Harry Reid is fed up and he’s not going to take it anymore.
Calling out Republicans for wasting six weeks on contracpetion in the highway bill and filibustering at will, Reid said he is going to reform the filibuster rules. He also made it quite clear that the American people want the rich to pay more in taxes and we need revenue.
Watch here:
Harry threw down the gauntlet, “How about six weeks on contraception in the highway bill, do they remember that?”
Asked if he has plans to address the filibuster rules, Harry said, “Yes, I do. I’ve said so publicly and I continue to feel that way. I think that the rules have been abused and we’re going to work to change them. We’re not going to do away with the filibuster but we’re going to make the Senate a more meaningful place.”
Yes, meaningful, as in, getting the people’s work done at long last.
Harry Reid is done playing games with the little boys on the Republicans side of the aisle. Our bet here is that he’s going to reform the filibuster so that Republicans can’t just declare it and leave to go golfing/drinking/looking for another American segment of the population whose civil rights they can cut.
He will also probably cut the number of votes required to defeat a filibuster to 51 or 53, allowing the Democrats elected by the people to do the work they were sent to DC to do.
Republicans may not be good at math, but Harry Reid is. He knows that Dems don’t have as many seats to defend for another 6 years, whereas Republicans do.
After four years of petulant, blind GOP obstructionism, Reid isn’t the man he was five years ago. He is going to take a flamethrower to Republican obstructionism. The Senate will finally be functional again, and taxes will be raised on the top 2% in the Senate. If the House wants to label themselves the defender of the rich denying a tax cut to the middle class, by all means, proceed, Republicans. Proceed.
Elections have consequences my friends. And these consequences we like.
PoliticusUSA
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Alan
Nov. 7th, 2012 at 4:22 pm
The other rule which needs to be reformed is the “hold” rule, which allows any single Senator to anonymously delay action on any bill for as long as he/she desires. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma is a master of this sort of nonsense.
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Reynardine
Nov. 7th, 2012 at 4:33 pm
Hear, hear!
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nomad
Nov. 7th, 2012 at 5:17 pm
Thanks so much for adding that comment. I hadn’t heard of it before. Here is further information about the Hold rule.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senate_hold
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Pandar
Nov. 7th, 2012 at 4:28 pm
Ok, this sounds good. The Dems have had enough!
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Maranon
Nov. 7th, 2012 at 4:35 pm
Give them hell Harry!
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to
Nov. 7th, 2012 at 4:43 pm
Death to the tomnibus!
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Paws
Nov. 7th, 2012 at 4:49 pm
I think they should make it so if you do filibuster, you actually have to filibuster the way they used to – stay on the floor. A piece of legislation should not need 60 votes – it’s supposed to be a majority, not a super majority.
Reid will have a fight on his hands, but it’s a fight worth having I think.
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Shiva (Moderator)
Nov. 7th, 2012 at 4:51 pm
Harry has been pretty mild-mannered about this whole thing, you don’t hear much from them. But I hope that he stands up and does something. As long as he remembers anything that’s an advantage of the Democrats will some day be to the advantage of the Republicans.
I was certainly right in the rule of thirds a filibuster, then the party who brings it must have their full complement of representatives in the chambers during the entire time of the filibuster or it will be immediately cut off. Of course I would have to take into account people who are out sick, on John spade for by lobbyists, Those who are in airport bathrooms and those who are visiting prostitutes
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Maranon
Nov. 9th, 2012 at 3:32 pm
well, at least the protitutes are working…
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Danny Berry in NYC
Nov. 12th, 2012 at 3:37 pm
Well, the prostitutes and rent boys didn’t make as much in Jacksonville as they’d planned, I’m sure, since the RNC was shortened two days because of bad weather.
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Diane
Nov. 7th, 2012 at 5:14 pm
And we have to make sure that we support our Democrats, Loudly and strongly!!!!
It makes me angry that you cannot email another Congressperson/Senator other then your own on the .gov website.
Why can’t we? these people are making decisions that are affecting us. Why shouldn’t we be able to contact them for free through email???????
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kathleen harris
Nov. 7th, 2012 at 5:24 pm
Way to go Harry! And while you are at it, please start publishing the names of the obstrutionalist i the Post or Times…maybe then the voters will get the picture of the ones that are creating the problems…and the voters will see just cause to remove them in coming years.
