Ending Judicial Filibusters

[gc70]

The Boston Globe has an interesting article about pending efforts to end judicial filibusters in the Senate.

Basically, the Republicans are threatening to change Senate Rules to allow a simple majority of the Senate to end filibusters of judicial nominations (aka the "Constitutional option" to Republicans or the "nuclear option" to Democrats). The Democrats are threatening to throw a hissy fit and shut down Senate operations if the Republicans change the filibuster rules.

The irony is the hypocracy of the Democrats in opposing Republican efforts to limit the filibusters. The Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy recently released a history of the Senate filibuster that meticulously lists prior efforts to limit filibusters in the Senate. Listed below are the legislators who introduced or supported measures to limit filibusters:

Senator Thomas Walsh (D-MT) 1917
Vice President Alben Barkley (D) 1949
Senator Clinton Anderson (D-NM) 1953
Senator Clinton Anderson (D-NM) 1957
Senator Lyndon Johnson (D-TX) 1959
Senator Clinton Anderson (D-NM) 1961
Senator Clinton Anderson (D-NM) 1963
Senator George McGovern (D-SD) 1967
Vice President Hubert Humphrey (D) 1969
Senator Frank Church (D-ID) 1969
Senator Frank Church (D-ID) 1971
Senator Walter Mondale (D-MN) 1975
Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) 1977
Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) 1979
Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) 1980
Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) 1987

Is it a coincidence that the above list only contains the names of Democrats, who now insist on a nearly-divine right to the filibuster?

 

[Derby FALs]

Keep the filibusters.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Is it a coincidence that the above list only contains the names of Democrats, who now insist on a nearly-divine right to the filibuster?

Yeah. Right.

Thanks for that list, eh?

 

[cls12vg30]

While I think the Dem's tactics in this matter are deplorable, and their lies about filibustering judicial nominations being "a time-honored tradition" make me ill, I would be concerned that such changes could lead to others, like an elimination of the filibuster alltogether.

I like filibusters. Anything that keeps Congress from accomplishing things can only be good.

I say if they want to filibuster, make them REALLY filibuster, as in stand up in front of the Senate and drone on about the issue in question for hours and hours.