Sen. Tom Harkin Tells Reporters He May Reintroduce A Bill To End Filibusters
Obwon
Sen. Tom Harkin Tells Reporters He May Reintroduce A Bill To
End Filibusters
Posted: 13 Dec 2009 06:00 PM PST
Via MyDD,
here's some encouraging news. Saying that the filibuster
wasn't supposed to be used to stop legislation, Sen. Tom
Harkin told Iowa reporters he's thinking about reintroducing
legislation he first put forth 15 years ago. I say, call and
write to let him know you support it:
http://www.thehawkeye.com/story/harkin-filibuster-121209
Given what he sees as the abuse of power by a couple
members of his own party whom he said are threatening to
join the minority party if their every demand is not met,
Harkin is considering reintroducing the legislation.
"I think, if anything, this health care debate is
showing the dangers of unlimited filibuster," Harkin said
Thursday during a conference call with reporters. "I think
there's a reason for slowing things down ... and getting the
public aware of what's happening and maybe even to change
public sentiment, but not to just absolutely stop
something."
Harkin noted with interest that his original legislation
was cosponsored by Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., who has been
threatening to filibuster the legislation.
"Today, in the age of instant news and Internet and
rapid travel -- you can get from anywhere to here within a
day or a few hours -- the initial reasons for the filibuster
kind of fall by the wayside, and now it's got into an
abusive situation," Harkin said.
He and the constitutional scholars agree that the
intention was never to hold up legislation entirely.
To keep the spirit of slowing down legislation, though,
Harkin's proposal back in 1995 would have kept the 60-vote
rule for the first vote but lessening the number required in
subsequent votes.
He said for instance if 60 senators could not agree to
end debate, it would carry on for another week or so and
then the number of votes required to end debate would drop
by three. Harkin said it would carry on this way until it
reached a simple majority of 51 votes.
"You could hold something up for maybe a month, but
then, finally you'd come down to 51 votes and a majority
would be able to pass," Harkin said. "I may revive that. I
pushed it very hard at one time and then things kind of got
a little better."
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Ian B MacLure
news:fhlfi5p693b11huaf...@4ax.com:
>
> Sen. Tom Harkin Tells Reporters He May Reintroduce A Bill To
> End Filibusters
Given where the Dhimmicreeps are headed in the mid-terms
I suspect he would come to regret such a move.
IBM
Tim Crowley
>
> Given where the Dhimmicreeps are headed in the mid-terms
> I suspect he would come to regret such a move.
Awww, how cute. Widdle Ian said "Dhimmicreeps". When you do you turn
5?
Folks, we are watching the destruction of the GOP. They let themselves
be taken over by children like Ian here and the far right kkk000ks
like birthers and teabggers. America rejects the hate, ignorance and
childishness that has become the GOP. Thanks, Ian.