way back to the glorious legislative achievements of 2008-2010, Comrades.
Forward!
CorporatePiggy on November 26, 2012 at 12:38 PM
ATTENTION ALL HOTAIR POSTERS:
Jamie Foxx has spoken:
Obama, our LORD AND SAVIOR.
ToddPA on November 26, 2012 at 12:42 PM
Oh, but we can allow the entire gubmint to be dysfunctional by letting 3-1/2 years pass without passing a budget and we can allow the Senate to be dysfunctional by having a dysfunctional jacka$$ as the majority leader.
SHUT IT DOWN!
stukinIL4now on November 26, 2012 at 12:43 PM
If they vote to make filibusters become actual filibusters I’d love it. C-Span’s ratings would go up. As far as the budget goes; if the Bush tax decreases were temporary so should the Obama tax increases. They should expire at every budget deadline. The president misses his budget deadline bye bye tax increase. The house and senate don’t pass a budget by the April 15 required date, bye bye tax increase. Same for the 12 appropriation bills.
meci on November 26, 2012 at 12:44 PM
Remember when filibusters were a good thing? It wasn’t too long ago. Just as recently as 2006 I do believe.
ButterflyDragon on November 26, 2012 at 12:47 PM
What the hell, this will backfire if Reid shoves it through. Does he really think he has 51 votes to raise taxes, or spend more, or any other liberal priorities? There are 8 incumbent Democrats from red/purple states up for reelection in 2014.
And if he gets rid of the filibuster he can’t blame Republicans for stopping anything. He will get to herd the cats in his own party and get the full blame when he can’t get anything passed.
And when Republicans take the Senate in 2014 they can keep the rules and pass everything we want, and make Obama spend his last two years vetoing everything.
rockmom on November 26, 2012 at 1:10 PM
Okay, that last hour must have been some sort of strange fluke. Probably their internet connections all went down simultaneously.
I’m sure they’re going to remind us of the immeasurable value of minority voices any minute now, though.
rogerb on November 26, 2012 at 1:27 PM
I supported scrapping the modern filibuster when Democrats were using it against Bush and I support scrapping it now when Republicans are using it against Obama. Yeah, I actually agree with Harry Reid. Today. And disagree with Harry Red of, oh, 6 years ago.
Take the filibuster back to something that only applies to actual debates and votes on legislation, not something that can stop measures from even being considered, or going to committee, or whatever. And not something that can apply to judicial and other nominations. And even when it can be used, require it to be a real filibuster where you have to hold the floor. Not a simple procedural move.
Oh, and repeal the 17th amendment while you’re at it.
Yes, the Senate is supposed to be a more deliberative body than the House. But not by virtue of rules that allow Senators to gum up the works and skirt their constitutional duties by way of procedural maneuvers. By virtue of the fact that the Senate has far less members who serve longer terms and are not directly selected by the electorate, but by the state legislatures.
Shump on November 26, 2012 at 1:46 PM