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Filibuster

Filbusters and Holds Have No Place on Confirmations

Sandy Maisel | Posted 06.14.2009 | Politics

Read More: Dawn Johnsen, Obama Nominees, David Hayes, Senator Robert Bennett, Senate Holds, Olympia Snowe, David Souter, Filibuster, Ken Salazar, John Kyl, Politics News
Sandy Maisel

Holds are inherently undemocratic. The filibuster was never meant to be used for such purposes. And it is time for the United States Senate to mend its ways.

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The Specter Switch: The Downfall of the Democrats?

Susan J. Demas | Posted 06.12.2009 | Politics

Read More: Arlen Specter, Gop, Karl Rove, Card Check, Tom Harkin, Al Franken, Filibuster, Bernie Sanders, Permanent Republican Majority, Pennsylvania, Democrats, Barack Obama, Chris Matthews, Mark Schauer, Tom Delay, Joe Sestak, Pat Toomey, Arlen Specter Republicans, Senate, Politics News
Susan J. Demas

Those who forget the fact that America is a moderate country tend to perish.

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What Can We Expect Now that Sessions Leads Republicans on Judges?

Nan Aron | Posted 06.11.2009 | Politics

Read More: Arlen Specter, President Obama, David Souter Retires, Schumer Standard, David Souter Replacement, Filibuster, Jeff Sessions, David Souter, Judicial Nominees, Senate Judiciary Committee, Arlen Specter Democrat, Politics News
Nan Aron

Who is Senator Sessions? He's has been an outspoken opponent of the Voting Rights Act, immigration reform, embryonic stem cell research, and a woman's right to choose.

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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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Sam Stein

How Obama's Supreme Court Nominee Can And Can't Be Filibustered

HuffingtonPost.com | Sam Stein | Posted 06.01.2009 | Politics

Read More: Nomination Filibuster, Court Nomination, Supreme Court, Michael Dorf, Obama Supreme Court, Filibuster, Judiciary Committee, Politics News

The prospect of Senate Republicans filibustering an Obama Supreme Court nominee seemed remote, especially considering the defection of Sen. Arlen Spec...

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Arlen Specter: Snake of the First Water

Larry Abrams | Posted 05.30.2009 | Politics

Read More: Snakes, Arlen Specter, Reagan Landslide, Filibuster, Democrats, Republicans, Politics News
Larry Abrams

The constant of Specter's career has been the shedding of one political skin for another.

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Arthur Delaney

Reid Stresses Bipartisanship After Specter Defection

HuffingtonPost.com | Arthur Delaney | Posted 05.29.2009 | Politics

Read More: Filibuster, Harry Reid, Arlen Specter, Arlen Specter Democrat, Politics News

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid hailed the defection of former Republican Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.) to the Democratic party Tuesday, saying he welcom...

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Inhofe: Obama's Judicial Nominee is a Secret Muslim

Ian Millhiser | Posted 05.22.2009 | Politics

Read More: Filibuster, Judge David Hamilton, Establishment Clause, James Inhofe, Judicial Nominations, Politics News
Ian Millhiser

The fact that conservatives are planning to filibuster President Obama's very first nominee suggests that we can expect scorched-earth opposition to virtually all of Obama's nominees moving forward.

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Jason Linkins

Scritti Politti: April 20, 2009

HuffingtonPost.com | Jason Linkins | Posted 05.21.2009 | Media

Read More: Andrew Sullivan, Totture, Bloggers, Filibuster, Financial News, Eliot Spitzer, Jane Harman Wiretap, Jane Harman AIPAC, Jane Harman, Media Criticism, Budget Reconciliation, Blogging, Torture Memos, Media News

Imagine you had invited me to your home for some sort of potluck dinner, and I had promised to bring a freshly baked pie, only to show up with a pie p...

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Labor Must Field a Primary Opponent to Blanche Lincoln

Jonathan Tasini | Posted 05.08.2009 | Politics

Read More: Primaries, Filibuster, Blanche Lincoln, Employee Free Choice Act, Unions, Democrats, Working Life, Politics News
Jonathan Tasini

Enough. Now that she has thrown another obstacle in the path of the Employee Free Choice Act, Blanche Lincoln must face a well-funded primary opponent in 2010.

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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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Blackmail: GOP Threatens To Filibuster Nominees If Obama Releases Torture Memos

The Daily Beast | Posted 05.07.2009 | Politics

Read More: Filibuster, Obama Bush Torture Memos, GOP Filibuster, Bush Torture Memos, President Obama, Politics News

If the president releases the Bush torture memos, Republicans are promising to "go nuclear" and filibuster his legal appointments. Scott Horton report...

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White House May Seek To Bypass Filibuster Rule In Senate

McClatchy | Posted 04.17.2009 | Politics

Read More: White House Filibuster Rule, Filibuster, Senate, White House, Eliminating Filibuster, Politics News

A top White House official threatened Tuesday to use a congressional rule to force some controversial proposals through the Senate by eliminating the ...

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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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GOP Mini-Me: No Pubes, No Punditry Please!

