Thurmond Holds Record: Filibustered 24 hours against Civil Rights Act

[Q]

- Putting the Filibuster in context:

Filibuster and Cloture

Using the filibuster to delay debate or block legislation has a long history. In the United States, the term filibuster -- from a Dutch word meaning "pirate" -- became popular in the 1850s when it was applied to efforts to hold the Senate floor in order to prevent action on a bill.

In the early years of Congress, representatives as well as senators could use the filibuster technique. As the House grew in numbers, however, it was necessary to revise House rules to limit debate. In the smaller Senate, unlimited debate continued since senators believed any member should have the right to speak as long as necessary.

In 1841, when the Democratic minority hoped to block a bank bill promoted by Henry Clay, Clay threatened to change Senate rules to allow the majority to close debate. Thomas Hart Benton angrily rebuked his colleague, accusing Clay of trying to stifle the Senate's right to unlimited debate. Unlimited debate remained in place in the Senate until 1917. At that time, at the suggestion of President Woodrow Wilson, the Senate adopted a rule (Rule 22) that allowed the Senate to end a debate with a two-thirds majority vote -- a tactic known as "cloture."

The new Senate rule was put to the test in 1919, when the Senate invoked cloture to end a filibuster against the Treaty of Versailles. Despite the new cloture rule, however, filibusters continued to be an effective means to block legislation, due in part to the fact that a two-thirds majority vote is difficult to obtain. Over the next several decades, the Senate tried numerous times to evoke cloture, but failed to gain the necessary two-thirds vote. Filibusters were particularly useful to southern senators blocking civil rights legislation in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1975, the Senate reduced the number of votes required for cloture from two-thirds (67) to three-fifths (60) of the 100-member Senate.

Many Americans are familiar with the hours-long filibuster of Senator Jefferson Smith in Frank Capra's film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, but there have been some famous filibusters in the real-life Senate as well. During the 1930s, Senator Huey P. Long effectively used the filibuster against bills that he thought favored the rich over the poor. The Louisiana senator frustrated his colleagues while entertaining spectators with his recitations of Shakespeare and his reading of recipes for "pot-likkers." Long once held the Senate floor for fifteen hours. The record for the longest individual speech goes to South Carolina's J. Strom Thurmond who filibustered for 24 hours and 18 minutes against the Civil Rights Act of 1957.

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1. 168 to 4

The republicans really have an argument don't they?

[Q]

2. They don't want to talk about the 168 that have been confirmed...

...so they have to concentrate on the 4 they really need to stack the courts.

- This is stunning hypocrisy. When the GOP took control of our government they got rid of the 'blue slip' tactics they used against Clinton nominees. That's where ONE senator could put a nominee on permanent hold simply by objecting (in secret).

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5. I hate it when the media

does'nt report the hypocrisy. They downplay the story, sometimes referring to it as a political spat. Why does'nt one of the major networks lay out and explain what is going on? All that would be necessary is the facts and I think most American people would understand.

[loudnclear]

3. Call the Dem office and give your support also call Hannity and Rush show

NEVER GIVE UP!

[Q]

4. Bottom line is that Senators have the right to Filibuster

...on any issue they want. It's an especially useful 'tool' for a minority responding to a majority demanding that they rubberstamp their agenda.