Republican obstruction has been the order of the day since Democrats took the Senate in 2006. Last night, Rachel Maddow interviewed Sen. Tom Udall in her piece explaining how things are finally getting done, only because Democrats can keep the Senate in session until the day before the next session opens, and Republicans want to go home for the holidays. She and Udall discusses the need for filibuster reform. However, if one Republican has his way, it could turn Rachel’s premise on its ear and demonstrate the need for Senate rules reform going far beyond the filibuster problem.
First, here’s Rachel.
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To prevent the Senate from functioning, the Republicans have put Jim DeMint forward to be their Luddite of the week.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the Senate would vote on Wednesday afternoon on beginning debate on the treaty. He indicated debate would run several days, with a final vote possible on Sunday.
Republican Senator Jim DeMint, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee who has threatened to use delaying tactics to try to block passage of the accord until the new year, indicated on Wednesday he might demand a full reading of the pact when it is introduced.
The treaty itself is only 17 pages but an accompanying protocol runs to 165 pages and three additional annexes add another 174. Democrats estimated it could take 12 to 15 hours to read the documents into the Senate record.
"This is a new low in putting political stunts ahead of our national security, and it is exactly the kind of Washington game-playing that the American people are sick of," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said in a statement… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Reuters>
It’s not often that I agree with Gibbs, these days. If DeMint follows through with this act of political terrorism, I hope that Reid and the Senate Democrats have the spine to keep the Senate in session until the work is done, but I’m not holding my breath.
2 Responses to “The Senate Is More Broken Than Ever”
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DeMint, King of the teabaggers, can read all he wants into the record, but they still have to vote on the treaty. They’ll be there until the Senate is supposed to reconvene and I’m sure his fellow Repubs will NOT be happy with that. I think they should make him read it, in it’s entirety, with no potty breaks or anything to eat. We’ll see how enthusiastic he is about reading the treaty then. 😈
If Harry caves on changing the filibuster on the first day of the new session, I’m gonna go to DC and smack him myself. And that one senator hold thing needs to go too. GET BUSY – you guys have fucked around for 2 years now, get it done!!! 🙄
Agree agree agree! Also, no reading bills that have been commonly available for over a month.