End the Hastert Rule; Filibuster Reform

[earthside]

The two most important things that ought to be advocated for and done is to bring genuine democrat majority rule to the U.S. House and Senate.

This 'tyranny of the minority' that has developed in both houses of Congress is at the root of all these crises.

Demand an end to the so-called 'Hastert Rule' in the House and get real filibuster reform in the Senate and we will start to get the federal government's economic house in order.

Otherwise, no matter how well intentioned are the congressional Democrats and the President, we will be seeing this kind of chaos and fighting every 90 days or so.

[ruffburr]

1. Start a petition

[CurtEastPoint]

2. And while we're on it... get the f'ing money out of races! Easier said than done...

but it is THE cause of all the problems.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. Dennis Hastert agrees with you

I am deadly serious

[scheming daemons]

4. Hastert Rule isn't a real rule. It is something GOP does.

You can't get rid of a rule that doesn't exist.

[DonViejo]

5. Hastert said there's no such thing as the "Hastert Rule"

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/10/03/denny-hastert-disses-the-hastert-rule-it-never-really-existed.html

[Skinner]

6. The Hastert rule is not a rule.

It's just the way Republicans prefer to operate in the House. But it is not a rule and they are not bound by it. Boehner has broken the Hastert rule before, and he'll probably do so today.

[Tx4obama]

7. The Hastert Rule is not a real rule. It is just a 'principle' that Boehner uses to judge if he...

... will bring a bill to the House floor or not.

Hastert Rule history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hastert_rule

The Hastert Rule, also known as the "majority of the majority" rule, is an informal governing principle used by Republican Speakers of the House of Representatives since the mid-1990s to maintain their speakerships[1] and limit the power of the minority party to bring bills up for a vote on the floor of the House. ....

[zbdent]

8. Is the Hastert Rule where all they have to do to "filibuster" is file anonymously?

Make ALL filibusters (Dem, Rep, I) where you have to keep talking, no breaks.

[davidpdx]

9. The filibuster reform

that actual one that Senator Merkley and Senator Udell proposed failed because of 7 spinless Ds.

[MSMITH33156]

10. First of all

The Hastert Rule isn't actually a rule, it's more of a policy. Nancy Pelosi ignored it frequently. There is nothing to really to do there. And the reason this got blocked was because a majority party allowed a minority in their own party to set the policy for their entire party. So it is a bit unfair to say the Hastert Rule allows for tyranny of the minority, because it is really tyranny of the majority.

As for filibustering, sure we could use some reform there, perhaps limiting its scope. I wouldn't get rid of it entirely though.