About time:
Forcing his Republican colleagues to put up or shut up on the notion of an up-or-down vote, Senate Majority leader Harry Reid (D-NV) just moments ago announced that he will immediately file a cloture motion on the Reed-Levin troop redeployment bill and, if Republicans follow through with a filibuster, will place the Senate in a prolonged all-night session Tuesday to force a true continuation of debate.
“Now, Republicans are using a filibuster to block us from even voting on an amendment that could bring the war to a responsible end,” said Reid. “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.” – bobgeiger.blogsot.com
Funny how you never hear Republicans demanding “UP OR DOWN VOTES” now that they’re so busy threatening to filibuster everything and anything they don’t agree with.
While the right-wing-o-sphere will try to play this off as something that the “anti-war left” is demanding of Congressional Democrats, the reality is an overwhelming majority of Americans from all across the political spectrum have had enough and want our troops to come home.
Good for Senate Democrats.
I live in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Milwaukee, WI with my wife Jen, our daughter Emerson, and son Carter.
I bet that they’d still want an up or down vote on Bush court nominees!
nuclear option!!
I have thought about this a bit because I thought it showed hypocrisy, however I think there is a difference between an up and down vote on a bill vs an up and down vote on a bill. A bill can have amendments which are argued, not to mention the language of the bill whereas a nomination is pretty cut and dried, which should precipitate a vote. How is that reasoning amiss?
I’m just glad Harry Reid finally grew some balls. Pardon my language, but it’s true. It’s about time Senate Democrats finally stand up and start asserting themselves as the majority party, instead of simply folding every time Dubbya threatens a veto. If I were Harry Reid, I’d let Dubbya veto until his heart’s content, because even with a veto, at least Dems can say they tried, and they can spin it to their advantage.
Shorter version: It’s OK when Republicans do it but wasn’t OK when Democrats threatened to do it.
Gotcha.
Shorter version: It’s OK when Republicans do it but wasn’t OK when Democrats threatened to do it.
Instead of being obstinate, I was looking for you to provide some insight into the difference between votes on a bill and votes on a political appointee. If you want to get mad about it, great. If you want to have a discussion, better.
When I comment, please remember I have zero political motivation. It might be hard to understand since you are involved so heavily with the Dems, but I couldn’t care less about either party. Really. So, quit thinking I am standing up for the Repubs.
YB, the problem with your argument is that you message the boundaries of reality within your own argument for the sake of flipping the standards.
First, a point of factual correction: this brooha is indeed over an amendment to the defense authorization bill, not the bill in it’s entirety.
But aside from that, the language of an amendment or a bill, just like a nominee, is in fact cut and dry. You offer the amendment. You debate the amendment. You then decide: you approve the language of the amendment or you don’t, and vote accordingly. If you want to “change” the language of the amendment, you offer an amendment to the amendment, the language of which is also cut and dry and gets a yay or nay vote. Up or down.
That said, I supported the filibuster as a tactic when my party was in the minority, and I still support it as a tactic. I just wish the Dems actually would have had the balls to use it once or twice instead of just talking about it or selling their souls to the gang of 14 to prevent it, as the Repubs have been using it left and right this session without it gaining much attention in the MSM. So I’m glad Harry Reid is making them put their money where their mouths are and in a round-about way making them ACTUALLY filibuster rather than just voting against cloture. Lets force the Republicans on stage and shine the spotlight on them in time for another landslide in ’08 so we can finally end this idiocy. Go get ‘em Harry! ‘Bout time you grew some balls.