Discussion: How Will Dems Use The Filibuster In The Era Of The GOP Controlled Congress?

Mine just said,“whatev’s” and farted a rainbow.

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Durbin, the first thing you don’t do is tell your opposition what you wont do. Leave all methods on the table as a leverage or threat of leverage.

As much as I hate the GOP I have to admire them for sticking together in a tough situation which worked very well against the Democrats.

So why do Democrats insist on giving away the store before its open for business? Perhaps the Democrats are as much on the take as the GOP is. Progressives need to be much more radical and disruptive about this congress because if the US senate is thinking it’s a gentleman’s club moving forward it is about to get tossed. This is a bunch of elitists who view themselves as untouchable.

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The filibuster will only be important for Ds in the next Congress if they’re still in the minority and an R is elected POTUS.

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LibtURds WILL jUSt trY To OBSTtructurate. THE WILL of the PEOPLE. American VOTERS Gave ConGREss a MANDAte to HOLD countLESS votes ON Ohbummercare, DISMANTLE the sociAL safetY net (the sO-caLLED “entitleMENts”), TeaCH LIbtards THE TRUE meanING of the FIRST aMENdment WHICH goD and THE FOUNDers WANTed EVEryone Exposed TO chRISTIANITY everYWHERE in EVERYTHING, an XL PIPEline for every AMErican, REPEAL ohbummerphones, and UNCOver THE BENGHAZI coverUP, HAVE SASSING a coP A hate CRIME, ROLL back GAY terror WEDDINGS, and MAKE OHBummer deCLARE everY ACt of VIOLENCE TERRORISM except if done by whITE or cop!1!!1!!!one!!1!!!

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Yea, Durbin says his party won’t engage in the “gratuitous obstruction and wanton filibustering” that totally obstructed the last congress. Problem is, a huge chunk of the electorate never really paid attention to why the congress got nothing done, only that it didn’t. And if and when Dems are more cooperative and the Repugs can actually pass some bills, the public will just nod and say the Repugs can run things better. On the other hand, Dem voters are more good-government and process types than ideologues and they will be mad at the Dem office holders if Dems resort to the GOP scorched-earth tactics. I’m afraid it’s going to be a lose lose situation for Dems.

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Like I said in another reply, a big reason for this is a huge chuck of Dem voters are good-government democratic-process types who won’t stand for their elected leaders acting like dicks, as the Repugs did. Repug base voters, on the other hand, demand that their elected leaders act like dicks.

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The Democrats should join with Republicans to do away with the filibuster altogether. For the next two years, it won’t make much difference, because of the veto.
The thing is, the Democrats are the ones who believe that the government should be able to govern. Now is the time to enable the Senate to do that. If the Republicans win everything in 2016, they’ll be able to enact their agenda, but at least America will be getting what it voted for, rather than legislative dysfunction.

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Narrow that down to apathetic liberals and I’ll echo your sentiment.

EXACTAMUNDO! Agree to do away with the filibuster and make it tight and let that - their - legislation go up to POTUS for the veto(s). Then when 2016 comes and we take over both Houses and the Presidency, they’ll be fucked. I knew watching all this TV would come in handy one day. Bwhahahaha.

By letting President Obama veto any toxic TeaPublican garbage, Democrats are planning on doing just that, without providing a straw man argument for the GOP by being AS obstructionist as the Republicans have been for the past 6 years.

Not exactly what I had in mind, but OK. My observation is that there is no real cost in just letting everything go to the President, limiting debate to a concise explanation for the TV audience why this particular POS is stupid, who it hurts, etc. Nobody’s asking any Democrat to actually vote for any of it.

So with the skids appropriately greased, sooner or later the Republicans will run out of ideas. My guess is about two days before the SOTU; they’ll run out of bills to pass sometime around March. That will be the interesting part - what to do once you’ve passed everything you wanted to pass (and isn’t it interesting how fast that went? Hmmm…). Gee, they might actually have time to do the budget. Well, a guy can dream.

I call this the Longest Yard strategy. Recall at one point, the offensive line for the inmate team made a big fat hole for the Walking Boss to run through, just so Burt Reynolds could throw the ball at his junk? There you go. The Rose Garden isn’t just for bill signings, if you get my drift. Let the bill pass, then let the President smack it down. That’s plenty good enough.