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Cloture

Friday Talking Points [102] -- Harry Reid's Glacial Progress Grinds On

Chris Weigant | Posted 11.21.2009 | Politics

Read More: 60 Votes, Leadership, White House, Debate, Floor, Ron Paul, Reform, Alan Grayson, Gray Hair, Eric Holder, Sarah Palin, Conyers, Amendments, John Kerry, Midotw, Nancy Pelosi, Most Impressive Democrat of the Week, Democratic Caucus, Health Care, Majority Leader, Reid, Reconciliation, John Conyers, Conference Committee, Grey Hair, Kerry, Olympia Snowe, Democrat, Robert Byrd, Congress, Democrats, Paul, Election, Holder, Byrd, Barack Obama, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Mddotw, Harry Reid, State of the Union, Eating, Longest, Senate, Bill, Healthcare, Pumas, President Obama, Cloture, Filibuster, Obama, Democratic, Media, Democratic Party, Friday Talking Points, Grayson, Lieberman, Pelosi, 2010, Baucus, Most Disappointing Democrat of the Week, Midterms, Skinny, Ksm, House, Attorney General, Matt Osborne, Puma, Thin, Midterm, Chris Weigant, Palin, Sotu, Max Baucus, Joe Lieberman, Party Unity My Ass, Osborne, Politics News
Chris Weigant

Harry Reid thinks he's got enough votes, but then this is the reason why the vote keeps getting pushed back -- because he's obviously still scrambling for the final few votes before he moves ahead.

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Ryan Grim

Senate Dems Close In On Reform: Details Of Health Care Bill Revealed

HuffingtonPost.com | Ryan Grim | Posted 11.19.2009 | Politics

Read More: Health Care Bill, Abortion, White House, Ben Nelson, Cbo, Landrieu, Cloture, Public Option, Health Care Costs, Senate Health Care Bill, President Obama, Obama, Senate Health Care Reform Bill, Mary Landrieu, House, Cbo Score, Deficit, Senate, Blanche Lincoln, Uninsured, Senate Public Option, Lincoln, Nelson, Details, Health Care Reform, Stupak Amendment, Harry Reid, How Many Would Be Covered, Senate Health Care, Text of Bill, Senate Health Bill Online, Senate Health Bill Text, Politics News

Read the bill (PDF). Senate Democrats have posted the legislation on their web site. --------- Senate Democrats made a big step toward comprehensive...

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Can We Afford to Let Blanche Lincoln Stop Health Care Reform Dead in Its Tracks?

Howie Klein | Posted 11.10.2009 | Politics

Read More: Senate Races, Health Care Reform, Arkansas, Filibuster, Cloture, Joe Lieberman, Ben Nelson, K Street, Lobbyists, Politics News
Howie Klein

Blue America has run TV spots against Lincoln all summer and fall and she's watched her re-elect numbers dwindle. This week Blue America has a brand new ad for Arkansas voters to look at.

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The 60 Vote Rule - What's Worse: An Oppressive Majority or an Obstructionist Minority?

Judge H. Lee Sarokin | Posted 11.05.2009 | Politics

Read More: Supermajority Requirement, Filibuster, Cloture, 60 Vote Rule, Senate, Healthcare, Politics News
Judge H. Lee Sarokin

The Constitution provides the circumstances under which more than a majority is required, and this type of legislation being considered for health care reform is definitely not on the list.

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Getting the Deal Done

Mike Lux | Posted 10.30.2009 | Politics

Read More: Health Care Reform, Filibuster, Harry Reid, U.S. Senate, Cloture, Public Option, 2009 Obama Administration, Politics News
Mike Lux

With the Republicans becoming locked into being the party of No, Democrats are going to need to seriously consider revising the rules of the Senate at the beginning of next term.

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Every Democratic Senator Must Vote to Allow an Up or Down Vote on Health Care

Robert Creamer | Posted 10.26.2009 | Politics

Read More: Public Health Insurance Plan, President Obama, Public Option, Senate Democrats, Breaking News, Health Care Reform, Harry Reid, Filibuster, Up or Down Vote, Health Insurance Reform, Cloture, Politics News
Robert Creamer

If a Democratic Senator votes to prevent his party from having an up or down vote on its top domestic priority, he is endangering the political lives of his swing district colleagues. That would be unforgivable.

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Friday Talking Points: Is Opt-Out The Answer?

