The Filibuster Needs Reform

by ὤTṻnde΄ӂ Posted 2012/05/15 22:07:14

Related Topics: Votes, Filibuster, Senator, Debate, Vote, Voting

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	The filibuster needs to be reformed...	5 votes	100%
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One simple reform to correct the need of forcing 60 votes is to change the standard of the filibuster to the proportion of who are present and voting, then the majority, if it had a quorum of fifty and there were only a few minority members on the floor, could prevail on a cloture vote with as few as 30 members (three-fifths of 50 senators makes a quorum.)

One simple reform to correct the problem and force the minority to keep its members in or near the chamber when it conducts a full-fledged filibuster would be to change the cloture bar to three-fifths of those present and voting. A better and stronger reform would be require forty-one votes to continue the debate, not sixty votes to end the debate putting the burden squarely on the minority where it belongs.

(Excerpted from It's Even Worse Than It Looks)

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CAROLYN NTARWNJBS 2012/05/16 00:40:58

The filibuster needs to be reformed...

I think we should be able to see who is blocking the vote and why.

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ETpro 2012/05/15 23:49:03 (edited)

The filibuster needs to be reformed...

+2
Go back to making the party running a filibuster stay on the floor reading the New York Telephone Directory or the ICANN list of registered domain names. Let the public see who is being a roadblock and explain why.

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ὤTṻnde΄ӂ to ETpro 2012/05/16 00:11:59

I definitely think they need to be exposed and forced to talk and talk and talk and have CSPAN cover it.

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EdVenture 2012/05/15 22:21:04

The filibuster needs to be reformed...

+1
If the public sentiment majority wishes or favors a bill, the fillabuster rule should not apply.

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ken 2012/05/15 22:12:35

The filibuster needs to be reformed...

But be careful what you wish for. Democrats won't be in power forever. In fact, they may be out of power as soon as January 2013. The same goes for a line-item veto. Neither side is likely to vote for that.

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ὤTṻnde΄ӂ to ken 2012/05/15 22:38:00

I'm not worried. I know if would affect both. Regardless, it won't be a routine method for obstruction.

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