St. Louis Beacon - Why aren't 59 votes enough in the Senate?

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Why aren't 59 votes enough in the Senate?

By Roy Temple, Special to the Beacon

Posted 7:45 am Tue., 2.2.10

Roy Temple, Special to the Beacon

Comments

#1 Nick Kasoff 2010-02-02 12:55

Mr. Temple, a professional Democratic partisan, should be grateful to the Beacon for giving him space to present his party's talking point of the day. In fact, Democrats have had sixty votes and the Presidency for a year, and have failed to pass the bills which they now accuse Republicans of obstructing. And while Washington is polarized, it's little different than the Bush years, or even the Reagan years. One big difference is, Democrats are the ones being thwarted today.

In fact, it is Democrats who have locked out Republicans for the past year. They have held meetings behind closed doors, and falsely accused Republicans of having no constructive input. Indeed, Mr. Temple accuses them of that in this very commentary.

The painful fact for Mr. Temple and his colleagues is that a majority of Americans reject his party's extreme proposals. You can ignore the angry crowds at town hall meetings, and cry "astroturf." Martha Coakley got the message, and we're not done speaking yet.

#2 juan mantoya 2010-02-03 07:32

It's clear that the filibuster is a joke of a rule--outdated and used against its intentions. What I would like to know is what it would take to prohibit the filibuster, and what impediments stand in the way of that happening (besides the filibuster itself).

I see Nick Kasoff's comment, and I'm not responding because its irrelevant, unsubstantiated , and contributes nothing to constructive debate.

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