If they want to filibuster, I say, by all means, let them!

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

Reid and the Congessional Dems shouldn't just drop legislation on the THREAT of a filibuster (as they've done in the pass).
If the GOP wants to block national health care, then we should make them do it old school- they need to come in and be prepared to talk endlessly, going on throughout the night.
This isn't the 60s when Ol' Strom could block civil rights bills and all it got was a write-up in the paper.
We have Youtube, 24/7 cable news, c-span, blogs, talk radio and all that.
If the public sees senile old pricks like Mitch "no Lips" McConnell and Orin Hatchling having to make fools of themselves, sleepily improvising their way through endless debate, resorting to old senate tricks like reading from the phone book to run out the clock, it will backfire — BIG TIME.

Every time these reactionaries try to block overdue progress, we should make them back up their threats.

The asinine spectacle will illustrate how evil and out-of-touch they are and will gain us another 8 seats or so.

And failing that, there's always the "nuclear option." Let's see how eager they are to use it to guarantee "upordownvotes" now.

[SeattleGirl]

1. Yep!

Make them pull a "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" filibuster!

I hate it, the way it is now, where just the threat of one can make the opposing side (usually the Dems) drop a law, amendment, etc. like a hot potato! Make the other side WORK for it, if they want a filibuster!

[Lasher]

2. Absolutely!

That would be effective.

[The Traveler]

3. You write my own thoughts

Screw 'em. Take 'em head on.

Trav

[DCBob]

4. I have thought the same thing. Call their bluff.

They will look like idiots.

[ClayZ]

5. K and R

[POAS]

6. Democrats will have one huge advantage

now, Obama and his "bully pulpit". The President has made it clear he wants and expects bi-partisan input into the recovery legislation.

If the Republicans choose to block the legislation he can take his case to the American people and they will put pressure on the obstructionists.

[eShirl]

7. not to mention, the veto power is not on their side anymore, either

We are about to have a whole new ballgame.

:)

[gaspee]

8. And every time they do

Which they won't -- but if they do, Democrats need to get on the airwaves with clips of all those jerks screaming UP OR DOWN VOTE! UP OR DOWN VOTE!

Hoist them on their own damn petards!

[wryter2000]

9. Exactly!

Thom Hartman says this to Bernie Sanders about every other week.

I don't think we should do it on all bills, though. Just pick a few really good ones. Make them get up and explain why they're filibustering helping people pay for heating oil in winter or getting children health insurance. Call the bill "The Healthy Children Act" and make them argue against healthy children.

[tabbycat31]

10. agreed

and make them explain WHY they want to block the legislation.

[lame54]

11. It's a good thing Palin is not in the senate...

she could filibuster with one long run-on sentence

[Juche]

12. I have hope the 111th congress wont be like the 110th

Here are my personal reasons

1. The GOP may've thought 2006 was a fluke due to things like Katrina and that in 2008 we'd go back to the same reelection rate for incumbents of about 98%, but 2006 + 2008 is a mandate and a sign that the public want serious change in how things are done. Hopefully a few GOP senators have woken up that 2006 was not an isolated incident and 2010 will likely be the same.

2. One of the main reasons for the filibuster was to keep legislation away from Bush. now that he is gone, that motivation is gone.

3. The GOP is disorganized right now and still reeling from the election and is also leaderless. I don't know if they can pull off the unity they had in the 110th congress when they had the president on their side, the illusion that the 2006 election was a fluke and a bigger minority. Even McConnell, who won in 2002 by about 30 points only won in 2008 by about 5 points. THat has to be intimidating, going from a 30 point victory margin to a 5 point victory margin.

4. Obama has a massive organization of volunteers that he can use to threaten senators up for reelection in 2010 and 2012. If he breaks the blackmail circuit (aka K street) that the GOP uses to bribe and intimidate senators into towing the line, that just makes him more intimidating to the GOP. Right now the GOP uses the offer of high paying lobbying jobs to threaten GOP members into towing the line. If Obama passes strong anti-lobbying reform, that stick that the GOP uses to ensure obedience goes away.

But I could be wrong. If the GOP truly filibusters legislation 58-42 or 59-41 (assuming Franken wins) then the public better kick another 5 or 6 out of the senate in 2010, which I think will happen.