I Agree w/Ed Rendell(D-Gov PA)... We NEED to make Repubs Actually Filibuster on Senate Floor....

[Blackhatjack]

If we don't see Repubs reading from a telephone book on the floor of the Senate soon, then Democrats are not doing what they were elected to do.

Take up the issues that people entrusted to their elected Democrats, put it on the Senate floor for a vote and make the 41 Senate Republicans ACTUALLY FILIBUSTER it. Make then talk continuously, on television, until they run out of ridiculous drivel to say and start singing Old MacDonald or reading from the telephone book.

Nothing would drive home to voters who is obstructionist and who should be punished at the polls like having CSPAN cover such a Republican tantrum --and have the Democratic Senators stand by with a published list of matters important to the American people that have to wait until Repubs run out of breath.

If we don't see this happen soon, something is very wrong and Democrats are on the way out the door....

[LakeSamish706]

1. I think that we will have to see Harry Reid gone before we see this happen! n/t

[Blackhatjack]

2. Circumstances have changed... Reid needs this as much as the rest of Senate Democrats and Us

Reid is going to have a tough time getting reelected if there is not some positive action taken by the Senate, and that is not going to happen as long as obstructionist Repubs are able to tie up all legislations by merely 'threatening' to filibuster Democratic legislative proposals.

I think Reid is politically savvy enough to realize this.

[spanone]

3. they are not even calling republicans 'obstructionists'. game, set, match.

what mr rendell failed to point out was that many of the obstructionists in the congress have been democrats

[Blackhatjack]

5. That is easily remedied... Obama could regain a lot of ground by using it in his SOTU address

Obama is going to have to fish or cut bait on Republicans.... and IMHO that decision has been made for him by Republicans. They have unanimously ostructed everything he has tried to do, and have voted NO on everything.

Take the gloves off. Call it like it is. Use the State of the Union Address to poing out that moving forward will require acting without Republican support, and that Democrats are not going to delay delivering on the promises to the AMerican people while Republicans threaten filibusters and vote NO.

IF he did that his poll numbers would immediately go up.

[spanone]

17. agreed.

[Vinnie From Indy]

4. Amen!

Dem leadership seems to have forgotten that there HAS to be a stick in EVERY negotiation. If the GOP wants to be obstructionist they MUST be made to pay a price for that decision. Without imposing some sort of cost to the GOP for being obstructionist, the Dems will get their asses handed to them in the elections. I am slowly coming to realization that for many Dems in Congress, they must it that way. They want to be in the minority party. It allows them to rant and rave about being progressive in the same breath they are ranting and raving about powerless. In short, one would have to look long and hard to find another example of political party so incompetent, whether willfull or not, in regard to power politics.

[Nye Bevan]

6. The "actual filibuster" is a myth, Hollywood notwithstanding

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/23/the-myth-of-the-filibuste_n_169117.html


To get an idea of what the scene would look like on the Senate floor if Democrats tried to force Republicans to talk out a filibuster, turn on C-SPAN on any given Saturday. Hear the classical music? See the blue carpet behind the "Quorum Call" logo? That would be the resulting scene if Democrats forced a filibuster and the GOP chose not to play along.

As both Reid's memo and Dove explain, only one Republican would need to monitor the Senate floor. If the majority party tried to move to a vote, he could simply say, "I suggest the absence of a quorum."

The presiding officer would then be required to call the roll. When that finished, the Senator could again notice the absence of a quorum and start the process all over. At no point would the obstructing Republican be required to defend his position, read from the phone book or any of the other things people associate with the Hollywood version of a filibuster.

....

[sabbat hunter]

8. They have quorum calls

all the time. Call a quorom, make sure all the dems are present. You only need a simple majority for a quorum. if 51 senators are present you have a quorum.

[Vinnie From Indy]

9. While that might be one scenario, it certainly is not ALL scenarios

Dem leadership could easily draw major attention to the obstructionist GOP by making the GOP respond to all manner of procedural moves. In addition I believe the majority can dictate what is shown on the C-Span cameras. Determined, creative Dem leadership could make the GOP pay a heavy price for obstructionism if they really wanted to and without the Mr. Smith Goes to Washington scene.

[Blackhatjack]

11. Democrats should do EXACTLY THAT....

Make the Republicans 'suggest the absence of a quorum' over and over, and place a scoreboard sign on full view of the television cameras that shows the number of times Republicans have engaged in that behavior.

Democrats could hold press conferences on the steps of the Senate, like Republicans have done in the past, and talk about how Republicans have tied up the Senate and nothing can get done for the AMerican people because of a procedural card played by Republicans.

There can be a price to pay for continuous obstruction. Dems have to make them pay it.

[jtrockville]

16. With running commentary about what would happen to YOU

if day after day, you just didn't show up to work.

[sabbat hunter]

19. when a quorum call is made

they usually give the senators time to get to the chamber.

Call the quorum, have all the Dem senators appear, and you have a quorum. Then the republicans would actually have to filibuster Hollywood style

[harun]

7. Damn right they should.

[Captain Hilts]

10. Even better if HCR is broken down into individual components. nt

[reformist]

12. If the Dems force Repugs to filibuster health care, the REPUGS will be heroes.

Right or wrong, the health care bill is poison. The best thing the dems can do now is pass some basic reform that even some Repubs can agree on, and then move on to the economy. Because it cannot be repeated enough - it's the economy, stupid!!

[DCBob]

14. Yep... comprehensive HCR is toxic now.

Pass something smaller, simpler and easier to understand for the ignorant masses.

[kentuck]

13. It's too hard.

They would have to stay on the floor also.

[Blackhatjack]

15. Hey, they have cots.... stay in session around the clock... show some resolve.

[Blackhatjack]

18. Democratic Senators know what is coming ... nothing is too hard to save their own jobs.

Senators can get motivated real fast if their polling shows their numbers are falling... and fast.

Democrats have to reestablish that they are working for the people who elected them.