Les Jones: I Didn't Know That

July 12, 2007

Political Survival Kit > I Didn't Know That

FILIBUSTERS....I wonder how many Americans understand that you can't pass legislation in America with 50% of the votes in Congress? How many of them understand that, outside of budget resolutions, you need 60 votes in the Senate? That a filibuster isn't a matter of Jimmy Stewart talking himself ragged for hours on end, but of merely declaring an intention to filibuster? And that this is done for all but the most routine matters? With the result that the 60-vote minimum is no longer reserved for occasional high-profile issues, but has been institutionalized for virtually all legislation of any consequence?
I figure maybe 2%. What's your guess?

Posted by lesjones | TrackBack

Comments

This is called the cloture vote, and yes just about every piece of legislation goes through it. Prior to the '06 elections Sen. Boxer and a few others were pushing to put the cloture vote at 67 votes instead of the standard 60. They were having a hard time in the Republican led Senate sustaining a filibuster.

Posted by: Rob at July 12, 2007

I find most people I encounter don't even know what's in the Bill of Rights or what any of it means. I've never met anyone below the age of 50 that has read the Federalist papers. I would say that probably a good 80-90% of congress hasn't either.

Posted by: Diamondback at July 12, 2007

Actually, nothing ever gets fillibustered.

What happens is one side or another "threatens" to filibuster and the matter drops until 60 votes can be rounded up. No one really has the stomach for Robert Byrd reading the white pages for days on end any more. Too much to do, so when its threatend, they move on to something else until they can amass enough votes for cloture.

Posted by: countertop at July 12, 2007

I'm still trying to figure out why this is a bad thing.

Posted by: Sebastian at July 12, 2007