Originally Posted By tiggertoo <a href="http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/275271-reid-will-postpone-filibuster-reform-until-late-january" target="_blank">http://thehill.com/homenews/se...-january</a> I'm just seething right now. Do they truly think that Republicans will bargain in good faith on this matter, especially when they can just filibuster any rule change hereafter? Have the last four years of record filibusters and uncompromising partisanship and dishonesty been forgotten already? If they don't pass this today, no meaningful reform will be forthcoming---and AGAIN, as usual, Democratic senators will play the fool. Of course, Democratic senators will whine and moan about how horrible Republicans are for filibustering, but they will have only themselves to blame. BTW, I know why some Democrat have reservation, i.e., if they are ever in the minority, they want to retain power. But if Boxer and Feinstein fail to smell the tea leaves here, that is the LAST time I will support them for office.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 From your link: "A senior Democratic aide said Reid will instead recess the chamber at the end of Thursday’s proceedings to extend the legislative day until later this month. This would preserve his ability to amend the Senate’s filibuster rules on the first legislative day of the 113th Congress, even if that reform would not come until late January." So it sounds like this parliamentary move makes the "first legislative day" last longer than one day (!). Preserving the window for changing the rules. From later in the link: "We’re going to preserve our rights, we’re going to stay in the first legislative day and deal with the rules when we get back after the inauguration,” said Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.), a leading proponent of reform." They're going to "stay in the first legislative day." I didn't know they could do that, but apparently they can.
Originally Posted By tiggertoo <<They're going to "stay in the first legislative day." I didn't know they could do that, but apparently they can.>> I've never read anywhere that something like that was possible. Hopefully it's true. I took these statements as political cover and fluff, and that he hopes the public fervor died down in the meantime.
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< So it sounds like this parliamentary move makes the "first legislative day" last longer than one day (!). >>> That's pretty normal for the Senate, and not just for the first day. A Senate "day" usually lasts for many calendar days, as opposed to House days which are normally no longer than a calendar day. You'd have to ask a Senate historian why this is the case, but it's been that way for decades - this isn't some clever ploy dreamed up by Reid just for this situation.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 Oh, I didn't think it was dreamed up by Reid, as it sounded like something long-established; I just didn't personally know they could do that. I'm always amazed by the arcane parliamentary moves they can make - this one's new to me.
Originally Posted By tiggertoo I found this. <a href="http://www.senate.gov/reference/glossary_term/legislative_day.htm" target="_blank">http://www.senate.gov/referenc..._day.htm</a> I guess adjournment of the "legislative" day (evening adjournment) is different from adjourning from a "legislative day".
Originally Posted By SuperDry Just to clarify a bit more: not only is it not dreamed up by Reid, it's not even a obscure, seldom-used rule. The Senate operates on multi-calendar-day legislative days in the common course of business most of the time.
Originally Posted By hopemax > I'm always amazed by the arcane parliamentary moves they can make - this one's new to me.< Well, Dabob, did you see the other strange move Reid did on NYD? He was the only one in the Senate, and put up a number of confirmations that had been held up, for a unanimous vote. No one was there to object, so they all passed. I didn't know they could do that either. I guess usually it doesn't happen because a member of the opposition party would object, but I guess McConnell knew and allowed it to happen. I saw speculation that these were all the people Jim DeMint had an anonymous hold on, because he's an ass. <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/01/03/1175907/-Lawrence-O-Donnell-Segment-about-what-Harry-Reid-just-did" target="_blank">http://www.dailykos.com/story/...just-did</a> While, I'm happy that some agencies now get the permanent leaders they've been without because of a GOP temper tantrum, it's a little scary that the media didn't notice it at all because of the House fiscal cliff distraction. Makes you curious what else they miss.
Originally Posted By skinnerbox Something even more obscure regarding Congressional rules: You do not have to vote for a sitting Representative for Speaker of the House. Hence the 'anti-Boehner' protest votes for former Rep. Allen West today.
Originally Posted By skinnerbox hopemax, Lawrence O'Donnell talked about this on his show last night, and showed video of Reid standing at the podium doing precisely that. No one else was around except for administrative staff, pages, etc. Kinda spooky! =8^0
Originally Posted By tiggertoo <<I'm always amazed by the arcane parliamentary moves they can make - this one's new to me.>> Jon Stewart recently had a segment about arcane Senate rules. The gist was with regard to Reid's comment concerning the first day/majority rules, to which Jon remark was, "Okay, now you're just making stuff up." I can't find the segment though.
Originally Posted By hopemax > hopemax, Lawrence O'Donnell talked about this on his show last night, > Link to the clip is in the Kos Diary I posted!
Originally Posted By Dabob2 <Well, Dabob, did you see the other strange move Reid did on NYD? He was the only one in the Senate, and put up a number of confirmations that had been held up, for a unanimous vote. No one was there to object, so they all passed. I didn't know they could do that either. > This one I knew about, and was glad he did it.
Originally Posted By andyll <<hopemax, Lawrence O'Donnell talked about this on his show last night, and showed video of Reid standing at the podium doing precisely that. No one else was around except for administrative staff, pages, etc. Kinda spooky! =8^0>> Did he debate himself? And more importantly... did he win the debate?
Originally Posted By tiggertoo <<You do not have to vote for a sitting Representative for Speaker of the House>> And wouldn't that be great? A true G. Washington-esque non-partisan Speaker that isn't beholden to party and campaign donors (let's just call them sponsors). After all, the Speaker del House wields a heck of a lot more power than does the Senate leader. So, given the polarization America is currently experiencing, it would be a great improvement over the status quo. Colin Powell (who received one vote) would have been a great mediator in this regard, IMO.
Originally Posted By tiggertoo Just curious, is it still day one of the session? Or as I had feared, was the postponement a means to quietly sweep filibuster reform under the carpet? I'm looking for encouragement here, folks. But it don't look good to me right now.
