Take a look at this story on CNN: Barely a month in office, Sen. Scott Brown, R-Massachusetts, is putting some muscle behind his independent image by twice voting against his own party and questioning the use of the filibuster. Brown took to the Senate floor Tuesday to announce he would vote for cloture, or to […]
This is a very bad idea: (from TNR) According to a pair of senior Capitol Hill staffers, one from each chamber, House and Senate Democrats are “almost certain” to negotiate informally rather than convene a formal conference committee. Doing so would allow Democrats to avoid a series of procedural steps–not least among them, a series […]
People for the American Way released a report examining the filibuster in the Senate. They have found during the current session of Congress that cloture was invoked a record 89% of the time. Here is a historical graph showing the sharp increase in the usage this year: But the report goes beyond that, to a […]
Dave Waldman has a great rundown of what lies ahead for the health care bill as both chambers of Congress attempt to merge two very different bills into one. Sadly the quickest path is once again meeting Republican obstructionism, this time by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) objecting to the appointment of conferees and forcing a […]
Ben Nelson has agreed to vote for cloture. In exchange now states have the right to opt-out of providing abortion coverage and no federal funds can go to abortion coverage. Nelson also just said that if there are any significant changes in conference then he will not vote for cloture on final passage. That means […]
This is something me and a lot of the opposing factors to the latest HCR bill saw coming the other night when Democrats caved to Lieberman: Nelson’s key points: Asked if he would vote for cloture even if his initiative to restrict abortion were adopted, Nelson flatly said “no.” Nelson not only said a vote […]
The White House will stop at nothing until they get all the federal prosecutors replaced with their political buddies: A United States attorney in Arkansas who was dismissed from his job last year by the Justice Department was ousted after Harriet E. Miers, the former White House counsel, intervened on behalf of the man who […]