# The filibuster has gone from affecting 8% of big bills in the 1950s to 70% **URL:** \ **Category:** PolitiSUCK\ **Created:** [January 21, 2010, 8:00am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/the-filibuster-has-gone-from-affecting-8-of-big-bills-in-the-1950s-to-70/78464 "2010-01-21T08:00:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Joe](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/joe/32/7219_2.png) [@Joe](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Joe)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 8:00am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/the-filibuster-has-gone-from-affecting-8-of-big-bills-in-the-1950s-to-70/78464/1 "2010-01-21T08:00:13Z")
[http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2009/11/the\_filibuster\_has\_gone\_from\_a.html](http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2009/11/the_filibuster_has_gone_from_a.html) [http://www.usnews.com/blogs/robert-schlesinger/2009/11/25/the-staggering-rise-of-the-filibuster.html](http://www.usnews.com/blogs/robert-schlesinger/2009/11/25/the-staggering-rise-of-the-filibuster.html) Basically, the filibuster has gone from being used 22 times the entire 19th century, to 8% in the 1950’s, to damn near everything today. It’s not in the Constitution and merely a Senate procedure. It’s interesting how government can basically be ground to a halt because only 59% of one house of Congress support it. I can see why you wouldn’t want to eliminate it completely, but I’d really like to see them start calling the Republican’s bluff and make them sit there 24/7 and “debate” instead of blocking everything with the mere threat of it. Ironically, I bet it will never go away unless the Republicans get back a majority, since the Dems wouldn’t have the balls to go nuclear and get rid of it ☹ The days of Mr. Smith are long gone. ---
**Author:** ![brent\_strong](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/brent_strong/32/7203_2.png) [@brent\_strong](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/brent_strong)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 8:27am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/the-filibuster-has-gone-from-affecting-8-of-big-bills-in-the-1950s-to-70/78464/2 "2010-01-21T08:27:11Z")
I’m sure those angelic Democrats would never filibuster. God I love Democrats. They’re fucking perfect. ---
**Author:** ![Joe](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/joe/32/7219_2.png) [@Joe](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Joe)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 8:28am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/the-filibuster-has-gone-from-affecting-8-of-big-bills-in-the-1950s-to-70/78464/3 "2010-01-21T08:28:59Z")
It’s both sides. The Republicans almost ditched the filibuster a couple years ago cause the Democrats were blocking their judges. Ironically, their asses got saved by the moderate “RINO’s” they love to hate, McCain, Graham, Chafee, etc. Either way, it’s getting to the point where the Senate is damn near ungovernable without using budget reconciliation for everything. ---
**Author:** ![JayS](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/jays/32/15375_2.png) [@JayS](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/JayS)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 8:56am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/the-filibuster-has-gone-from-affecting-8-of-big-bills-in-the-1950s-to-70/78464/4 "2010-01-21T08:56:20Z")
> [@Joe](#): > > Either way, it’s getting to the point where the Senate is damn near ungovernable without using budget reconciliation for everything. I take that more as a sign of how bitterly partisan everything has become than a sign that we should scrap the filibuster. Both side needs to realize that their power is not absolute and they’re not going to get things 100% the way they want it. Compromise and start finding ways to prevent the filibuster from being an issue. And yes, that means no health care plans crafted by one party behind closed doors. ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Eyed\_Devil](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/blue_eyed_devil/32/7292_2.png) [@Blue\_Eyed\_Devil](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Blue_Eyed_Devil)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 8:56am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/the-filibuster-has-gone-from-affecting-8-of-big-bills-in-the-1950s-to-70/78464/5 "2010-01-21T08:56:49Z")
I love it when someone says, “Its not in the Constitution…” especially a Democrat. ---
**Author:** ![66impalass](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/66impalass/32/7429_2.png) [@66impalass](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/66impalass)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 9:30am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/the-filibuster-has-gone-from-affecting-8-of-big-bills-in-the-1950s-to-70/78464/6 "2010-01-21T09:30:28Z")
> [@Blue Eyed Devil](#): > > I love it when someone says, “Its not in the Constitution…” especially a Democrat. Its even more comical coming from a Republican :fail: ---
**Author:** ![theblue](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/theblue/32/5074_2.png) [@theblue](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/theblue)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 9:41am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/the-filibuster-has-gone-from-affecting-8-of-big-bills-in-the-1950s-to-70/78464/7 "2010-01-21T09:41:11Z")
good thread. ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Eyed\_Devil](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/blue_eyed_devil/32/7292_2.png) [@Blue\_Eyed\_Devil](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Blue_Eyed_Devil)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 9:52am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/the-filibuster-has-gone-from-affecting-8-of-big-bills-in-the-1950s-to-70/78464/8 "2010-01-21T09:52:00Z")
> [@66impalass](#): > > Its even more comical coming from a Republican :fail: Maybe you didn’t get the memo, I am a Ron Paul supporter. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Joe](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/joe/32/7219_2.png) [@Joe](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Joe)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 10:11am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/the-filibuster-has-gone-from-affecting-8-of-big-bills-in-the-1950s-to-70/78464/9 "2010-01-21T10:11:52Z")
> [@Blue Eyed Devil](#): > > I love it when someone says, “Its not in the Constitution…” especially a Democrat. Well the first argument the teabaggers make about anything is “It’s not in the Constitution.” The door swings both ways. ---
**Author:** ![Joe](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/joe/32/7219_2.png) [@Joe](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Joe)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 10:24am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/the-filibuster-has-gone-from-affecting-8-of-big-bills-in-the-1950s-to-70/78464/10 "2010-01-21T10:24:12Z")
Not to double post but everything is so hyper-partisan these days because neither side wants to compromise on anything when they’re in the minority because when it passes the majority party will get the lion’s share of the credit and help them. The political endgame is to obstruct everything and run on a “They can’t get anything done” platform. Then, the majority party figures, they’re going to oppose it anyway, no point in compromising… might as well stick it to 'em, and we get what we have now. ---
**Author:** ![97\_B18b1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/9/cdc98d/32.png) [@97\_B18b1](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/97_B18b1)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 10:36pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/the-filibuster-has-gone-from-affecting-8-of-big-bills-in-the-1950s-to-70/78464/11 "2010-01-21T22:36:56Z")
each side uses it when it helps them. One of the many things in which both sides are at fault. But the left and right are so different right 😉