Republican Filibuster May Be the Best Way to Pass Health Care in the Senate

On August 29, 1957, South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond set the record for the longest filibuster on the Senate floor.

Thurmond made congressional history when he finally yielded the floor after speaking continuously for 24 hours and 18 minutes in order to block civil rights legislation.

In retrospect, it is an unfortunate legacy in that Thurmond tied up the Senate for more than a day by exploiting a parliamentary procedure that allowed an individual senator to hold the floor until two-thirds of the Senate voted for their colleague to relinquish it.

Thurmond, an ardent segregationist, read from a potpourri of items, including the Declaration of Independence and his grandmother's biscuit recipe, to prohibit a vote on legislation that would ensure African Americans could exercise their constitutional right to vote.

As the Senate prepares to entertain health care legislation, it seems the artful use of the filibuster may be a tool that opponents use to prohibit a vote.

Democrats need 60 votes to override any veto attempts. But Democrats don't have nor do they need 60 votes as much as they need Republicans to make good their veto threats. Democrats have something more powerful that Thurmond did not have to contend: a 24-hour news cycle.

Thurmond's filibuster was behind closed doors. The mystery surrounding the filibuster no longer exists with the advent of C-SPAN and the various cable news networks.

A Republican filibuster on health care legislation might be the best thing that could happen to Democrats. This may be a case of the threat being far more ominous than the actual event.

Doesn't Machiavelli warn that once one goes to the extent of their power they no longer have it? A filibuster of health care legislation would be an admission that the G.O.P. has no more options in its arsenal of opposition.

Do Republicans want to be seen on the Senate floor as the obstructionists who do not have a legitimate policy idea to address the estimated 47 million people that do not have health care or a way to confront the escalating cost for those who have it by reading their grandmother's oatmeal cookie recipe live?

If Republicans choose this option, it could also serve as a wake-up call for Democrats to be seen as fighting for the American people. If Harry Reid cannot find 50 Democratic votes for health care that includes a public option, he should immediately resign as Senate Majority Leader.

President Barack Obama should also welcome the possibility of making the case against those who wish to filibuster health care reform, what is arguably the most important domestic legislation since Social Security.

This is a fight the president can and should take directly to the American people. In that scenario, advantage would go to the White House.

The 1995 shut down of the federal government that pitted former President Bill Clinton against former Speaker Newt Gingrich may have done more to turn around Clinton's political fortunes than any other event.

Earlier that year, Republicans reclaimed the majority in the House of Representatives for the first time in 40 years. Clinton's relevance as president was questioned.

The Republican leadership in Congress wanted additional cuts in the federal budget to Medicare, Medicaid, education, the environment, and the earned income tax credit. Clinton's unwillingness to accept these cuts led to the shut down.

Ultimately, it was the Republican-led Congress, not Clinton, that was blamed for Americans not able to receive government services from Social Security checks to passports.

Who wins if President Obama is seen talking to the American people about health care while Republicans are on the Senate floor reading the Declaration of Independence and the Federalist Papers instead of engaging in the people's business?

This is a game of political chicken and Democrats must be willing to call Republicans on their threat. A filibuster would be a live expose, succinctly explaining why Democrats reclaimed Congress in 2006.

This may not be bipartisanship the president was hoping for, but a Republican filibuster may provide the best path to passing health care legislation.

By the way, after Thurmond concluded his historic filibuster, the 1957 Civil Rights Act, which was not as strong as the legislation passed in the 1960's, still became law.

Byron Williams is an Oakland pastor and syndicated columnist and blog-talk radio host. He is the author of Strip Mall Patriotism: Moral Reflections of the Iraq War. E-mail him [e-mail] or visit his Web site: byronspeaks.com

 

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Comments

[motoGpifupleez]

The Procedural Filibuster is the worst kind of cowardice on the part of the Republicans and the ultimate manifestation of Harry Reid's weakness.
By his continual capitulation to these anonymous obstructions, Harry Reid has allowed the minority to control the agenda for the entirety of President Obama's reign.
Force these obstructionists into the light. make them stand before the C-SPAN2 cameras and show the world their total disregard for the voice and will of the American People.
Democrats, do America a favor. oust Harry Reid and install Al Franken as majority leader. Only then will the capitulation end.

[owendog]

"JUST DO IT!"

[DevonTexas]

I agree. A filibuster would be a win for the Democrats. I say, "bring it on"!

[AJH]

Imagine the crazy things republicans would end up saying that came back to haunt them come election day.

