Harkin to reintroduce bill to bust filibusters

[FrenchieCat]

By Jordan Fabian - 12/27/09

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) said Saturday that he plans to reintroduce legislation to reform the filibuster process in the Senate.

The top senator on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee said that he will once again attempt to pass the bill he first introduced in 1995 when Democrats were the minority party.

"I'm going to reintroduce that again in January," Harkin told the Washington Post's Ezra Klein. "And people are going to say I only worry about this because I'm in the majority. But I come with clean hands! I started when I was in the minority!"

Harkin's comments come as the filibuster has come under fire from Democrats and liberal interest groups. Thay say that the requirement that the Senate need a 60 vote supermajority to approve procedural motions makes it too difficult to move significant legislation like healthcare reform. Some liberals blamed the filibuster for the removal of certain provisions favored by liberals such as the public health insurance option and the Medicare buy-in proposal.

more... http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/73649-harkin-to-reintroduce-measure-to-change-filibuster

[HughMoran]

1. I like his idea of a progressive reduction of the number needed to break the filibuster

from 60 to 57 to 54 to 51 in successive votes. Sounds reasonable to me. it allows the opposition to have their views heard, but the more times they go back to the well, the more support they would require for additional stalling. Sounds like a decent idea.

[FrenchieCat]

2. They need to do something soon, cause this super majority bullshit,

ain't hitting the spot.

Especially since the GOP have taken a blood oath not to vote for anything till after Obama leaves office.

[Cha]

3. He comes with "clean

hands" so he must really think it's important.

It doesn't seem right to be so stymied when you're in the majority.

[FrenchieCat]

4. Well, that's what our media have ordered......

I'm starting to think that the Bush Presidency traumatized congress.

[Arkana]

5. I don't like the idea of breaking the filibuster completely, but

I could get behind reducing the number to 55 votes instead of 60.