Dear Liberals,
Today I make you the somewhat distressing (to me, anyway) admission that I will trade you 10,000 dead babies for an end to the cloture rule.
I'm kidding, of course. Abortion is wrong. But so is governance by the Senate Parliamentarian, an unelected official who has risen from obscurity to begin changing the very names of bills passed by our elected representatives.
Google "Senate Parliamentarian" and click News. I dare you. If you really understand American government, even the first-glance results should be chilling.
Hey Ben,
ReplyDeleteParliamentary tricks have always been with us, and frankly speaking both sides have done it since the beginning of....well...congress. In my liberal opinion good ol' Mitch stalling for Obama's Supreme Court justice, and then removing the filibuster rule for his eventual nomination and confirmation is a pretty big one, but I think you would find that justified as he is pretty conservative. That's just the nature of the beast. I don't think that's fair at all, but that's just the rules of the game and I just gotta take it.
What is distressing and frustrating is the tribalism and the us vs. them nature of our government nowadays. It's been commented by several members of congress on both sides of the spectrum that nothing is really happening and that's a huge problem. Our elected officials aren't legislating and I don't see things improving soon. Ryan and McConnell are resorting to tricks to get what they need out of congress, and Trump is dutifully signing them. Just as probably in the next Democrat that is the speaker of the House will resort to tricks.
What Lincoln and Reagan had in their time, which we are sorely lacking nowadays is compromise. I'll admit that Democrats aren't right now, and the argument that 'you guys started it!!' isn't productive but it's true! Perhaps that's a cheap shot, and I'll stop. Henry Clay said..."A good compromise is when both parties are dissatisfied". In modern times campaign checks aren't written with that in mind and I wonder if there will be a time period when we get back to the time of Lincoln and Reagan.
Cameron you are pretty on base usually but you are missing the point here. Possibly because I didn't actually make the point - giving you carte blanche. So well done.
DeleteThe point is, bad as such shenanigans as you reference are, they are at least undertaken by elected officials with a modicum of responsiveness to the voting public. The Senate Parlimentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, who is far more powerful than the elected officials who are supposed to be governing us. She has committed gross violations of our human rights to choose our leaders, as guaranteed by the Constitution. She should resign immediately.