Filibuster Reform Didn't Really Happen, Tell Senators how You Feel!(Please Read the OP)

Death of Rats

UPDATE:

So Filibuster reform didn't really happen. All we got was some bullshit deal between Reid and Squirtle and some useless reforms that amount to nothing. Use the list at the bottom to write to your senators and tell them how pissed you are they failed you. It may not change anything, but it might make you feel better. Also, write to Reid, tell him what a fucking moron he is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbqN4b_aWEs

The 2012 election is over, and I'm sure many of us are excited, while others are completely crushed. But right now isn't the time to stop paying attention. We have less than two months to make sure that the next two years aren't like the previous 6 in the senate. To make sure that one of the biggest threats to movement in our country is finally fixed, to make sure filibuster reform actually happens.

Unlike in 2010, Harry Reid is saying he's actually willing to take this on this time around.

An angry Harry Reid took to the floor Thursday and demanded changes to the Senate’s hallowed filibuster rules, siding with junior Democrats who have sought to substantially weaken the powerful delaying tactic.
[...] Reid—who struck a "gentleman’s agreement" last year with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to preserve the filibuster from an effort by Sens. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Jeff. Merkley (D-Ore.) to water it down signaled he is now on board with their effort given the gridlock in the Senate.

“If there were ever a time when Tom Udall and Jeff Merkley were prophetic, it’s tonight,” Reid said on the floor. “These two young, fine senators said it was time to change the rules of the Senate, and we didn’t. They were right. The rest of us were wrong—or most of us, anyway. What a shame.”

So how would we go about changing it, and why the tight time limit?

If you can't manage the 60 votes to overcome a filibuster, you can't manage the 67 votes to change the rules and end the filibuster. At least in theory.

But in practice, there's another path open to the Senate's growing ranks of reformers: The so-called "constitutional option," which is being pushed particularly hard by Sen. Tom Udall, but is increasingly being seen as a viable path forward by his colleagues.

The constitutional option gets its name from Article I, Section V of the Constitution, which states that "Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings." In order to fulfill this constitutional order, the Senate must be able to, well, determine its rules. A filibuster, technically, is a way to stop the Senate from determining something by refusing to allow it to move to a vote. Because stopping the Senate from considering its own rules would be unconstitutional, the chair can rule against the filibuster, and the Senate could then move to change its rules on a majority vote.

One caveat: Many people, including Udall himself, believe this has to happen at the beginning of a new Congress. If it doesn't happen at the beginning of a new Congress, then Congress is considered to have acquiesced to the previous Congress's rules, and a filibuster against further rule changes wouldn't interrupt the constitutional right to determine the rules.

That's good, but do we just get rid of it? Do we make sure it can't be abused?

Jeff Merkley has a plan for that. And it comes down to making sure it can't be abused.

Not only that, but he has some support. Before the election was decided, he has the support of ten senators up for election. Eight of them won. Not only that, but a lot of them are favorites around these parts.

• Tammy Baldwin (WI-D)
• Martin Heinrich (NM-D)
• Heidi Heitkamp (ND-D)
• Mazie Hirono (HI-D)
• Tim Kaine (VA-D)
• Chris Murphy (CT-D)
• Elizabeth Warren (MA-D)
• Angus King (Maine-I)

But this newly elected senator may need some convincing.

• Joe Donnelly (Indiana-D)

We need the support of 51 senators to get this done, and so far we have 9 total who are at least focused on reform. It's time to get the rest. We have 55 Democrats in the Senate, and we need 42 completely focused on this on day one.

Here's a list of all the returning Democratic and Independent senators with a link to their contact information.

