Blame Republicans, America

A roll call of the bills subject to conservative filibuster (Figure 1) from Campaign for America's Future

The chart says it all. Senate Republicans have broken the record of obstructing congressional legislation with more filibusters than any political party in U.S. history! If they continue at their present rate of obstructionism, they will "more than double the historical average of the last 35 years," according to a Campaign for America's Future report. Combined with Bush's veto power, Republicans have thwarted the will of the people and ground the 2006 election mandate to a screeching halt. "In just the first year of this two-year Congress, [Republican] use of the filibuster in the Senate topped the previous record, reached during the entire 107th Congress." Guess who was the minority during the 107th Congress? Once again, the Greedy Obstructionist Party.

When you hold a 49-seat minority out of 100 votes in the Senate, GOP dirty tricks to "block and blame" Democrats becomes the tool du jour in the filibuster -- a procedural maneuver that requires 60 votes to stop. With Big Media to back Republican partisan shenanigans -- gawd forbid if they were to explain what a fricking filibuster is to the American public -- they tow the party line blaming Democrats for "doing nothing."

The Campaign for America's Future report dated Dec. 18, 2007, [PDF] details the carnage. Republicans -- who previously squealed about Democrats preventing up or down votes on judicial nominations -- have hammered obstructionism into a dark art and deployed it like an anti-American bomb across the legislative branch. Think my rhetoric is hot? You're darn tootin'. I mad as hell at the political games the GOP is playing in setting up roadblocks against efforts to change the disastrous course we've embarked under Republican misleadership over six bloody years.

With emphasis:

The new report outlines every bill filibustered, vetoed or threatened to be vetoed by President Bush. Conservatives filibustered bills to end the occupation of Iraq, provide soldiers in Iraq rest time equal to their deployments, support renewable energy and grant residents of the District of Columbia representation in Congress. Today's record-breaker involved a $516 billion budget package passed by the House to fund the federal government in 2008. The conservative minority demanded $20 billion additional funding for the war and opposed House language to bring troops home, and threatened a filibuster to prevent the bill from getting an up or down vote.

"In just one session, a minority in Congress has prevented a mind-blowing 62 pieces of legislation from going to the floor for an up or down vote," said Campaign for America's Future co-director Roger Hickey. "Our report shows how over and over again, the uncompromising minority has thwarted the will of majorities in Congress and of the American people, holding the Senate floor hostage to a radical right-wing agenda." ...

...Even pieces of legislation that have made it past the Senate filibuster blockade have been obstructed by President Bush. Last week the President vetoed for the second time a popular bill that would expand health coverage for 10 million American children. According to the Campaign for America's Future report, Bush has threatened to veto 84 bills and has vetoed six as of December 17. In contrast, during the period when the Republicans were in the congressional majority, Bush went the longest time without vetoing a bill since President Arthur Garfield.

These are dangerous times requiring unprecedented measures to break loose the death grip that Republicans have seized around the throat of American progress. With another year ahead -- they broke the record in just one session of Congress! -- Republican obstructionism with their stubborn, incompetent preznut promises more gridlock down the road.

Provided that Cheney can be contained, now is the time to exercise the nuclear option and shove the filibuster up the GOP bastard ass. With American lives and the livelihood of millions at stake, these auspicious days demand extraordinary action.

Are you listening Harry Reid? No more Mr. Nice Guy. Load the big gun for the sake of your country. You have the justification -- Republicans have repetitively abused the filibuster.

And here's the challenge to the Netroots. First, it's up to us -- You and me, Bubba -- to inform the electorate. The excellent work of Campaign for America's Future is to be praised and shared. We can also continue to pressure the media to report who is obstructing forward progress -- no small feat. Big Media is no friend to Democrats and the stenographers have their approved scripts to follow. Another thought: How many of us are willing to tune out and turn off TV and radio, take a bold step to hit them where it hurts, give up something that gets big ratings like the Super Bowl?

Second, if Reid gets gutsy and goes nuclear (Yeah, I know... what are the chances?), we must counterattack the media outlets that will reflexively cry foul, writing letters of complaint to editors, canceling subscriptions, boycotting the offending radio and TV stations, and if necessary, take the fight to the advertisers who are the life's blood of media revenues.

If you think what I've suggested goes too far, consider the ground we have to sprint in pushing back a rogue government into resembling one that works for all of us.

WTF else can we do but fight these bastards? Besides electing real Democrats?

[That's all. No more after the jump.]

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So filibuster already

Dare I say it? Do I let my hopes out of the box?

Did we get Harry Reid’s damned attention when we got snippy and reminded him that we did not flunk Civics and know what the hell constitutes a filibuster, and what is just parliamentary masturbation masquerading as a filibuster?

Could be.

Think Progress is reporting that he is calling their bluff. If they don’t allow an up or down vote, on Tuesday night the cots come out:

Moments ago, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) announced that in response to conservative obstructionism, he plans to force war supporters to physically remain in the Senate and filibuster Iraq withdrawal legislation.

Reid accused conservatives of “protecting the President rather than protecting our troops” by “denying us an up or down vote on the most important issue our country faces.” He said that if a vote on the Reed/Levin Iraq legislation is not allowed today or tomorrow, he will keep the Senate in session “straight through the night on Tuesday” and force a filibuster. From Reid’s speech:

Republicans are using a filibuster to block us from even voting on an amendment that could bring the war to a responsible end. They are protecting the President rather than protecting our troops.

They are denying us an up or down — yes or no — vote on the most important issue our country faces.

I would like to inform the Republican leadership and all my colleagues that we have no intention of backing down.

If Republicans do not allow a vote on Levin/Reed today or tomorrow, we will work straight through the night on Tuesday.

