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blkwhtrbbt The Dragon of the Eastern Sea from Doesn't take orders from Vladimir Putin Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
The Dragon of the Eastern Sea
#146726: Oct 27th 2016 at 6:42:59 AM

Yeah, once it took endurance to filibuster.

One dude, I forget his name, took the stage for 10 hours, and talked about topics including his grandmother's pie recipes.

Say to the others who did not follow through You're still our brothers, and we will fight for you
CrimsonZephyr Would that it were so simple. from Massachusetts Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
Would that it were so simple.
#146727: Oct 27th 2016 at 6:49:10 AM

Democrats might need the filibuster one day. It shouldn't just be tossed out. Still, if the GOP wants to filibuster, then filibuster and be damned.

"For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."
Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#146728: Oct 27th 2016 at 6:58:36 AM

William Weld, the VP nominee for the Libertarian Party, urged voters to reject Donald Trump and stopped just short of endorsing Clinton/conceding the election.

http://secondnexus.com/politics-and-economics/william-weld-rejects-donald-trump/?utm_content=inf_10_1164_2&tse_id=INF_298dbfc09c4911e6bd3ee3ca348530db

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
Elle Since: Jan, 2001
#146729: Oct 27th 2016 at 7:02:53 AM

Interesting thought about filibusters: today you can get real-time feedback of the public reaction to them. When Wendy Davis filibustered for abortion rights a year or two ago she was well-lauded and likewise the democratic sit-in over gun control; have any recent Republican efforts received such support?

blkwhtrbbt The Dragon of the Eastern Sea from Doesn't take orders from Vladimir Putin Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
The Dragon of the Eastern Sea
#146730: Oct 27th 2016 at 7:04:11 AM

Have any recent Republican efforts gone to any noble/just cause?

Say to the others who did not follow through You're still our brothers, and we will fight for you
megarockman from The Sixth Borough (Experienced Trainee)
#146731: Oct 27th 2016 at 7:08:24 AM

EDIT: Nevermind, bad info

edited 27th Oct '16 7:09:11 AM by megarockman

The damned queen and the relentless knight.
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#146733: Oct 27th 2016 at 7:10:54 AM

I wouldn't mind if the filibuster were returned to its original role of someone actually standing on the floor and reading from Dr. Seuss books or something. The problem with the modern filibuster is that the mere threat of one is enough to stall action because the side in favor of whatever is being discussed lacks enough votes to force cloture, and so doesn't bother trying. That, more than the fact of the filibuster itself, is the problem. All you have to do is say you'll filibuster something and it dies unless it has 60+ votes.

edited 27th Oct '16 7:28:56 AM by Fighteer

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Medinoc from France (Before Recorded History)
#146734: Oct 27th 2016 at 7:32:15 AM

This just brought to my attention that I had Wendy Davis and Elizabeth Warren confused.

But yeah, the former's filibuster in Texas was held to high standards, and it would do good for the US that senate filibusters be held to the same standards, rather than allowing some idiot to read Dr. Seuss while completely missing its point (or even merely threaten to do so!).

"And as long as a sack of shit is not a good thing to be, chivalry will never die."
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#146735: Oct 27th 2016 at 7:35:18 AM

It'd be enough if they actually stood up and read Dr. Seuss. As I said, the problem now is that they don't even have to do that; they merely need to threaten to, such that all meaningful actions by the Senate effectively require 60 votes rather than 50 or 51.

Here's a link to a common graph of cloture motions by year (since 1917, when the process was formalized), which doesn't even cover all the cases where a bill isn't even brought up because they don't want to go to the effort of holding a cloture vote

Notably, there is some question as to whether the filibuster is Constitutional.

edited 27th Oct '16 7:39:11 AM by Fighteer

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Zendervai Since: Oct, 2009
#146736: Oct 27th 2016 at 7:42:58 AM

The highest profile Republican filibusters in recent years were the two Ted Cruz did. IIRC, one of them wasn't even filibustering a vote, and the other one was filibustering the budget bill. Those filibusters are in part the reason why most of the Senate really doesn't like Cruz, because he used the filibuster incorrectly, and when no one else actually wanted them to happen.

Elle Since: Jan, 2001
#146737: Oct 27th 2016 at 7:43:07 AM

I suspect it (and other questionable bill-supression things like the "majority of the majority" rule) get by on the Constitution not really covering the details of legislative proceedings.

Ogodei Fuck you, Fascist sympathizers from The front lines Since: Jan, 2011
Fuck you, Fascist sympathizers
#146738: Oct 27th 2016 at 7:50:08 AM

Right. Ain't No Rule works both ways here. There's nothing saying they can't. Hell, a Congress could pass a rule saying "we will vote on no legislation until the current president resigns" and that would be that for the session. They might suffer electorally for it, but nothing could actually stop them. Likewise none of these supposed institutions are mandated by the Constitution.

SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#146739: Oct 27th 2016 at 7:51:37 AM

Nobody can filibuster a budget, technically. A spending or tax bill, yes.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Medinoc from France (Before Recorded History)
#146740: Oct 27th 2016 at 7:55:35 AM

It'd be enough if they actually stood up and read Dr. Seuss.
I could have agreed with you if they hadn't held Wendy Davis to higher standards. They don't get to read Dr. Seuss if they don't let their political opponents do it.

"And as long as a sack of shit is not a good thing to be, chivalry will never die."
Elle Since: Jan, 2001
#146741: Oct 27th 2016 at 7:58:23 AM

[up][up][up]Though if they actually did that no one could vote on a budget/debt ceiling increase and the resulting being screwed.

edited 27th Oct '16 7:58:39 AM by Elle

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#146742: Oct 27th 2016 at 8:03:23 AM

The Constitution does specifically mandate that Congress vote on a budget, and so there's an argument to be made that choosing not to hold any votes on anything forever would be unconstitutional by definition. Most Congressmen are not that self-destructive, even Republicans.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Balmung Since: Oct, 2011
#146743: Oct 27th 2016 at 8:16:58 AM

@blkwhtrbbt: But the record was when Dixiecrat Strom Thurmond filibustered for 24 hours and 18 minutes straight in opposition of the 1957 Civil Rights Act. From what I can gather, he mostly read historical documents for that time.

nervmeister Since: Oct, 2010
#146744: Oct 27th 2016 at 9:10:05 AM

They have lived the "traditional", American lifestyle, suppressing various personal desires to conform and "put the nation first." Then in the middle or tail end of their lives they feel like they are being told that the jokes on them and nothing they or their ancestors did mattered, or worse it was evil,
Now this kind of existential plight I can sympathize with. Not always easy to adjust to a changing world when you've been raised and comfortably grew up with a stringent ideal of how things "should be".

tclittle Professional Forum Ninja from Somewhere Down in Texas Since: Apr, 2010
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#146746: Oct 27th 2016 at 9:37:26 AM

Why would birth certificates list bathrooms? You're not even potty trained yet!

On the lighter side: http://www.rawstory.com/2016/10/michael-moore-mocks-donald-trump-jr-for-thinking-trumpland-documentary-is-pro-trump/

Milo Yiannapolous released a partial clip of Michael Moore's Michael Moore in Trumpland that made it look like Moore was endorsing Trump. It apparently even got Trump Jr tweeting out the clip. Of course, while the clip has Moore explaining how Trump supporters would be motivated to vote Trump, it leaves out a scathing indictment of using the ballot box as an answer management tool.

Moore's response:

Hey everyone - Trump, Jr. & right wing thinks my movie called "TrumpLand" is pro-Trump! Haha. Pls don't tell them otherwise! #satire #irony

edited 27th Oct '16 9:40:56 AM by sgamer82

TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#146747: Oct 27th 2016 at 10:02:12 AM

Yes. He campaign slogan is literally "Make America Great Again". Well, it sounds optimistic at least.

It's so....

backhanded.

It's downright insidious tbh

Trump's basically a political PUA. His campaign revolves around negging America; lowering our national self-esteem so that we'll be more compliant to going home with him.

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
JackOLantern1337 Shameful Display from The Most Miserable Province in the Russian Empir Since: Aug, 2014 Relationship Status: 700 wives and 300 concubines
Shameful Display
#146748: Oct 27th 2016 at 10:27:29 AM

[up]That is so in character for him.

I Bring Doom,and a bit of gloom, but mostly gloom.
LinkToTheFuture A real bad hombre from somewhere completely different Since: Apr, 2015 Relationship Status: What's love got to do with it?
A real bad hombre
#146749: Oct 27th 2016 at 10:33:33 AM

I've come to seriously hate the false equivalency I see everywhere on the Internet now (and in real life)

Saying "they're both equally bad!" is a good way to sound like you're a smart critical thinker without actually doing the research.

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." -Thomas Edison
BonsaiForest Since: Jan, 2001
#146750: Oct 27th 2016 at 10:33:58 AM

A black coworker is talking about how he plans to vote for Trump and we all should, but he seems to be at least half-joking. He's saying things like, "He says 'Make America Great Again' on his hat! It's right there on his hat!" and in response to people pointing to Trump's past behavior, "Maybe he'll have a change of heart." It sounds like he's joking, and there's a lot of laughing going on.

At the same time, he says he's genuinely tired of business as usual and believes Trump will shake things up. I told him dropping a bomb would shake things up, but not in a good way. He laughed and said that he doesn't want to influence anyone's opinions, so please vote straight-ticket Republican.


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