Alaska
Mark Begich (D)

Arkansas
Mark Pryor (D)

California
Dianne Feinstein (D)
Barbara Boxer(D)

Colorado
Michael Bennet (D)
Mark Udall (D)

Connecticut
Richard Blumenthal (D)

Delaware
Tom Carper (D)
Chris Coons (D)

Florida
Bill Nelson (D)

Hawaii
Daniel Inouye (D)

Illinois
Dick Durbin (D)

Iowa
Tom Harkin (D)

Louisiana
Mary Landrieu (D)

Maryland
Barbara Mikulski (D)
Ben Cardin (D)

Massachusetts
John Kerry (D)

Michigan
Carl Levin (D)
Debbie Stabenow (D)

Minnesota
Amy Klobuchar (D)
Al Franken (D)

Missouri
Claire McCaskill (D)

Montana
Max Baucus (D)
Jon Tester (D)

Nevada
Harry Reid (D)

New Hampsire
Jeanne Shaheen (D)

New Jersey
Frank Lautenberg (D)
Bob Menendez (D)

New Mexico
Tom Udall (D)

New York
Charles Schumer (D)
Kirsten Gillibrand (D)

North Carolina
Kay Hagan (D)

Ohio
Sherrod Brown (D)

Oregon
Ron Wyden (D)

Pennsylvania
Bob Casey (D)

Rhode Island
Jack Reed (D)
Sheldon Whitehouse (D)

South Dakota
Tim Johnson (D)

Vermont
Patrick Leahy (D)
Bernie Sanders (I)

Virginia
Mark Warner (D)

Washington
Patty Murray (D)
Maria Cantwell (D)

West Virginia
Jay Rockefeller (D)
Joe Manchin (D)

What can we do? We can write to them. Demand that on day one they tackle fillibuster reform. Without it, we haven't gained anything in this election besides a chance to take the house in 2014. With it, we can at least have a functioning Senate once more. It's time to rattle the sabers, to make some noise, and get this done.

Death of Rats

Carrot's wonderful form letter:

Dear Sen. (Your Senator Here)

I don't know if you read Senator Merkley's memo here: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/Senate Procedures Reform Memo.pdf when he introduced it nearly two years ago; if you have, and you support his effort, then thank you, and feel free to skip the rest of this message.

If not, then lend me your eyes for a couple of minutes.

The Senate is broken, with bills from the House and nominations languishing in the hopper for months on end, because Republicans are abusing the filibuster, imposing a 60-vote requirement on every piece of legislation to defeat everything without having the votes to do it properly, and without any actual physical cost either. People think that filibustering is like it was in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington: a taxing ordeal of speaking continuously for hours on end to prevent something truly odious from passing. It's not at all like that any more, and it should be again.

Note that Senator Merkley is not proposing ending the filibuster entirely; it is a necessary defense of the rights of the minority against the tyranny of the majority. The proposal on the table is simply to reform it so Republicans can no longer abuse it, but the minority party will have recourse when something terrible is proposed in the future. The Senate is the greatest deliberative body in the world, and it needs to live up to its reputation. Constant effortless filibusters that prevent any actual work from being done tarnish it, and your help is needed to stop this. Please join Senators Merkley, Reid, Udall, and most of 2012's incoming freshmen and support filibuster reform, so Congress can put Obama's agenda into action.

Sincerely,
(Your Name Here)

syndalis

I will pound pavement, make phone calls, and generally be a pain in their ass until they do it.

I've been wanting this for two years now. time to make it happen.

Chanus

I'm apprehensive about something that sounds like such the perfect solution to our current political climate problem, because, of course, once you get rid of it, you can't use it against the other guy either. There absolutely should not be this new de facto necessity of 60 votes to get anything done in the Senate, but living in Virginia over the last year has shown me the very dangerous consequences of one party having an unstoppable agenda by controlling a one-vote lead.

I think it might be more prudent to reform the filibuster, perhaps limit how much it can be used, or make it so it can't be used permanently or something. Our system is set up to force compromise, and for good reason. It's absolutely awful when there is no compromise, but one side has to crack eventually, or the people can simply vote them out of power.

Brian Krakow

I'd be thrilled to see it happen, not holding my breath though.

I guess I'll call Feinstein and Boxer if it actually has a shot.

