Joe Manchin opens the door to filibuster reform

Swim19 · 03-07-2021, 06:18 PM

If this change was made, it could help immigration reform be passed:

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On Sunday, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), a longtime defender of the filibuster, signaled that he might nevertheless be open to filibuster reforms that could make it easier for Democrats to advance their legislative agenda.

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That may not sound like a big deal, but it is: As Politico reporter Andrew Desiderio pointed out on Twitter Sunday, what Manchin appears to be describing is a throwback to the “talking filibuster,” which would likely pose a much more surmountable obstacle to the narrow Democratic Senate majority.

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As Desiderio explained, under a “talking filibuster,” any “member of the minority party can filibuster as long as he/she stays put on the floor.” But once a member finishes speaking, the filibuster would end, and “there’d be a vote at a simple majority threshold” of 50 votes, instead of the existing 60-vote threshold required to end a filibuster.

That’s a big change, because there’s currently no actual filibustering required to filibuster in the Senate, at least not in the conventional sense. As Vox explained back in 2015, the modern filibuster doesn’t require a senator talking on the floor for hours on end to delay a bill.

Instead, today’s filibuster is a straightforward move to reject unanimous consent on a bill that the minority can wield painlessly: According to former Vox writer Ezra Klein, “Today’s filibusters simply paralyze the Senate until the majority either finds 60 votes to proceed or gives up and moves on to another piece of business.”

If that rule were changed, though — say, by going back to the talking filibuster of yore — filibusters might only paralyze the Senate until the minority runs out of members willing to hold the floor.

https://www.vox.com/2021/3/7/2231814...ibuster-reform

2MoreYears · 03-07-2021, 06:19 PM

Wow that's huge! Thanks for the update babe.

Pianoswithoutfaith · 03-07-2021, 08:52 PM

Babe?....

Why are you such a creep...

Demise · 03-07-2021, 09:17 PM

Ngl, the silent filibuster was the worst invention of the recent senate. If you want to delay a vote by dragging the debate onward then debate (or make a fool out of yourself by reading Green Ham and Eggs out loud to the floor). This "I object, go look for 60 votes" move is absolute horseshit.

hDreamer1988 · 03-07-2021, 09:19 PM

I think Manchin is just being a tease. This would essentially get rid of the filibuster

FLDreamerrr · 03-07-2021, 09:47 PM

Hopefully true but manchin has gone on record before stating he wants most bills to be bipartisan

eva02 · 03-08-2021, 12:53 AM

The democrats are toast if they don’t abolish the filibuster. Republicans are moving to make voting more difficult, gerrymander districts, and pass state laws to claw back power. Democrats will never be in the position of power and it will be harder for them to win at the presidential level if they don’t do something about the electoral collage too

hDreamer1988 · 03-08-2021, 01:13 AM

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The democrats are toast if they don’t abolish the filibuster. Republicans are moving to make voting more difficult, gerrymander districts, and pass state laws to claw back power. Democrats will never be in the position of power and it will be harder for them to win at the presidential level if they don’t do something about the electoral collage too

No you are being overly dramatic.

JayR9 · 03-08-2021, 03:17 AM

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Originally Posted by Demise

Ngl, the silent filibuster was the worst invention of the recent senate. If you want to delay a vote by dragging the debate onward then debate (or make a fool out of yourself by reading Green Ham and Eggs out loud to the floor). This "I object, go look for 60 votes" move is absolute horseshit.

exactly, fuck the filibuster. If they want to filibuster they need to put in the damn work like they did in the old days.

JayR9 · 03-08-2021, 03:18 AM

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Originally Posted by eva02

The democrats are toast if they don’t abolish the filibuster. Republicans are moving to make voting more difficult, gerrymander districts, and pass state laws to claw back power. Democrats will never be in the position of power and it will be harder for them to win at the presidential level if they don’t do something about the electoral collage too

They need to plow through Republican next two years. Pass everything they can and change the political landscape.

They need you!

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Joe Manchin opens the door to filibuster reform