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Subscribe to RSS" 'A graveyard of good ideas' is how freshman Democrat Tom Udall of New Mexico sees the Senate. 'Out of whack with the way the rest of the world is,' says another freshman, Michael Bennet, D-Colo," the AP writes. "'Just defies common sense' is the impression of Claire McCaskill, a first-term Democrat from Missouri, in describing the filibuster-plagued institution. New members, especially those from the majority party eager to fulfill their election promises, typically complain about the slow pace of the Senate. But with partisanship pushing the Senate toward petrification, some newcomers are seeking fundamental changes in the way the Senate operates. Getting their more senior colleagues to go along will not be easy."
"Sen. Ted Stevens was laid to rest Wednesday in Anchorage, with colleagues and religious leaders praising the iconic Republican’s work to build and develop his adopted home state of Alaska," Roll Call reports.
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The Senate desperately needs to be reformed. It's currently acting only as the place where legislation goes to die. There is no bipartisanship or comprise left, so the Senate cannot function as intended. It has ceased to be relevant, much less effective.
For those who say "throw all the bums out," well, you'll just get a new set of bums if they don't fix the structural problems.
We need to eliminate the filibuster and change to majority rule. If the Republicans gain seats in the midterm this may temporarily hurt Democrats, but we need change for the long haul not just the current status. The current situation has caused Minority rule and that’s not right for America.
The Senate, I believe, is the reason Congress has such low approval ratings. If you've noticed, the more petrified by partisanship the Senate has become, the lower Congressional approval ratings have gone. I understand that the Senate was set up to be slower and more deliberate than the house, but with the minority party more than willing to fillibuster ANYTHING the majority party throws at it, we have gone from slow and deliberate to frozen and useless. Just think- our tax dollars going towards the salaries of these people who accomplish virtually nothing while in office.
Thank God for obstructionism...if one party (either Dem or Rep) was allowed to ram their idealistic, but poorly thought out legislation through unchecked, we would be even more screwed than we are.
Checks and balances!!!!
Thats already happened under bush with the republican majority in congress and we can see that it was very bad for the country, and is still hounding us today! Obstructionism does not help. Discussing the issues in a responsible and civil way, and reaching sound conclusions will prevent a broken congress, from remaining that way. But there are no republicans willing to have those discussions.
Wanda, does obstructionism not work because you are not getting what you want? Would you rather that all bills/policies from one party (say democrat) be passed because you agree with them?
Bookem:
It's not about one party passing everything they want. It's more a matter of both sides having enough clout to require some compromises. Right now, GOP knows that they don't have the votes to pass anything by themselves. If there's a 52/48 balance (or any other close numbers), both sides have more incentive to compromise.
The current situation is hopeless. Reducing minority opportunities to create gridlock would create an incentive for compromise. It should be much more difficult to "just say no."
I would rather see bills that are specifically what they state. For example, why did HCR have anything to do with student loans? There is no need for compromise if bills were only related to the subject matter and not amended over and over again with unrelated items. This would be transparent.
minnps
We had that w/ the Repubs. Tax cuts, Medicare Pt D. The problem w/ the Senate is that now has any spine to make either stand up and actually Fillibuster. The Dems unlike the Repubs, will have the issue w/ Healthcare going through like Bush's tax cuts. 10 years and we'll how it affects the deficits. Bush's tax cuts add 3 trillion or more to the deficit. Obama's healthcare, they say is paid for, but does nothing to actually lower cost or make the Industry actually compete for our tax dollars. The Senate has become a graveyard of complacency and partisanship and needs new rules to make them more accountable.
The rules in the Senate have long been bad. However, the real problem is when the minority threatens to fillibuster the majority just lets them slide without actually making them filibuster all day and all night. If they have to stand and read the phone book or what have you for days that will make them look very petty and the public will get to see it for what it is.
You're right Mark. And they won't read it aloud on the floor because they feel its a waste of time, but I say someone can be slated every day with several pages and just take turns reading it to their azz until its done!! Then what will be their excuse? OOoops I missed a section, could you read it over! Poor listening skills. They still don't get it!!!
Or, Mark, the filibuster could be ended by invoking cloture.
Were working on it get out some of these entrenched politicians who are representing big business, lobbyist, and wall street we might get something done. They should be the ones in the bread line,,,,unemployment line,,,emergency room with no health care,,,,,food pantry....Sorry forgot there out of touch, there in line for hand out of money to continue with keeping Washington the Same.
You got it russel fox, Maybe they should walk a mile in our shoes!!!