Death of Rats

Chanus wrote: »

I'm apprehensive about something that sounds like such the perfect solution to our current political climate problem, because, of course, once you get rid of it, you can't use it against the other guy either. There absolutely should not be this new de facto necessity of 60 votes to get anything done in the Senate, but living in Virginia over the last year has shown me the very dangerous consequences of one party having an unstoppable agenda by controlling a one-vote lead.

I think it might be more prudent to reform the filibuster, perhaps limit how much it can be used, or make it so it can't be used permanently or something. Our system is set up to force compromise, and for good reason. It's absolutely awful when there is no compromise, but one side has to crack eventually, or the people can simply vote them out of power.

That's actually what they're wanting to do. It's what they wanted to do in 2010, but Reid didn't have the balls to do it back then.

Chanus

Well, clearly I am not as informed about this as I should be :P

enc0re

I am very much in favor of the Senate adopting standard parliamentary procedure and thereby ending the filibuster. But I can't help and notice that when Republicans planned to do the same under the Bush administration, Democrats (politicians and constituents) were screaming bloody murder. Hopefully they've learned their lesson and next time around will be in favor of ending this stupid rule even if it will benefit Republicans at that moment. Or maybe we'll get lucky and fix it this term.

Lawndart

Yeah, eliminating the filibuster would be a terrible idea, but I'm totally on board with the proposed reforms that make a filibuster possible but difficult.

ElJeffe

That is an awesome proposal for Senate reform. I'll make sure to bug Boxer and Feinstein about it.

AManFromEarth

Bill Nelson and Marco Rubio will be getting several letters and twits about this, I tell you what.

DevoutlyApathetic

I shall make grumbling noises towards Schumer and Gillibrand though such might not be needed.

Gandalf_the_Crazed

Sorry I'm not much help. MS elected officials do what they want, we're not the boss of them -- apparently.

DivideByZero

DevoutlyApathetic wrote: »

I shall make grumbling noises towards Schumer and Gillibrand though such might not be needed.

+1 on these two.

We should get the 'ol echo chamber to work in whipping up some classy, eloquent as fuck language to send their way. Something like:

Last Tuesday, America went to the polls and sent a clear message to Washington that we are fed up with the politics of obstructionism that have crippled both houses of Congress for the past four years. We are not willing to waste another two, four, or six years while the minority faction in the Senate brings all business to a grinding halt for partisan purposes. We can not stand by while good legislation languishes in committee, while executive appointments are stalled in perpetuity, while federal judges' positions remain vacant. Where even the threat of a filibuster is somehow sufficient cause to delay or deny the critical tasks facing our legislature. It is no surprise that approval ratings for the United States Congress as a whole are at embarrassingly low levels.

Of course, the ability of a minority faction to make a principled stand against the majority on matters of great national import should not be removed. Such would begin the short road to the tyranny of the majority. But such an extreme action is not the only course; a middle ground can certainly be reached wherein the minority is free to object to critically important actions, but the ability for any single Senator to effortlessly and indefinitely postpone the simplest order of business, while suffering no consequences and shouldering no accountability is finally abolished.

The past four years have shown us that an ideologically-driven, recalcitrant minority that is willing and able to hold the Federal government hostage over the most trivial issues can no longer be trusted to act in good faith. I therefore urge you to work with your fellow Senators and Majority Leader Harry Reid, to implement Filibuster Reform as described at {LINK} at the earliest possible date.

Death of Rats

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6X_70-p5Css

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp15QDPVgg0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuhoaB-fu24

I really think this is going to happen with or without them being pushed, but they may need a large push.

Veevee

I will be writing my senator, Tammy Baldwin (SOOOOO happy I can say that), tonight or tomorrow asking her to make this a top priority

Death of Rats

Has anyone who's written received any response yet? I'm curious to see what the response to this is from the senators' offices.

Inquisitor77

I wrote emails to both of the venerable senators from California. If both Boxer & Feinstein lend their support, that should hopefully be a good sign...

Speaker

I'll write to Jeanne Shaheen, but no Republican will support this, and getting 91% of the Democrats on board . . . I'm not seeing it.

