Who knew that all it would take to end Republican filibusters was to demand that they actually filibuster - that is stay there 24 hours a day in the well of the Senate reading the phonebook, ordering take out, sleeping on cots and peeing in buckets. The good old days of the filibuster have returned! Recently, Democrats had accepted that all Republicans had to do was to say "filibuster" and that was enough to stop legislation from proceeding. But then Harry Reid got the bright idea that if he made them actually filibuster, they might think twice about actually filibustering. This little change in the rules is absolutely within the majority leader's power to enforce! Thank, God, he finally did it.
Faced with the prospect of pulling an all-nighter, the Republicans chickened out. Weenies! I always knew that, if you called their bluff and bluster, they would fold. Good work, Democrats. Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, you are finally getting the Republicans' number. They're a bunch of chickens and weenies if it means they have to actually put themselves out any. They talk tough, but you can blow them over with a feather. Good work, Democrats!
From Huffington Post:
All-Night Votes Planned For Wall Street Reform; Harry Reid Calls Stonewalling 'Anti-American'
UPDATE 4:04 p.m. -- The cots did the trick. With the specter of an all-night session before them, Republicans have decided to allow the Wall Street reform bill to move to the floor for debate and amendment, said Jim Manley, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).
* * * * *Harry on Wednesday upped the pressure on Republicans who are blocking debate on Wall Street reform from going forward. Shortly before the third vote this week to break a filibuster, Reid charged that it was "anti-American" to attempt to alter the bill through closed-door negotiations rather than hashing it out on the Senate floor.
"All the talk by Republicans about wanting to do something about this bill before it gets on the floor is really anti-Senate, anti-American," Reid said. "It appears they're more concerned about taking care of the fat cats on Wall Street."
The GOP beat back the attempt to break the filibuster 56-42, with Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) voting with the Republicans for the third straight time. Dick Durbin (Ill.), the no. 2 Democrat in the Senate, told reporters to prepare for a long evening Wednesday as Democrats prepare to force repeated votes into the night.
"Americans are counting on us to get results, so we are going to do our jobs and keep the Senate open all night - we will vote again and again, until Republicans stop protecting Wall Street and join us in moving forward to an open, public debate about how to hold Wall Street accountable," said Reid spokesman Jim Manley.
"We're rolling out the cots," a senior Democratic leadership aide added, noting that the sergeant at arms will be instructed to require the presence of senators on the floor for "live quorum calls." Democrats will also continuously ask for unanimous consent to move to debate on the Wall Street bill, forcing the GOP to object at all hours of the night.
A top GOP aide told HuffPost Hill Tuesday that Republicans know that once the bill hits the floor, it will be difficult to amend, so the strategy is to get as much as can be done before it goes to the floor.
Now the Democrats have to hang tough and not let Republicans drill loopholes in it and water it down.We want all derivatives on an exchange, and a fully independent Consumer Financial Protection Agency (not in the Federal Reserve).
First Posted: 04-28-10 12:23 PM | Updated: 04-28-10 04:14 PM