This Week's 'Alpha Jackass' Award

[Diane Amberg]

If the Democrats can pull together a 60 seat majority in the senate, they can call an end to any attempt for the Repub. to filibuster a bill to keep it from a vote.   

[larryJ]

Thanks Diane.  Going back to Warph's originating post, the democrats would now have 60 members. 

I would love to stay and chat, but the 4 year old grandaughter is singing in church this morning and I can't miss that.

Larryj

[Varmit]

Diane, I remember reading somewhere that there is a "rule" the Dems can use to get around the Repubs. Even if they had enough to fillbuster.  I can't remember what it is called, I'll have to look it up.

[Diane Amberg]

I'm not sure either.

[Varmit]

It is called cloture, if I understand it correctly, thats where the majority can call a 60 seat vote without any input from the minority party.

[Diane Amberg]

Got it .Thanks. So it's sort of a Senate version of "call the question." It looks like there are some rules as to using it.

[Wilma]

Isn't that repressing free speech?  Do you really think the Democrats or the Republicans if the situation were reversed would do that?  I wonder how that happened.  Who did that?  Something that directly contradicts the constitution and it had to have come from the lawmakers.

[larryJ]

I do so love this forum.  It is like learning a new word everyday.  Well, actually, that is exactly what it is today. 

Cloture is when the majority party decides it doesn't want the other party to drag on the debate on a particular matter.  If the majority party of the senate has 60 members (3/5) of the 100 elected, it can present a petition to the President of the Senate, in this case, our Vice President to invoke cloture.  Actually, it only takes sixteen Senators to sign the petition and present it to the clerk in the Senate.  This limits the debate to 30 additional hours and than a vote is taken with no more debate.  This concept originated in France and was introduced to the U.S. in the early 1900's.  According to what I read, once the petition to invoke cloture is presented to the President of the Senate, all debate currently going on is stopped and the Senate votes as a group on the petition.  If the petition is approved or allowed, then there is just 30 more hours of debate before a vote must be taken. 

So, I have learned something new today, thanks to the good folk on the Elk County Forum.

Larryj

[Wilma]

And so have I, thanks to you, Larry.

[larryJ]

Well, you are welcome, but it was Billy who mentioned the word that I not heard before.  So, thanks, Billy.