Chris Weigant | Posted 10.14.2009 | Politics

Read More: Tax Code, Blue Dog, Progressives, Ways and Means, Compromise, Reform, Charles Schumer, Howard Dean, Tripled Down, Midotw, Nancy Pelosi, 60 Vote, Most Impressive Democrat of the Week, Health Care, Nationwide, Public Option, States Rights, Democrat, Congress, Democrats, Barack Obama, Im in My Place, Nobel Prize, Schumer, Progressive, Mddotw, Put Her in Her Place, Health, Opt Out Plan, Blue Dogs, Americas Next Great Pundit, Healthcare, Senate, George Bush, President Obama, Teddy Roosevelt, Cloture, Senator, Dr Dean, Public Plan, State, Filibuster, Obama, Democratic, Charlie Rangel, Woodrow Wilson, Friday Talking Points, Bush, Dean, Republican, Pelosi, Double Down, Simpsons, Co-Op, Triple Down, Doubled Down, Most Disappointing Democrat of the Week, Taxes, Trigger, Tax Laws, House, Nobel, Marge Simpson, Playboy, Nobel Peace Prize, Opt Out, Tenth Amendment, Rangel, Chris Weigant, Clockwork Orange, Afghanistan, Politics News
Chris Weigant

The plan isn't going into effect until 2013. Think you're tired of TV ads and screaming folks at town hall meetings now? Picture a more local version of that for the next four years -- not a pretty sight.

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Join in Demanding Accountability in the Senate: "Vote for Cloture or Lose Seniority"

Paul Abrams | Posted 10.08.2009 | Politics

Read More: Harry Reid, Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, Patty Murray, Seniority, Dick Durbin, Cloture, Politics News
Paul Abrams

Democrats in the Senate are considering holding colleagues accountable for halting Republican filibusters by stripping seniority and chairmanships from those who do not vote for cloture. Let us demand it.

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Friday Talking Points [96] -- The Impressiveness of Alan Grayson

Chris Weigant | Posted 10.03.2009 | Politics

Read More: 80, Chicago, Spiro Agnew, Eighty Percent, Reform, South America, Alan Grayson, DC City Council, Dc, Charles Schumer, Death Panel, Die Quickly, Grayson Transcript, William Safire, Floor Speech, Midotw, Sexual Harassment, Most Impressive Democrat of the Week, Don't Get Sick, Health Care, Kenneth Feinberg, Reid, Tarp, Abortion, Public Option, Grayson Speech, Democrat, Letterman, Congress, Pay Czar, Democrats, Barack Obama, Schumer, Mddotw, Child Rape, Health, Harry Reid, Vacation, Nixon, Bonuses, Polanski, Gay Marriage, Healthcare, Senate, David Catania, Ben Nelson, Cloture, President Obama, Sex Scandal, Washington, Filibuster, Moral Relativism, Obama, Democratic, Friday Talking Points, Grayson, Republican, Most Disappointing Democrat of the Week, Paranoid Delusions, Rio, Roman Polanski, Salaries, Rape, House, Copenhagen, Nelson, Consensual, Olympics, Wall Street, Chris Weigant, Sex, Columbus Day, Chuck Schumer, Executive Pay, Troubled Assets, David Letterman, Agnew, Safire, Feinberg, Catania, Politics News
Chris Weigant

First, let's get rid of the distractions this week. Chicago will not be getting the Olympics in 2016, even after President Obama went over to Copenha...

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Cloture Passes On Cass Sunstein, 63-35

Washington Independent | David Weigel | Posted 11.09.2009 | Politics

Read More: White House, Blanche Lincoln, Cloture, Robert Bennett, Olympia Snowe, Orrin Hatch, Filibuster, Judd Gregg, Glen Beck, Cass Sunstein, Barack Obama, James Webb, Richard Lugar, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Politics News

On a 63-35 vote, the Senate has broken the filibuster against Cass Sunstein, President Obama's nominee for Administrator of the White House Office of ...

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Friday Talking Points [91] -- Win One For Teddy

Chris Weigant | Posted 09.28.2009 | Politics

Read More: Social Security, Ted, May You Be in Heaven, Cloture, Win One for Teddy, Employee Free Choice Act, Public Universities, Irish Wake, Kennedy, Teddy Kennedy, Filibuster, Politicizing, Reform, Politicize, Democratic, Friday Talking Points, Paul Wellstone, Funeral, Video, Edward Kennedy, Mayor Quimby, Simpsons, Senator, Chow-Dah, Midotw, Most Disappointing Democrat of the Week, Most Impressive Democrat of the Week, Public Education, Public University, Health Care, Reid, Diamond Joe Quimby, Irish, Card Check, Massachusetts, Democrat, Medicaid, Majority Leader, The Simpsons, Democrats, Efca, Springfield, The Simpsons Movie, USA Today, Contest, Edward M Kennedy, Mddotw, Eulogy, Chris Weigant, Health, Uncle Ted, Senator Kennedy, Harry Reid, Medicare, Irish Toast, Socialism, Higher Education, Wellstone, Teddy, Up or Down Vote, Quimby, Healthcare, Senate, Politics News
Chris Weigant

Calling for some sort of decorous avoidance of politics during politicians' funerals is downright ridiculous. It'd be like eulogizing Charles Lindbergh and not mentioning airplanes.