Here is the history of the budgets:
1996 -107 Billion (DEM WH, GOP wins House & Senate for first time in 40 yrs)
1997 -21.9 Billion (DEM WH, GOP House & Senate)
1998 +69.3 Billion (DEM WH, GOP House & Senate)
1999 +125.6 Billion (DEM WH, GOP House & Senate)
2000 +236.2 Billion (GOP WH, GOP House & Senate)
2001 +128.2 Billion (GOP WH, GOP House & Senate , America was attacked)
2002 -157.8 Billion (GOP WH, GOP House & Senate, congress approves 2 wars)
2003 -377.6 Billion (GOP WH, GOP House & Senate)
2004 -412.7 Billion ((GOP WH, GOP House & Senate)
2005 -318.3 Billion (GOP WH, GOP House & Senate, Hurricane Katrina)
2006 -248.2 Billion (GOP WH, GOP House & Senate)
2007 -160.7 Billion (GOP WH, DEM wins House & Senate)
2008 -458.6 Billion (DEM WH, DEM House & Senate)
2009 -1.4 Trillion (DEM WH, DEM Senate & House, national debt explodes)
2010 -1.5 Trillion est. (DEM WH, DEM Senate & House)
2011 -1.3 Trillion est. (DEM WH, Senate? & House?)
2012 -830 Billion est. (DEM WH, Senate? & House ?)
Will someone please give the correct trillions for 2007,2008. Because I know the national debt was already in the trillions when Obama took Office!
I think you might have left those pesky old wars off the budget, as well as the drug benefit handout to the health insurance companies.
Absolutely Cathy M!!! They constantly try to slide that by, but you just can't oveerlook it in the over all picture.
I say kick all these old relics out... all of them. ".they " both party's have brought this country right where is currently is dirty from oil ..failing banks...health care only for the wealthy no jobs etc !
And have term limits 2 terms in a lifetime....and make it illegal to take money from any company... campaigns should a 100 K budget when its gone your campaign is over ! And job performance evaluations .and oh yes..... lets end the 16 thousand plus dollars a month...i think 32K a yr is better for the people and they pay their our health care !
KeepN:
We already have term limits. They're called elections.
"make it illegal to take money from any company... " Sorry. The US Supreme Court recently ruled on this, and granted corporations unrestricted donations for political purposes. And that from the most conservative SCOTUS in recent memory.
job performance evaluations. See term limits. They're called elections.
Are you keeping it real...or just fantasizing?
KeepN:
We already have term limits. They're called elections.
"make it illegal to take money from any company... " Sorry. The US Supreme Court recently ruled on this, and granted corporations unrestricted donations for political purposes. And that from the most conservative SCOTUS in recent memory. I'm not happy about it, but the alternative is a Constitutional Amendment. Good luck with that.
Job performance evaluations? See term limits. They're called elections.
"32K a yr is better for the people and they pay their our health care !" The problem isn't what the US pays them. The problem is what LOBBYISTS pay them. Choke off the money spigot or we'll never get anywhere.
They "pay their our health care!" Right. We just went through a toxic debate about whether government should pay for health care. Remember how that came out? The answer was a pretty clear "NO WAY IN HELL."
Are you keeping it real...or just fantasizing?
I say kick all these old relics out... all of them. ".they " both party's have brought this country right where is currently is dirty from oil ..failing banks...health care only for the wealthy no jobs etc !
And have term limits 2 terms in a lifetime....and make it illegal to take money from any company... campaigns should a 100 K budget when its gone your campaign is over ! And job performance evaluations .and oh yes..... lets end the 16 thousand plus dollars a month...i think 32K a yr is better for the people and they pay their our health care !
Sounds like someone is a republican !
KeepN:
If you mean me, you would be sadly mistaken. A lifelong Democrat, I voted in my first Presidential election in 1970. I'm much more liberal than today's Democrats, and recently changed to "unaffiliated" out of frustration. That said, though, I long for the days when Republicans were actually centrists, and didn't try to "outcrazy" each other.
Neither party today is what it promises. Thus, nearly everyone is cynical, frustrated, and angry. Myself included, but for very different reasons than the GOP/T Party types.
Ideas,,,,sure there about how to flice the American people,,,,theirs only one way to get out of this mess is move Washington to russia with all there dirty laundry and maybe we can get some real people in there to work for the people and not all this ,,,all for the lobbyist, banks etc,,,,,don't you understand you cant take it with you . Haven't seen a brinks truck at a funeral yet....You can make all the prediction you want, this country is broke, in a recession and close to a depression...We know it you wont accept reality but keep feeding ous bull.