Let Them Filibuster.

[Yes We Did]

I honestly would love to see the repukes filibuster health care. I would LOVE IT!

...Especially if it's on CSPAN. I said I wanted to witness the official end of the republican party, and it would be great for the end to actually be televised.

It would end one of two ways; we would use our 60 votes to break it and pass REAL change, or we would know exactly which fake dems to vote the fuck out.

PLEASE! Please do it.

[DontTreadOnMe]

1. I agree

and I want it to last at least 5 days straight... every American would remember this for the next 50 years.

[morillon]

2. Those opposed should be forced to filibuster.

And put up or shut up. Some of these guys make pretty bizarre statements on the floor as it is. Can you imagine some of the crazy shit they'd say if they had to fill a few days' time on the floor? Stewart and Colbert and all the rest of the late night comedians would have more material than they could ever possibly use.

[comtec]

3. They need to change the rules of a filibuster so that they MUST stand up there

as opposed to the procedural bullshit they do now.
Want to hold up congress and progress... then FUCKING STAND UP THERE FOR 99 HOURS STRAIGHT!

[Yes We Did]

15. EXACTLY!

That's the way it's supposed to be.

[falcon97]

4. I agree. And it would be interesting to see

which Democrats support the filibuster. If all 60 Dems don't vote to invoke cloture then they're not with us in the first place. They may not vote for the bill, but Democrats with a President from their own party, should allow up or down passage of health care with a public option.

[Chisox08]

5. I agree

We all ready know that not one single Repuke will ever vote for any "Health Care" bill no matter how many times the Dems cave in to them. Scrap all plans that gave in to the Repukes and put single payer health care up for a vote. Make them filibuster I want the cots rolled out. I want to see the Repukes read the bible cover to cover, maybe they might pick up on something in there. I want to see the phone book read. Make them filibuster and get on the TV and tell the American people that they are trying to save American lives while the Repukes are playing political games with thier lives.

[onenote]

7. but that isn't how it would happen.

There won't be any bible or phone book reading. The repubs would stand and read the various health care bills -- long, complicated pieces of legislation; they would read from "think tank reports" bought and paid for by the opponents of health care reform;they would introduce amendment after amendment; they would use quorum calls to force the Democrats to be present on the floor. The bottom line -- the Senate would grind to a halt. No hearings, no meetings with constituents, no anything. And the media would portray this as the Democrats fault since it will be presented that the Democratic leadership could've avoided this by using the more common (today) cloture process, which is the process the repubs used when they were in the majority and was the process used by the Democrats were stopping drilling at ANWR and the same sex marriage ban and other bills and nominations.

That is how, I'm afraid, a "real" filibuster would play out -- the media would turn the repubs into Jimmy Stewart's/Mr Smith's and Reid and the Democrats into the unrelenting, uncompromising ones.

The reason "real filibusters" aren't used anymore is that they were usually successful. You can look it up. The breaking of the filibuster of the 1964 Civil Rights Act -- a "real" filibuster -- was the first time that a filibuster was broken in five decades. It was after that the decision was made to change the way things were done and to use the current approach (although the number of votes needed for cloture has changed).

Not saying it should go this way, just that it almost certainly would

[Better Believe It]

10. I've heard enough lame excuses in defense of the Republicans fake filibusters.

The Republicans can be forced to engage in a real "on the floor" Senate filibuster. The Democratic majority in the Senate makes the rules on filibusters, not the Republican minority!

[onenote]

12. you can say their lame excuses if you want, but you can't make it untrue

that real filibusters historically succeed and that forcing a "real" filibuster on health care would blow up in the Democrats face given the almost certain media response.

[Better Believe It]

13. Actually just the opposite would happen which has been explained many times on DU

I have to pick up my wife now but if you're interested in reading that position I try and find it for you or I'll just present it in my own words later.

[onenote]

14. i would be interested in seeing that.

Thanks.

[cleveramerican]

6. Re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic

the ship is sinking
I'll take something more dramatic than this.

[rhett o rick]

8. Sounds sooo good, but....just exactly how do you propose to vote out the fakes??

See link: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=6311829

Above is a post I wrote that was pretty much ignored as I am every time i point out that threats to "vote out" incumbents is hollow.

My purpose isn't to attack your post but to get Dems thinking about how to solve this problem.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

9. I don't know how many times this needs to be said, but filibusters don't really work that way.

A filibuster need only be "I suggest the absence of a quorum" and a series of failed cloture votes. Those old school, Jimmy Stewart filibusters? They only happen that way when the person doing the filibustering WANTS to make a public spectacle. You can't force them to do it that way.

[Hippo_Tron]

17. Yea but the Majority Leader can have the Sgt. At Arms escort senators to the chamber

Which basically means that until they stop "suggesting an absence of quorum" nobody is allowed to leave the chamber. And since there are TV cameras around, somebody will probably start talking.

Still the problem with this is the lack of Democratic unity. It sends a bad signal if Democrats are filibustering too.

[Orsino]

11. HOPE they filibuster. n/t

[IndianaGreen]

16. This what you do: the President of the Senate declares the filibuster rule out of order

for its being unconstitutional, then proceed with the vote which only requires a simple majority (except in cases of conviction on impeachment, treaty ratification, and overriding a veto.

If the GOP gets rowdy, have them arrested by Capitol police.

[RepublicanElephant]

18. is this assuming don't-give-'em-hell harry reid would still be majority leader? nt

[ProSense]

19. This was a dumb idea when

James Carville proposed it.

Still is.

[Yes We Did]

20. You are entitled to your opinion.

I just happen to disagree.

[ProSense]

21. I don't totally disagree. If this scenario unfolded:

"It would end one of two ways; we would use our 60 votes to break it and pass REAL change," I'd be all for it. The other scenario is Russian roulette (and more in line with Carville's crazy proposition).

[Yes We Did]

22. Perhaps I needed to make that clear...

My post assumed that's how it would go... and that Reid would grow a set and make them actually "read the bible" or what-have-you...

[nmunderground]

23. I agree