http://www.wsj.com/articles/preserve-the-filibusterthen-overcome-it-1483747527 By Phil Gramm and Michael Solon Jan. 6, 2017 7:05 p.m. ET American voters responded to President Obama’s failed recovery and government overreach by giving Republicans control of the White House, Senate and House. Yet despite this rejection of the Obama agenda, there is a growing fear that efforts to repeal it could be thwarted by the Senate’s filibuster. Democrats hold 48 seats in the upper chamber, and to block legislation with a filibuster takes only 41. The Republican majority could eliminate the Senate filibuster on legislation using the same procedure Democrats did in 2013 to end filibusters for all nominees except Supreme Court justices. But before remaking the Senate in the image of the House of Representatives, Republicans might revisit why our Founding Fathers designed the chamber as they did. In the Senate the founders created a living bulwark to stop an overbearing government from taking root in America. During the Constitutional Convention, James Madison wrote that “the use of the Senate is to consist in its proceeding with more coolness, with more system and with more wisdom, than the popular branch.” George Washington is held to have explained the Senate to Thomas Jefferson with a question: “Why did you pour that tea into your saucer?” Jefferson replied: “To cool it.” Washington then explained: “We pour legislation into the senatorial saucer to cool it.”
As someone who prefers gridlock, I like what Gramm is saying. Because democrats are evil doesn't mean republicans should stoop to their level. However, Democrats did make their own bed with respect to voting on appointments. On that, turnabout is fair play.
And yours is the lamest Denny Crane quote. (actually what you say when you quote me is generally lame)
Finally you admit that you are a Republican, something that has been obvious to the rest of us for years, despite your protests. barfo
Oh, there's a lot of competition for lamest Denny Crane quote. You've submitted thousands of entries. barfo
Wait a tick...the Democrats actually took seats away from the Republicans in both the house and senate...doesn't that kind of mean just the opposite of what this trash meant to imply?
I said all along there was a lot of appeal to him, but he's the wrong guy. I don't like him, but I do like the deals he's cut so far. If that's the direction he keeps going, we are in for some prosperous times. For EVERYONE.
No. Democrats should have taken the senate. The deck was heavily stacked against the republicans, due to which 1/3 of the seats were up for election. Few seats for democrats to defend, many for the republicans. It was widely assumed they wouldn't maintain control. Next election is even more stacked in republicans' favor. It looks to me like republicans will have more than 60 seats after. The gist of the article is democrats were full of themselves and legislated to take power away from the minority. Republicans shouldn't reciprocate. It came back to bite the dems, it will bite the repubs, too. Gramm is a former senator from Texas. More true a conservative than any I see today.
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/11/senate-democrats-2018-midterms-231516 Reeling Democrats confront brutal 2018 Senate map A filibuster-proof majority isn't out of the question if things break right for the GOP.
I think the Republicans should appoint exactly as many judges as the Democrats did under the revoked filibuster with majority rule and then reinstate it. As a condition of reinstating it, the Democrats should agree to a full repeal of Obamacare without filibustering it. I also think they should then formalize the filibuster with a law. The way Harry Reid ran the Senate was a disgrace.
