Your filibuster math explained: "Senators representing 63 percent of the public vote for the bill; those representing 37 percent vote against it. The bill fails."
Your filibuster math explained: "Senators representing 63 percent of the public vote for the bill; those representing 37 percent vote against it. The bill fails."
Brown Defeats Coakley, De Tocqueville, and John Stuart Mill
Our common political methods and means I seem to remember came to existence initially to subvert the "tyranny of the majority" instead of the perverse subversion of the will of the populace we seem to be left with any time an issue is politically contentious. Booo America.
Booouuurns.
AND every state gets two Senators each, no matter the population. Who let this happen?!? Oh, right.
This is much less bad than the Electoral College, which has allowed the candidate without the popular vote to win the Presidential election twice (out of what, 60 or so elections?). Basically, the entire Constitution is very bad and needs to be changed. However, part of the problem with the Constitution is the difficulty in changing it, so we will always have bad government. It's a consequence of the system.
I have a solution, a compromise if you will; if you are a senator from a small or non-rich state, you get 3/5ths of a vote.
I will say this: as frustrating as it to barely ever be able to get anything done in Congress, I think in some respects the convoluted nature of legislature benefits us because CAN YOU IMAGINE if these people could do half the stuff they probably really WANT TO DO?
this is a very good point.
Thank you--I make this point to people all the time.
Yes, this. It is frustrating now, but it was something of a comfort round about 2005.
A+
I'm kinda tired of democrats talking about nuking the fillibuster too. We used that! To good effect! Don't be short-sighted!
YAY for this comment.
Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
I still say that this whole "threaten a filibuster/derail legislation" mechanism is bogus. I demand that phone books be read, for hours!
Teach kids political awareness and civics so that they actually inform themselves, start voting at age 18, and keep doing it! Did you see how few 18-29s turned out in MA?!?!