Democrats, Your Politicians Don't Want to Pass Your Shit
IT DOESN’T MATTER what kind or size of majority you have in congress, the result is the same. Consider:
- Patriot Act
- No Child Left Behind
- Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq
were passed in an evenly divided senate.
- Partial birth abortion ban
- Medicare Prescription Drug Modernization
- Unborn Victims of Violence Act
were passed in a senate with 51 republicans.
- Bankruptcy reform
- Military Commissions Act
- Secure Fence Act
were passed in a senate with 55 republicans.
I didn’t look up all of the votes, but at least one of the above passed, unfilibustered, with less than 60 votes, but many of them passed with significant to total democrat support. Yeah, yeah, it’s that the republicans will be obstructionist and won’t play fair, etc. But all of the above happened when mathematically the democrats could have done the same thing. If they won’t dig in their heels and filibuster the fucking Military Commissions and Sweeping Torture and Human Rights Violations Under the Carpet Act, then what the hell do they represent?
But they’re going to pass health insurance! They haz 2!
One cannot even imagine anything more horrible than the end of the Democratic majority. Therefore, passing a terrible bill that everyone knows is only being enacted as a political ploy to keep the Democrats in power is the best, in fact only, move, because it keeps the Democrats in power.
Witness Massachusetts.
And I just have to point out one more time, there is no health care in this bill. It mandates the purchase of insurance, but does not mandate that insurance companies pay for whatever care you need. Who’s gonna come out ahead in such a transaction? [Chuck Dupree]
Stump Lane 
For health reasons, I do not pay that close of attention to the movements of our governing class, but have the Democrats ever thought about forcing the Republicans to actually, honest-to-goodness, Strom Thurmond-in-his-racist-shining-moment style filibuster this bill? It seems that there is just this “standing filibuster,” and the Democrats just accept it and then whine about mean Republicans. If they really felt that the Republicans were thwarting the will of the American people, why don’t they make them stand up and actually do it?
This whole ordeal is even funnier when you recall that the Democratic Party decided not to filibuster some bill or appointment (I cannot remember the specifics at the moment) as the then-Republican majority threatened to eliminate the filibuster as a response. Harry Reid backed down, wanting to save the filibuster for another day. Apparently this is that day!
lol.
what i was trying to get at in an unnecessarily opaque manner is that all observable evidence indicates the democrats don’t care about the will of American people (whatever that may be.)
I know. I was just wondering out loud, or something similar. A bare amount of research have brought some articles that seem to say “flilibusters ain’t like in the movies,” but not exactly why.
there was this on Democracy Now yesterday:
of course the health insurance bill is a turd that can’t rightfully be called healthcare reform, so perhaps a filibuster would be for the better.
Of course the Democrats care. They come across as much nicer than those mean ole Republicans, and what’s more important than THAT?
it’s all smoke and mirrors.