UPDATE: The body of this diary is based on Senate rules that are outdated. Thanks to Hobbitfoot for directing me to comments on his/her previous diary that explain the matter succinctly. You may continue to read this as a rant in light of the aforementioned context. Blog on...
Today, the headline on CNN TV read that the Democrats failed a major test vote on Iraq by failing to pass a bill that would allow troops to have longer leave between combat deployments. The vote was lost by 4 votes. Not 46 votes in favor of the bill, but 56 votes in favor of ending debate on the bill. It was, in fact only 4 votes short of being filibuster-proof. So then there was a filibuster? Really. Well then where the hell was it?!
In 1957 a record was set. The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was on the Senate floor, an act that would guarantee African-American voting rights in the South. How horrid a prospect to an arch-racist and segregationist.
So horrid that Senator Strom Thurmond headed for the nearest steam room. The steam room you ask? That’s right. Not wanting the biological process of urination to interfere with the critical undertaking of denying African-Americans the right to vote, Senator Thurmond thoroughly dehydrated himself in a steam room prior to his Senate floor time so that he could drink without nature’s interruption.
For 24 hours and 19 minutes, Senator Thurmond personally did stand on the floor of the Senate and deny African Americans the right to vote. It was a proud day for Ku Klux Klansman everywhere (and the fledgling youth who would become the majority of the current Supreme Court.) And for everyone who was not a racist-segregationist, they could see, with their own eyes, the flesh and blood of those who stood against the equality of all men before the law. For there was no "test vote" quietly taken that day in the Senate.
Now admittedly, it was Southern Democrats, like Thurmond, who were so venomously opposed to the legislation, and Lyndon Johnson’s ramming the Civil Rights acts of 1964 and 1965 down their throats that ended the Democratic lock on the south and saw Thurmond switch to the party more in line with his racist-segregationist views. But the point is that these votes were not quietly tested to see if debate could be ended. Senators instead were forced to take to the floor and by the force of their lungs and will, deny the rights of Americans before the American people and with the American people bearing witness to their obstruction. Johnson in fact ended Thurmond’s filibuster by not referring any further business to the Senate thereby forcing opponents to have a continuous filibuster thereby exhausting their will.
Just a quick history: the current rule allows for the Senate Majority Leader (being one Harry Reid of Nevada) to require a floor filibuster rather than the procedural filibuster (cloak to hide behind). Since 1917 a 2/3 vote of voting members allowed for cloture thereby ending a filibuster, which was, for a period between 1949 and 1959 modified to require a 2/3 vote of the entire Senate. This was changed in 1975 to a 3/5 vote of the entire Senate (or 60 Senators) and 2/3 of Senators voting. Of course the filibuster-happy Republicans threatened to eliminate the filibuster in 2005 when Democrats opposed some of the right-wing judicial nominees of the Decider (not Cheney).
I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of these silent procedural filibusters. It’s time to let the Republicans take to the floor in the flesh before the cameras and block this legislation in front of the curtain, in front of the smoke, in front of the mirrors, with their faces droning on all the networks, actively kicking and screaming to deny the American people and our troops any change in course.
I say if the Republican minority is so hell-bent on denying relief to "weekend" Reservists forced into the meat-grinder of battle for 5 consecutive combat tours, then let them take to the steam rooms of the Capital and to the floor of the Senate with diapers secured and with the American people bearing witness to their obstruction, filibuster this bill in flesh rather than in spirit so that we, and our brave troops can see by the light of accountability, who stands against us.