Tuesday, March 23, 2021

Let's keep the Senate filibuster

 The "filibuster" has changed it's meaning over the years.  Now "filibuster" simply means requiring a three fifth's vote (60 senators) to pass anything that one party or the other party doesn't like.  Years ago it meant taking advantage of the unlimited debate rule and talking and talking until either the windy senator keeled over or they decided to drop the issue and move on to other things.  There is a long evolution of the filibuster from unlimited debate into today's 60 vote requirement to pass anything.

Now the Democrats, who have the thinnest possible margin in the Senate, want to get rid of the filibuster all together and pass everything on a 50% plus one vote.  That will allow the Democrats to pass a whole bunch of stuff that they cannot get 60 senators to support.  

Me, I think anything that cannot gain three fifths of the senators support is probably a bad law and we do well not to pass it.  Let's keep the filibuster to guard against passing bad laws. 

No comments: