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When I refer to the filibuster what I am referring to is the post 1975 form where no talking is required, not the filibuster as it existed for about 150 years without seriously disrupting the democratic process. I am talking about the version where someone can disrupt debate and passage of a law not by reading the phonebook for as long as their voice holds out but by merely saying “I’m filibustering” and then nothing can happen until 60 Senators agree to vote for ‘cloture’ to move things along.
Effectively this requires a 60 vote super majority to do anything except pass a budget. Well and the judicial exemption that McConnell carved out two months into Republicans controlling both the Senate and the Presidency because when Republicans want to do something they do it. Possibly the Democrats will do something when they actually want to do something but since that does not include voting rights, fight for 15, immigration reform or anything that they campaigned on, I’m not holding my breath.
So last night as I walked around Sherman Oaks I asked why won’t the Senate repeal this disaster of a process change? Manchin in leaked audio gave some evidence, saying that the billionaire donors he was speaking to wanted that filibuster in place to prevent progressive legislation, and to keep it intact he needed help sustaining the illusion of bipartisanship. (As discussed in the article by the…