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Obama Nominee Moves Forward After GOP Hold Forces Dems To Take Anti-Filibuster Measure

The Washington Independant | Posted 07.24.2009 | Politics

Read More: Yale Law School, Cloture, Obama Nominee, John Bolto, Dean Koh, George Bush, Obama, Harold Koh, Harold Koh Nominee for State Department Legal Advisor, Harry Reid, Richard Lugar, State Department, John Bellinger, Glenn Beck, Jim Demint, Politics News

On Monday, nearly four months after President Obama nominated Harold Koh to become legal adviser to the State Department, Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) fil...

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A Critique of the Senate Filibuster

Roy Ulrich | Posted 06.06.2009 | Politics

Read More: Arlen Specter, Filibuster, Cloture, Politics News
Roy Ulrich

The modern silent filibuster fosters legislative paralysis.

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A Critique of the Senate Filibuster

Roy Ulrich | Posted 06.06.2009 | Politics

Read More: Arlen Specter, Filibuster, Cloture, Senate, Democratic Filibuster, Republican Filibuster, Politics News
Roy Ulrich

Famously, the U.S. Senate is called the more deliberative of the two national legislative bodies. But the filibuster as practiced today is not about deliberation. Deliberation is a good thing. Instead, the modern silent filibuster fosters legislative paralysis.

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Is Cap-And-Trade Dead This Year?

Chris Weigant | Posted 05.07.2009 | Politics

Read More: Cap and Trade, Gas Prices, Foreign Oil, Cloture, President Obama, Economy, Washington, Filibuster, Democratic, Obama, Lightswitch Tax, Conventional Wisdom, Filibuster Proof, Republican, Cap-and-Trade, Budget Reconciliation, Health Care, Reconciliation, Energy, Gas, House, Budget, Democrat, Congress, Energy Policy, Democrats, Barack Obama, Fast Track, Education, Wall Street, Chris Weigant, Tax, Oil, Senate, Healthcare, Politics News
Chris Weigant

Democrats are all but admitting that they're killing off cap-and-trade for this year's legislative season. When the time comes, they will be blaming the Republicans, even though their own cowardice is the real culprit.

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Jason Linkins

Filibusters Skyrocketed As GOP Became Minority In Congress

HuffingtonPost.com | Jason Linkins | Posted 05.01.2009 | Politics

Read More: Pain, Senate, Congress, Cloture, Filibusters, Idiots, Politics News

Basically, the Obama administration has one shot at doing the things that they were elected to do, and it will come, if it comes at all, in a process ...

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Sam Stein

Specter Will Vote Against Employee Free Choice Act

HuffingtonPost.com | Sam Stein | Posted 04.24.2009 | Politics

Read More: Arlen Specter, Efca, Specter Employee Free Choice Act, Cloture, Specter Efca, Efca Debate, Larry Farnsworth, Politics News

UPDATE: Senator Specter ended speculation on where he would come down on the Employee Free Choice Act by declaring, on the Senate floor, that he would...

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Sam Stein and Ryan Grim

How Labor Can Get 60 Votes On EFCA Without Getting 60 Votes

HuffingtonPost.com | Sam Stein and Ryan Grim | Posted 04.10.2009 | Politics

Read More: Ben Nelson, Cloture, Obama Efca, Filibuster, Efca, Harry Reid, Union Efca, Democrats Efca, Politics News

The labor movement's mostly unspoken tactic to pass the Employee Free Choice Act -- its legislation of generational importance -- seeped out into publ...

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The Harry Reid Problem: Lamest Daily Show Guest Ever

M.S. Bellows, Jr. | Posted 05.14.2008 | Home

Read More: Supreme Court, John McCain, Cloture, Filibuster, Election 2008, John Roberts, Filibustering, Barack Obama, Senate Democrats, Harry Reid, Samuel Alito, Off the Bus, Hillary Clinton, Joe Lieberman, Senate Majority Leader, Offthebus, Home News
M.S. Bellows, Jr.

Harry Reid, senate majority leader, was as weak on The Daily Show as he is on the senate floor, whining about the threat of Republican filibusters as a brake on change. Weak, weak, weak!

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