Make them work or go home. And we need workers, if they don’t work cut their pay. No more free rides. and for Ryan and his inability to get a budget that will pass…no PAY till he has one! Bet that will get his attention and maybe we can get some work out of him.
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Schnitzie
Nov. 7th, 2012 at 5:24 pm
FINALLY! At long last the Democrats have found their cajones/ovarios.
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cowfarmerJoe
Nov. 9th, 2012 at 11:25 am
Uhh, that remains to be seen. Talk is cheap.
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Wanda517
Nov. 7th, 2012 at 5:49 pm
Instead of asking teh Majority to come up with the votes to defeat a filibuster, make teh minority come up with the votes to institute the filibuster. Roll Call, on record for all to see.
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terry
Nov. 7th, 2012 at 7:56 pm
I love the Red Cross ad at top of page, ‘When disaster strikes, the need remains’ Donate blood… to the republican party, they gonna need it
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Kenneth Morgan
Nov. 7th, 2012 at 8:17 pm
Harry, the hell with 53 votes. It’s 51 votes period. No one-man holds on nominees and judges. Make them take the floor for 48-? hours to filibuster. And the entire body needs to be present for the whole thing. No going fishing while they send some blowhard up there for 12 hrs. at a time. Force an up or down vote. Majority wins. If they think they have a majority of votes, show it with a vote. This must be done as the first course of business in the new congress. Otherwise, it won’t work.
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Jo Hargis
Nov. 7th, 2012 at 8:23 pm
Gooooo Harry. We’ve got your back. If you need us to shout and stomp, just say the word =)
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richard schumacher
Nov. 7th, 2012 at 10:18 pm
Nuke the filibuster. Enough’s enough. Obama has a boatload of judicial appointees to approve.
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Angus
Nov. 8th, 2012 at 10:33 am
Wait a second, wasn’t Obama against earmarks? What does contraception have to do with a Highway bill? This is kind of convoluted nonsense we need to get rid of in today’s legislation. If it doesn’t have anything to do with Highways, it has no business being in a Highway bill.
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Shiva (Moderator)
Nov. 8th, 2012 at 10:48 am
Angus, everyone is against earmarks until somebody from their state requests money. That of course justifies earmarks
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AdamJR
Nov. 8th, 2012 at 1:00 pm
Angus,
That’s what Harry is saying. The right wing somehow found a way to tuck legislation about contraception into a highway bill. He was saying it doesn’t belong there and shouldn’t be blocking a vote for 6 weeks.
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Shiva (Moderator)
Nov. 8th, 2012 at 1:37 pm
unfortunately in today’s Congress it’s completely normal for people to throw stuff in the bills just to get it through. During the Iraq war there were tons of things thrown in to bills so that they could get paid for. I find it incredible that they do this. A bill about roads needs to be about roads etc. If you look at how they write a bill, at the end of the description they always put “and other purposes.” that is a crock. Our Congress is out of control and some of its methods and needs to be brought back into line
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gail BAILEY
Nov. 8th, 2012 at 2:36 pm
hope harry stick to his promise and just do and let the little boys on the other side cry all they want. the purpose of congress is to work for all the people not just for a chosen few. companies are made of people are the company itself is not a person and those people already vote and includes the ceo’s and board members the company also employs. the senates needs to stick to there guns because those of us who put them in office will go to bat for them. they to let the public know what’s is being votes on and let us know what we can do to get it to help if republicans refuse to cooperate.
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Gosto Tothiwim
Nov. 10th, 2012 at 12:53 am
While you’re at it, Harry, require a roll call vote on whether a proposed amendment to a bill is on-topic, and prohibit off-topic amendments. Also end earmarks.
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Anne
Nov. 10th, 2012 at 8:58 pm
This effort is long overdue, because the Congressional Republicans have abused filibustering in order to impede progress and therefore deny the president any successes. It’s absolutely sickening that they willingly threw countless Americans under the bus and caused needless suffering, all because they put party before country. Of course, I expect them to whine and bitch, which is what they do whenever they don’t get their way. They cannot be gone from Congress soon enough, because they are definitely welfare recipients. That’s because they get paid excellent salaries and receive the best health care benefits for doing absolutely nothing but obstructing helpful legislation.
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