Go, Harry, go! Filibuster reform? Let's hope.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011 at 19:55 “In the entire 19th century, the Senate saw fewer than, 12, a dozen filibusters. Now we see that many in a single month…Rather than offer amendments to improve legislation or compromise for the greater good — as members of this body have done for generations — the current minority has offered amendments simply to waste time, to delay us from proceeding to a bill or to score political points. The American people love government but they don’t like too much politics in government.
These rules are central to the Senate, but they are not sacrosanct. Senate procedures and rules have changed since the Senate was founded at the beginning of this century. Those decisions have never been made without great deliberation, and no future change should be made any differently…
Here’s the bottom line: We may not agree yet on how to fix the problem - but no one can credibly claim problems don’t exist. No one who has watched this body operate since the current minority took office can say it functions just fine. That wouldn’t be true, it would be dishonest. No one can deny that the filibuster has been used for purely political reasons — reasons far beyond those for which this protection was invented and intended.”
Sen. Harry Reid, D-NV
Let’s hope he find the spine - and the support in his own party - to make this a reality.
Gawd knows, we need it.
-maven
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