***** Official LIVE BLOG Senate = Filibuster Reform Debate *****

[L. Coyote]

On now:

http://cspan.org/Live-Video/C-SPAN2/

[L. Coyote]

1. Sen. Merkley "The secret filibuster must go"

Hundreds of thousands of people have signed petitions, just four groups generated 200,000 signatures

[gateley]

2. Thanks, L. Coyote! I didn't even know it was on. Tuned in now, and of course

will get the BEST commentary here on your thread. :7 :hi:

[L. Coyote]

3. Lamar Alexander seems to be working on being as boring as possible, or

maybe it just comes naturally :rofl:

[Inuca]

6. He IS a natural

not watching now, but he always is quite a sleep inducer

[Inuca]

4. Unfortunately

nothing much will happen http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2011/01/reid_and_mcconnell_agree_there.html

[gateley]

9. Well this kind of answers my question posted below. This is encouraging, anyway --

(from Klein's piece):

There is some good stuff in the agreement Reid and McConnell struck. The Senate will vote on eliminating secret holds, ending the timewaster of having the clerk read legislation out on the Senate floor, and cutting the number of nominees who require Senate confirmation by a third (which would free about 400 positions from the process). Reid and McConnell have also agreed, in principle, to avoid filibustering the motion to debate and to grant the other side more opportunities to amend legislation.

But the headline is a bummer:

Reid and McConnell agree: There will be no reform of the filibuster

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2011/01/reid_and_mcconnell_agree_there.html

[gateley]

5. Question -- any idea how this is projected to go? I've heard that both sides

don't REALLY want to reform it because they like having it in their arsenal. Of course, we don't know if the Dems would actually do it.

[Inuca]

7. See my link

above

[L. Coyote]

8. Today in Congress

http://www.congressmatters.com/storyonly/2011/1/27/05012/9636

Senate, courtesy of the Office of the Majority Leader:

Convenes: 10:30am

Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will proceed to the consideration of several resolutions relating to changing the Senate rules, en bloc. There will be up to 8 hours for debate equally divided and controlled between the two Leaders or their designees. If all time is used, at approximately 7:15pm there will be a series of up to 5 roll call votes in relation to the following resolutions:

* Wyden-Grassley-McCaskill resolution relative to "secret holds" (subject to a 60-vote threshold);
* Udall (CO) resolution regarding waiving the reading of an amendment, (subject to a 60-vote threshold);
* S.Res. 8 (Harkin) (subject to a 67-vote threshold);
* S.Res. 10 (Udall (NM)) with a substitute amendment which is at the desk (subject to a 67-vote threshold); and
* S.Res. 21 (Merkley) with a substitute amendment (subject to a 67-vote threshold).

[L. Coyote]

11. Senators Harkin, Udall (NM) and Merkley will offer their full proposals for actual filibuster reform

Senators Harkin, Udall (NM) and Merkley will offer their full proposals for actual filibuster reform (with some slight modifications), but all will be subject to the 2/3 cloture threshold for rules changes. It's not necessarily a 67-vote threshold, though, since the rules actually require 2/3 of Senators present and voting. In theory, cloture could be invoked with as few as 34 votes, or 2/3 of a quorum of 51. But that ain't happening.

[L. Coyote]

10. Durbin up = in favor of changing filibuster rules "Why are we doing this?"

What happens on the floor of the US Senate affects the US and the world.

Recounting history of cloture rule under Wilson, when 2/3 rules took effect.
Civil rights era change was to 60 votes.

What is happening here is a fundamental change.

If one Senator wants to stop the Senate, "you ought to be willing to sand here and say why"

[L. Coyote]

12. Daily Kos action email engine to tell your Senators how you'd like them to vote on reform.

http://campaigns.dailykos.com/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=18

[L. Coyote]

13. Grassley: Secrecy is the ONLY thing this resolution addresses

[L. Coyote]

14. Wyden of Oregon: "No legitimate reason" for Senators to keep holds secret.

My OR Senators are in the fore on reform.

[trueblue2007]

21. WAY TO GO SENTATOR WYDEN !!!

[L. Coyote]

15. NOW: Wyden-Grassley-McCaskill resolution relative to "secret holds" subject to a 60-vote threshold

First of five resolutions today, see Senate Today post above

[gateley]

16. Lautenberg sponsored a "Mr. Smith" bill! nt

[L. Coyote]

17. Harkin giving a great speech "The minority has unchecked veto power over public policy"

[L. Coyote]

18. "something inherently unconstitutional about this" SO TRUE

"Only democratic body in the world where the minority controls" HARKIN "The minority rules, the majority is blocked.

[L. Coyote]

19. Harkin: American people "want an end to dysfunction" and other tidbits, best speech in forever

on the Senate floor, cutting to the very heart of what is wrong in DC!

This has Mr. Smith beat to hell, because it is not only real, but also it is directed ate the core problem with the Senate.

[L. Coyote]

20. "the world's greatest non-deliberative body"

"this body does not function ... the way it is supposed to"

"I though the Senate was defined in the Constitution of the United States" and not by the filibuster rule.

[L. Coyote]

22. 4:30 PM EST = Voting on SR 11 to eliminate secret holds (Wyden, McCaskill, Grassley) = roll call

[L. Coyote]

23. Sounds like it will be a unanimous vote. Wait, a NO just sounded from Lee.

Senator Mike Lee = Republican - Utah

Washington, D.C.
825 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

About the Senator:

A senator from Utah; born in Mesa, Ariz., June 4, 1971; graduated Brigham Young University, B.A., 1994; graduated Brigham Young University, J.D., 1997; law clerk to 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals Justice Samuel Alito 1998; lawyer; assistant U.S. attorney 2002-2005; counsel to Utah Governor John Huntsman 2005-2006; law clerk to United States Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito 2006-2007; lawyer; elected as a Republican to the United States Senate in 2010 for the term ending January 3, 2017.

[L. Coyote]

24. Mr. DeMint = NO, Mr. Ensign = NO

DeMint
Washington, D.C.
340 Russell
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Ensign
Washington D.C. Office
119 Russell Senate Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
TTY: [phone]

[L. Coyote]

27. 92 to 4 PASSES ===== No More Secret Holds in the Senate =====

[L. Coyote]

25. UP NEXT = Udall (CO) SR 29, regarding waiving the reading of an amendment ( 60-votes )

[L. Coyote]

28. PASSES 81 to 15

[L. Coyote]

26. S.Res. 8 by Harkin = Reducing votes needed to break filibusters = 84 NAY and 12 YES

[L. Coyote]

29. Up NOW: SR 10 - Quickly going to votes = Changes rules on time allowed to debate

[L. Coyote]

30. SR 21 (Merkley) vote NOW = Requires Senators on floor and speaking continuously to filibuster.

[L. Coyote]

31. NOT agreed to

[dmr]

32. Thank you for doing this, & posting the outcomes to each vote. Sen. Harkin's

speech kept me mesmerized. It was one of the most effective, interesting & honest speeches I've heard on the Senate floor. (Sad to have to add honest, but I've heard so many lies coming out of the mouths of Republicans stating 'on the record' on each of the Congressional floors, it is sad indeed & unethical, to boot!)

Anyway, thanks again for this thread - many times the lone voice keeping us on top of what was happening.

:hi:

[L. Coyote]

33. You have discovered my real pseudonym perhaps

Lone Coyote, that one voice (in the wilderness) that makes a difference ...