The American people deserve an open and honest debate on this war, and they deserve an up or down vote on this amendment to end it.

Well Amen and Hallelujah! This fighting Dem has just one thing to say…What took you so f***ing long?

The always-excellent Bob Geiger has more.

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The post where I call out Harry Reid

Just about an hour ago, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation requiring the pull-out of American forces from Iraq. Per the House legislation, the draw down would start in 120 days, to be completed by April.

Now it goes to the Senate.

Harry Reid, you feckless dolt, don’t bend over and spread ‘em when Joe “More War!!!” Lieberman threatens to filibuster.

Calling the threat to filibuster a filibuster is just procedural masturbation. And frankly, an insult to my intelligence.

Let the Senator from AIPAC talk for as long as he can. Bring out the roll-away beds and make the bastard stand there until his ankles swell and his lips crack and he can’t go on another second.

But don’t you dare call for a cloture vote from the get-go and then say the bill was "filibustered."

Democrats, listen up: you were sent back to the majority because Americans are sick to death of this idiotic, criminal, war-of-choice started by a mendacious fool and his equally-messed-up in the head neocon chickenhawk “advisers” – none of whom have any skin in the game.

Now, do your duty and don’t take the screwing that the Pubbies have been dishing out. They are nothing more than schoolyard bullies, and we all know that bullies are every last one cowards at their very core, and they crumble when they are called out.

So call them out.

And stop calling a parliamentary jacking-off a filibuster. Some of us didn’t sleep through Civics class, and we know you are full of shit. Which puts you a hell of a lot closer to the Pubbies in the public mind than you want to be.

So man up and call ‘em out.

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Unconscionable!

As if there was any doubt left in any sentient mind that the far-right wing of the Republican party could not possibly care less about the well-being of the G.I.’s in the field, Republicans successfully filibustered the Webb amendment that would have mandated that troops receive at least as much dwell-time as they do time in the theatre of operations.

Republicans Chuck Hagel (the bill’s co-sponsor) Norm Coleman, John Sununu, Gordon Smith, John Warner, Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe crossed party lines to vote with the Democrats. Snowe is the only one of the Republican’s to support the bill who is not up for reelection in 2008.

It is no surprise that the perpetually ignoble Joe “More War!!!” Lieberman voted with the feckless republicans to kill Senator Webb’s reasoned and reasonable troop-protection amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill for FY 2008. I hope no one is too taken aback by the feckless fools Domenici and Lugar, who showed their true colors (various shades of yellow) and an unwillingness to do what is right and break ranks with the resident on this issue.

I am also deeply disappointed in Senator Bond, whose son served in Iraq as an intelligence officer. I received the following statement from his office:

"I am concerned about the burden placed upon our brave fighting men and women and their families and we are working with the military to ensure appropriate rest periods for our active, guard and reserves.

"This amendment would make a difficult situation worse, however.

"It would limit our service members and commanders in a time of war, hinder our war-time capabilities, and most importantly it would undermine unit cohesion and our ability to win."

I must disagree. A force that is receiving inadequately training and that does not receive appropriate rest and dwell-time is a greater threat to our ability to respond to threats both at home and abroad, than a statutory requirement that mandates they receive appropriate rest time.

I hope everyone who has ever served, or loved someone who did will remember this vote forevermore. A no vote here was simply unconscionable. It was beyond unconscionable. It was, in the words of my husband “repre-fucking-hensible.”

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Up Or Down Vote

I'll keep this post short and refer everybody to the outstanding article entitled The Grand Obstructionist Party posted June 27, 2007 in the Carpetbagger Report. That post establishes beyond doubt that the Senate leadership has consciously decided to obstruct votes on any significant piece of legislation moving through Congress. So far the mainstream media has refused to call Republicans on their obstructionism. MSNBC's Chip Reid, reporting on the defeat of the President's immigration bill, actually repeated the Republican claim that this is a do nothing Dem Congress.

The Democratic Congress is a big loser because, more and more, Republicans are accusing them of being a do-nothing Congress

We can add a couple of more Senate blocks to the list. Last Thursday Senator Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) blocked a deal between Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) that would have started up long-stalled conference proceedings on the Lobbying and Ethics Reform Act of 2007

The Employee Free Choice Act, also known as The Card Check bill, was filibustered by Senate Republicans late Tuesday afternoon. An attempt to invoke cloture fell nine votes short of the necessary sixty and failed, 51-48.

Folks, in the coming weeks we are going to hear a lot more out of Republican/Corporate Media shills like Chip Reid. We need to keep in mind that the Senate Republicans have decided to be obstructionists. When you hear Chip Reid or any of the other Republican shill talk about the Do Nothing Dem Congress, shout "Up Or Down Vote, Up Or Down Vote."

You want to help improve the quality of journalism, tell people like Chip Reid to get their facts straight on every issue every time. Merely repeating party generated talking points is no longer acceptable.

UPDATE: I missed this a couple of hours ago, but Natasha T. Metzler quoted Harry Reid in an AP article headlined Reid: Democrats' Agenda Is Progressing as saying "Republican obstruction has gotten so bad that now they're blocking bills that they actually support."

Another bill being held hostage by Republican Senators involves the implementation of 9/11 commission recommendations. Things have gotten so bad Reid is threatening to cancel the August recess. Remember Up Or Down Vote. Get those Republican Rascals on the Record.

SECOND UPDATE: Via Steve Benen writing for TPM. Recently, Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott boasted, "The strategy of being obstructionist can work or fail. So far it's working for us." Robert Borosage is starting a campaign to call bullshit on Republican obstructionism. He thinks we should demand Harry Reid force an old fashioned filibuster on some issue. I didn't know this issue was so hot.

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