The senate is broken

[Gzette]

The filibuster threat is strangling common-sense legislation.

9/11 worker aide bill halted

Fuck you patriots 'cause you like show tunes

[Kilmoll the Sexy]

Why exactly would taxpayers fund health care to people who lived in NYC? Personally, I would have no issues if it was only the responders getting this, but why are we also paying residents?

[Xatrei]

"The Senate is broken."

You just noticed this? And it's not just the Senate, it's our entire system that is fundamentally broken and inherently corrupt beyond repair. Nothing can or will change until the entire is thing is scrapped and replaced. The risk, of course, is that whatever replaces it would be worse if the Kilmolls of the land come out ahead in the struggle to replace this terminal ass cancer patient of a government we have. I've reached the point where I'm willing to take that chance. Unfortunately for us all, most Americans are too apathetic to do anything about this mess, meaning things will have to get much worse before anything actually happens.

[Gzette]

I should've been more specific in the OP. What I was speaking to was the filibuster "threat" that strangles the Senate these days. I believe the rule change was enacted in the mid 80s allowing for the minority (a 40+ senator bloc) to just threaten filibuster rather than actually hitting the podium for 10+ hours reading the Great Gatsby or whatever, thus destroying a majority's willingness to "call their bluff" so to speak when someone threatens a filbuster.

Now I am all for minority rights vs majority rule, but the past few years, as politics have gotten more and more out of hand and polarized, it has begun to sicken me. With a relatively equally balanced Senate, is there anything that can get done in this country? Are we doomed to dramatic partisan swings every 2 to 4 years because of the ineptitude of our national legislators?

No doubt Republicans are happy with the rules as they are set now. But when they take a decent control of the Senate, whether in 2012 or further down the road, I know opinions would flip flop. It is something that should be ended. The success of a "true" filibuster shows the absolute vitriol of the minority party against certain issues. It shows that in specific cases the minority's voice should get heard. The procedural "end of debate" vote allows for lazy legislators to smack down anything the party line is against.

The most recent example I can think of is the nuclear arms treaty w/ Russia Obama thought would be passed easily. Though no real opposition existed, Republicans were allowed to brickwall the measure out of pure politics and a desire to show the public that Obama can't get anything done.

I posted those 2 links because they occurred on the same day and both bills were defeated by the same measure, despite enjoying a wider support than usual. I get the political reasons for Reps to troll Dems, but if the tables are turned, I know Reps would be crying foul as well. And I would agree with them.

I think of controversial bills like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that would have had to chance to pass in this incarnation of the U.S. Senate and it worries me.

[masteen]

In the case of the 9/11 bill, this is one time where I feel the senate served its purpose. That bill started with very noble intentions, but by the time it came out of committee, it was 2 tons of Grade A pork.