During the past year I've had conversations with thousands of people from all parts of Colorado, and I've heard a common refrain: Washington isn't working. Last week, the obstructionist actions of Republican senator Jim Bunning left no doubt that the people of Colorado are right -- Washington is broken, and it's getting worse.
The filibuster was originally intended to protect minority rights and encourage meaningful debate on the Senate floor. Today, this important rule is being abused at an unprecedented rate, and it's grinding the business of the Senate to a standstill.
That's why I am introducing new legislation to reform the Senate's rules -- to reform the filibuster in a responsible, practical way. My bill protects minority rights, while allowing the Senate to more efficiently conduct the people's business and put an end to pointless delays.
The real problem is that the filibuster is being abused with unprecedented frequency. Individuals and parties are using it to obstruct progress, and the American people are paying the price.
Here are the specifics of my filibuster reform proposal:
If you want to help me fix the Senate and get Washington working for you again, click here to contact your senators. Urge them to reform the filibuster today.
The political games that have stopped business in the Senate need to end -- we can do better. Please stand with me, and let's put Washington back to work. Tell your senators to support my bill today.
Follow Sen. Michael Bennet on Twitter: www.twitter.com/BennetForCO
Since then Democrats have squandered their time as the majority in Congress and angered voters to the extent that Republican Scott Brown was even elected from Massasschusetts!
With time running out, Democrats are facing a brutal mid-term election and Michael Bennet is facing Andrew Romanoff in a Colorado primary. Suddenly, Michael Bennet has found the new religion and agrees it is time to do something about the filibuster. Welcome to the club, Michael! If you were a leader, wouldn't you have arrived at the party a little sooner?
Yes, the filibuster is being abused to the point that the Senate can't get its work done anymore.
The geographical composition of the US Senate is already intended to be a way to protect minority rights and the filibuster was introduced to yet further impede the progress of representative democracy.
Unfortunately, allowing the filibuster in the already undemocratically constituted US Senate places a choke hold on democracy.
The filibuster has always been a bad idea in the view of those who support representative democracy.
How dare that Romanoff youngster challenge the mighty Bennet. Romanoff has only run the state house here.
Bennet must have the goods on Ritter or someone, because his rise has been too calculated, and until now, he has never run a campaign, that I know of.
It must be nice to start your campaigning career with a milliion bucks courtesy of the POTUS.
What does this guy have on who?
If the Dems in Colorado go with Bennet because Obama endorsed him, and then Bennet loses - the Dems and Obama lose big.
If the Dems go with Romanoff's better chances at winning the election, Obama will simply congratulate him after the primary and all will be forgotten regarding Obama's and Ritter's mysterious dalliance with Bennet which has never been explained.
So my vote is with Romanoff. See you March 16 at the Colorado Caucus!
This "filibuster by threat" the Republicans love to use daily is nowhere in our constitution, and is being seriously abused by irresponsible Republican Senators!
But what I'd really prefer is to find some way to reward congressfolks for voting on their principles and policies rather than on political gains and games. But how to do that? Public finance of elections--period.
But last year , theRepublicans abused it & used it over 100 times & slowed
down or stopped many things. There are over 100 bills that went thru house
last year , but stopped in senate by Republican filibuster . It has got too easy
to filibuster , so they occur more & last longer. They were intended to slow
things down , but now they are used to stop things & it takes a super majority
of 60 to stop it . I saw a survey that said only 25% of people know that
minority party can stop things with only 41 out of 100.
There's enormous power in being able to stop things happening. The independents by definition float between Republican and Democrat party lines. To get anything passed Dems have to *buy* Indies. Notices that the Reps deliberately opposed *non-controversial* appointments - forcing Dems to have to sell their souls, and their election promises, if they wanted to get *anything* done.
The tactic works. Senator Bennet's proposal doesn't. The Senate needs to face up to this and, in January 2011, it needs to throw away the old rule book and adopt a new one that works. Otherwise it's just business as usual.
it seems to me that America does not like to have another major 3rd party..............so progressives have to work within the DEMOCRATIC party............just as the tea baggers will have nowhere else to go but to the GOP.
it seems we have to accept this......................good or bad. tough luck
so WITHIN that FRAMEwork ...............it is possible to achieve progressive goals if we set our minds to it.
Of course their boss CEOs would all hastily move to France or some facsimile and take all their billions with them leaving us totally without any dollars. That might happen anyway, so what the hell, go for it CoscoJack.
But first let's kill the filibuster!
But far more critical is getting the folks in DC back to doing their elected jobs. That would be representing the people, not corporations, not fundraising. We need to, once and for all, simply outlaw lobbyists. There's nothing in the Constitution to suggest that a corporation has any right to free speech. The individuals in that corporation are, of course, free to individually do whatever they like with their vote. But the way the system works, those in control of large corporations drastically magnify their effective votes. Thus, we have a few individuals imposing horrible choices on the vast majority of the population. Just look at lack of a Public Option, much less Single Payer, in most versions of the new Healthcare bill.
It's time to have the states call a constitutional convention and abolish the Senate.
It was delivered in response to the debate over senate rules and the threat by Republicans to change those rules by a simple majority vote in an effort to eliminate the right to filibuster judicial nominees.
Here is a link to that important floor speech by Senator Biden:
http://www.swingstateproject.com/2005/05/nuclear_option_24.html