Obama backs Reid on filibuster reform

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's effort to reform the filibuster received an assist today from the White House, which released a statement indicating that President Obama stands squarely behind Reid's effort.

"The President has said many times that the American people are demanding action," read the statement from White House Director of Communications Dan Pfeiffer. "They want to see progress, not partisan delay games. That hasn't changed, and the President supports Majority Leader Reid's efforts to reform the filibuster process."

The filibuster is a Senate procedural rule that allows a single senator to indefinitely uphold a debate unless there are 60 senators who want to stop him. Filibusters are stopped with a cloture vote, which has become increasingly common.

Reid's proposed reforms would not do away with the filibuster entirely - rather, he would eliminate the use of the filibuster on the vote to formally begin consideration of legislation and require filibustering senators to actually hold the chamber in audience rather than just threatening to do so, as is the case today.

In 2005 -- when Republicans, not Democrats, controlled the Senate -- the parties were on the opposite side of the debate.

"Everyone in this chamber knows if the majority chooses to end the filibuster... the fighting and the bitterness and the gridlock will only get worse," then-Sen. Obama said on the Senate floor in 2005.

Meanwhile, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, the Washington Post points out, wanted to eliminate the ability to filibuster judicial nominees in 2005. "Even if one strongly disagrees with a nomination, the proper course of action is not to obstruct a potential judge through the filibuster but to vote against him or her," he said at the time.

[Freepress1111]

The idea that someone should have unlimited time to make their case is ridiculous. Where else in society does that exist? Not in any courtroom or workplace that I'm aware of. Allowing that institutionalizes dysfunction. Each Senator should receive a very reasonable amount of time to speak before a vote, and if someone wants more time it should have to be approved by a simple majority, as the Constitution says the Senate was designed to operate.

[WHAT-IS-HE-SMOKING]

Stop using facts on republicans, it only confuses them.

[tsigili]

Of course he does. He WANTS to become a socialist dictator, and everything he does, is going in that direction. There is a strong possibility, that the midterms, will be the last genuine election in this country.

[sjc_1]

According to the Senate Historian's Office, the number of "cloture petitions" a procedural step that sets up a vote to end a filibuster was 68 in the two-year session of Congress running from 2005 to 2006, the last time Democrats were in the minority.

But that number has exceeded 100 for each of the past three two-year sessions, all of which have seen Republicans in the minority, peaking at 139 in the 2007-2008 session.


Senate Action on Cloture Motions
Congress Years Motions Filed Votes on Cloture Cloture Invoked
112 2011-2012 110 70 38
111 2009-2010 137 91 63
110 2007-2008 139 112 61
109 2005-2006 68 54 34
108 2003-2004 62 49 12

[hdc77494]

Expert on minority rights thinks we should curtail the rights of the minority party in Congress. What will they say when dems are in the minority?

[RollotheNorman]

NC,VA,FL,GA,AZ,TX are all expected to become bluer over the next two Senate cycles. Moderates like Snow are an endangered species. I'm not too worried about the long term prospects of Dems in the Senate.

[ICanReadBigWords]

Obama hypocrisy continues......let see
Opposed raising debt ceiling in 2006, now supports endless raising of debt ceiling.
Supported re-importation of pharmaceuticals as Senator then made deal with Big PHARMA opposing this position.
Opposed Patriot Act as Senator but then argues to expand use of warrant-less GPS tracking by authorities.
I could write this stuff for hours....but does not matter to the mindless sheep.

[sjc_1]

More than 200 Senate filibusters from Republicans is NOT democracy. It is obstruction by the minority.

[ICanReadBigWords]

Really.....please provide at least 10 specific examples of these 200 filibusters you mention....which by the way is different than threatening a filibuster.

Remember the Repugs threatened the same move in the mid 2005, which they labeled as the nuclear option, which Democrats said was outrageous at the time. It becomes more and more apparent that policy is not the concern but rather which party is in power.

[ManOfSteel-Velvet]

@ICanReadBigWords Before challenging a liberal, make sure you have the answer. Your comment betrays you by telling us you don't have a clue.

A) From January 3, 2009 through December 22, 2010, 137 cloture motions were filed to stop Senate Republican filibusters. 91 of them were actually voted on.

B) From January 5,2011 through November 21, 2012, 110 cloture motions have been filed against Senate Republican filibusters. 70 of those were actually voted on.

Here is the list of the 10 recent legislation that were filibustered by Senate Republicans that were successfully overturned with cloture by 60+ votes. This list doesn't include those filibusters that were voted to overturn but failed.

1) Nov 13 S.3525 Sportsmen's Act of 2012

2) Sep 20 S.3525 Sportsmen's Act of 2012 motion to proceed

3) Sep 20 H.J.Res.117 Continuing Appropriations Resolution

4) Sep 19 H.J.Res.117 Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2013 motion to proceed

5) Aug 2 S.3457 Veterans Jobs Corps Act motion to proceed

6) Jul 25 S.3414 Cybersecurity Act of 2012 motion to proceed

7) Jun 29 S.2237 Small Business Jobs and Tax Relief Act motion to proceed

8) Jun 21 S.3187 Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act motion to concur in the House amendment

9) Jun 20 S.1940 Flood Insurance Reform and Modernization Act
motion to proceed

10) Jun 7 PN1104 Nominee Andrew David Hurwitz

11) Jun 5 S.3240 Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act of 2012
motion to proceed

[karangell]

Long over due! A single person should not have the power to hold up action as we have seen in the last Congress.

[me_nz]

About time. America is a democarcy right? Then why on earth should a minority i.e. 41% get to block the will of the majority. It makes no sense at all.

[omnibus66]

Indvfreedomliberal:

Actually it allows the minority to block anything and everything the majority attempts to accomplish. It is the tactic that the pugs have used for Obama's entire term in order to, in their own words, "make him fail". Obstructionism does not lead to compromise, it leads to deadlock. If this country is to climb out of the mess we are in, one of many things absolutely necessary is to change the filibuster rule.

[sjc_1]

More than 200 Republican filibusters in ONE session is NOT democracy. The obstruction by the minority must stop.