Warren Holstein | Posted 04.09.2009 | Comedy

Read More: Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Rush Limbaugh, Jonathan Krohn Book, Bobby Jindal, Rnc, Filibuster, Democrats, Strom Thurmond, Jonathan Krohn Cpac, Cpac, Jonathan Krohn, Abstinence Only, Sarah Palin, Christianity, Gop, Fox News, Bill Bennett, Republican Party, Bristol Palin, Republicans, Jonathan Krohn Cpac Speech, Jonathan Krohn Video, Comedy News
Warren Holstein

Yup, this home-schooled Doogie Howser R.N.C. is the latest offering from the downward-spiraling Republican Party's public relations arm.

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Jason Linkins

Matthews: Abolish Filibuster, Let Majority Rule (VIDEO)

HuffingtonPost.com | Jason Linkins | Posted 04.03.2009 | Politics

Read More: John Breaux, Video, Trent Lott, Filibuster, Chris Matthews, Politics News

The filibuster. Why is it that it has continued to bedevil the Senate's majority party, even though you hardly see these croaky-throated old men stag...

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Harry Reid Promises Republicans He'll Never Call Their Bluff

Ari Melber | Posted 03.26.2009 | Politics

Read More: Hoyer, The Nation, Robert Gibbs, Durbin, Mitch McConnell, Hoyer Filibuster, Filibuster Bluff, GOP Filibuster, Pelosi, Bill Burton, Filibuster, Obama, Obama Agenda, Phil Schiliro, Stimulus, Ryan Grim, Filibuster Talk, Nuclear Option, Harry Reid, Schumer, Legislative Strategy, Sam Stein, Democratic Filibuster, Obstruction, Dem Filibuster, Mike Strautmanis, Politics News
Ari Melber

After watching this absurdity playing out in the stimulus debate, people are calling on Sen. Reid to make the Republicans follow through and actually filibuster legislation and show this spectacle to the public.

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Democrats Should Just Say No To Budget Filibusters

Chris Weigant | Posted 03.21.2009 | Politics

Read More: Blue Dog, President Obama, Budget, Appropriations, Filibuster, Democrat, Obama, Federal Budget, Omnibus, Democrats, Filibuster Proof, Barack Obama, President, Chris Weigant, Parliamentarian, Bills, Harry Reid, Obstructionist, Obstructionism, Byrd Rule, Republicans, Bill, Reid, Senate, Reconciliation, Politics News
Chris Weigant

A little-known rule in the Senate may dramatically change the balance of power between the parties during the upcoming budgetary process.

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Grand Obstructionist Party

Aram Khayatpour | Posted 03.12.2009 | Politics

Read More: Economic Stimulus Package, Conservatives, Economic Crisis, Filibuster, Obstructionist, Obama, Republicans, Stimulus, Bailout, Politics News
Aram Khayatpour

These Republicans have relegated themselves to be the roadblocks on the path to a prosperous democracy; and as such we need to do whatever is within our power to get passed them.

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Jason Linkins

GOP-Leaning Business Lobby Worried Republicans Will Ruin Stimulus

HuffingtonPost.com | Jason Linkins | Posted 03.12.2009 | Media

Read More: Filibuster, Economic Stimulus Package, Barack Obama, National Association of Manufacturers, Media News

So, way back when, then-candidate Barack Obama promised to do more to reach across the partisan divide and unite both parties around critical policies...

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Progressives Call For Democrats To Abolish The Filibuster

The American Prospect | Posted 03.12.2009 | Politics

Read More: Senate Republicans, GOP Filibuster, Senate Republicans on Stimulus, Filibuster, Harry Reid, Senate Repubicans, Republican Filibuster, Senate GOP, Politics News

The most important number in Washington this month is not the $827 billion price tag on the stimulus bill. Nor is it the eye-popping 598,000 jobs lost...

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Change vs. Bipartisanship: What Happens When You Throw a Bipartisan Party and Half the Guest List Stays Home?

Drew Westen | Posted 03.12.2009 | Politics

Read More: Congress Stimulus, U.S. Economy, Republicans Stimulus, Obama Stimulus, Economy, Economic Crisis, Filibuster, Obama Economy, Stimulus, Barack Obama, Obama Stimulus Plan, Economic Stimulus Package, 100 Days, Gop Stimulus, Economic Stimulus, Bipartisanship, Stimulus Package, Politics News
Drew Westen

The problem with a message of bipartisanship is that it makes it very difficult to tell the story of why things are so bad that we need dramatic change.

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Jason Linkins

Scritti Politti: February 4, 2009

HuffingtonPost.com | Jason Linkins | Posted 03.07.2009 | Media

Read More: Chesley Sullenberger, Politico, Filibuster, Dick Cheney, Harry Reid, Video, David Plouffe, Barack Obama, Rod Blagojevich, Joe the Plumber, Guantanamo Bay, David Plouffe Book, Tucker Bounds, Samuel J. Wurzelbacher, Media News

As the dawn breaks on a hopeful 2009, it is great to see the rise of a figure who so perfectly encapsulates the sense of responsibility and leadership...

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GOP Learns To Love The Filibuster

Huffington Post | Nicholas Graham | Posted 01.10.2009 | Politics

Read More: Auto Bailout Filibuster, Gop, Filibuster, Republican Filibuster, Republicans, GOP Filibuster, Politics News

Senate Republicans had no love for the filibuster when they were in the majority, even going so far as to discuss a "nuclear option" of abolishing it....

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