Still it's important to note;

"Doesn't Machiavelli warn that once one goes to the extent of their power they no longer have it?"

Could also go the other way if rather than a long filibuster you ended up with a short one and the democrats being perceived as say blackmailing lieberman to vote to break it. In essence both parties are at a limit of your power moment if it comes down to that.

The resulting news cycle will be crazy things republicans said or How dems strongarmed the last votes and what pork they granted to those last few overrides and were the deals above board and legal etc... Republicans of course charging dem payola for the vote etc...

[Indon]

A fine point, and I wish there'd been people who had made that point months ago, before our government pandered to conservatives in an attempt to provide homage to that power which does not exist.

[Veronikaleblanc]

This is a very good point. It seems like everyone is so worried about the THREAT of a filibuster -they would bend over backward to prevent it.

But after about a week of actual filibustering the tide of public opinion would be so huge that someone on the obstructionist side would surely cave. I say, make 'em actually do it! If nothing else it would be funny!

[Yocepuc]

Harry Reid should order that cots be set up immediately on the Senate floor, with the Senators' names on each cot, so they know exactly where they will be spending Thanksgiving, Hannukah, and Chrstmas. Then he should bring his bill to the floor.

[JazzSax UT]

I love that idea.

[kdp59]

it's a great idea.....make those who pretend to wnat to fillibuster...DO IT!!

like the old days...keep the senate in session and mke the old men siot there and listen to garbage hour after hour..maybe even day after day!!!

we can only HOPE!!

problem is.....that would take away time from FUNDRAISING, which is really what Senators spend most of their time doing now.

and since that WILL NOT happen on EITHER SIDE....it's nothing but a dream in todays political world.

[minerva117]

I've been saying it all along, let the Reeps do their filibuster! That will prove once and for all whoo they're working for!

[FresnoSanity]

In order to have Bipartisanship, both parties have to negotiate in good faith. The Republicans have proven, over and over again, that they view negotiation as caving in. While we are trying to play nice, they have been sharpening their knives in an attempt to make healthcare Obama’s Waterloo. No matter what we do, the Republicans are going to hate it, so why are we selling out on our deepest beliefs and hopes to cater to them?

[blizb]

They haven't bargained in good faith.

They have voted no on EVERYTHING, holding up veterans bills, holding up extension of unemployment, holding up appointments, holding up votes on the various bills as they slowly moved forward, they said no to even reading the various bills and proposals.

They copied a plan finally and presented it right before the vote which was way too late for review to see if it was a viable plan.

They avoided coming up with a plan, they offered few ideas except attempting to deny some patient rights to sue, and in spite of the RNC allowing their members to have insurance that covers abortion pulled the right for women to have the same thing the RNC has allowed all along.

The Stupak or "stupid" amendment turned out to be the most hypocritical aspect of this whole process since his party pays for abortion in the insurance the RNC offers.

[Dolboeb]

"His party?" Stupak is a Democrat from Michigan's 1st district and besides him, 63 other Democrats voted for the despicable amendment.

[WebCommoner]

Imagine the hilarity that would ensue on the Daily Show. I say bring the filibuster on!

[scooperss]

reid won't do it. Not because he can't but because he needs the republican cover to help derail real halth care reform. He can't be seen as doing it all on his own.

[johnsopinion]

"A filibuster of health care legislation would be an
admission that the G.O.P. has no more options in
its arsenal of opposition."

Excellent point! Excellent!

[Torus34]

It's sad, but true -- our Senators are scaredy-cats.

The last actual filibuster was more than a decade ago, but the mere mention of one is still enough to cause them to pull the covers over their heads and cower in the dark. Pity.

[TN60]

I've been saying for some time....call the Republican's bluff and let them talk until their tongues drag the floor and then let them talk some more.

If they do it long enough, the American press will report it over and over, until the American people will finally get to see just what an enemy of their interests, these Republicans are,

Maybe, at the same time we can have the Grayson's of the (Ds) go on every show in the country, talking about how the Republicans have tried, over and over, to kill Social Security and Medicare.

In fact, this needs to be shouted from the roof tops....how the Republicans have tried various schemes to take away the only security that Seniors have. Maybe then, they would stop voting Republican, stop going along with the tea baggers and give some serious thought to just which party has stood up for them. Maybe then, they would stop thinking only of themselves in this health reform battle and take the time to learn that their Medicare is a government run single payer entity, not a "socialist" program.

See how dangerous these Republican purveyors of lies really are ?? And...they spout it daily on every camera available and the most outrageous the lies, the better. We better start to take this country back from this lunatic fringe called the GOP.