But maybe I don't know so much (I hope).

Loren Michael

Lawndart wrote: »

Yeah, eliminating the filibuster would be a terrible idea, but I'm totally on board with the proposed reforms that make a filibuster possible but difficult.

Eliminating the filibuster would be unambiguously good. You are unambiguously wrong.

nexuscrawler

Speaker wrote: »

I'll write to Jeanne Shaheen, but no Republican will support this, and getting 91% of the Democrats on board . . . I'm not seeing it.

But maybe I don't know so much (I hope).

If the GOP wall cracks I think some more moderate Repubs could get on board. It'd give them a significant amount of influence over the actual legislation.

Marathon

Looks like my new senator Heidi Heitcamp is already on board. This makes me even more happy that she beat Berg.
I really hope that they move on this is some fashion, and not just in a way that they make you stand and read the phone book (which I think should still be part of a real filibuster) but in a way that actually gives them a realistic avenue to break the obstruction and actually move to a vote on issues. Do this for appointments as well please, it's shameful how filibusters and secret holds were able to strangle any sort of progress from coming out of the Sentate.

Captain Carrot

Wrote this letter to Warner, will be sending it to Kaine once his website's up:

Dear Sen. Warner,

I don't know if you read Senator Merkley's memo here: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/Senate Procedures Reform Memo.pdf when he introduced it nearly two years ago; if you have, and you support his effort, then thank you, and feel free to skip the rest of this message.

If not, then lend me your eyes for a couple of minutes.

The Senate is broken, with bills from the House and nominations languishing in the hopper for months on end, because Republicans are abusing the filibuster, imposing a 60-vote requirement on every piece of legislation to defeat everything without having the votes to do it properly, and without any actual physical cost either. People think that filibustering is like it was in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington: a taxing ordeal of speaking continuously for hours on end to prevent something truly odious from passing. It's not at all like that any more, and it should be again.

Note that Senator Merkley is not proposing ending the filibuster entirely; it is a necessary defense of the rights of the minority against the tyranny of the majority. The proposal on the table is simply to reform it so Republicans can no longer abuse it, but the minority party will have recourse when something terrible is proposed in the future. The Senate is the greatest deliberative body in the world, and it needs to live up to its reputation. Constant effortless filibusters that prevent any actual work from being done tarnish it, and your help is needed to stop this. Please join Senators Merkley, Reid, Udall, and most of 2012's incoming freshmen and support filibuster reform, so Congress can put Obama's agenda into action.

Sincerely,
[me]

Feel free to steal as much of it as you like for your own use.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

Lilnoobs

This is cool. Wrote to my senator.

Speaker

nexuscrawler wrote: »

Speaker wrote: »

I'll write to Jeanne Shaheen, but no Republican will support this, and getting 91% of the Democrats on board . . . I'm not seeing it.

But maybe I don't know so much (I hope).

If the GOP wall cracks I think some more moderate Repubs could get on board. It'd give them a significant amount of influence over the actual legislation.

No fucking way.

Their party is on the super-defense.

They'd be eaten alive as traitors if they signed on.

No-Quarter

Speaker wrote: »

nexuscrawler wrote: »

Speaker wrote: »

I'll write to Jeanne Shaheen, but no Republican will support this, and getting 91% of the Democrats on board . . . I'm not seeing it.

But maybe I don't know so much (I hope).

If the GOP wall cracks I think some more moderate Repubs could get on board. It'd give them a significant amount of influence over the actual legislation.

Their party is on the super-defense.

They'd be eaten alive as traitors if they signed on.

How is this different from when they're not on the super-defensive? They're simply the reactionary party now.

Buttcleft

Speaker wrote: »

nexuscrawler wrote: »

Speaker wrote: »

I'll write to Jeanne Shaheen, but no Republican will support this, and getting 91% of the Democrats on board . . . I'm not seeing it.

But maybe I don't know so much (I hope).

If the GOP wall cracks I think some more moderate Repubs could get on board. It'd give them a significant amount of influence over the actual legislation.

No fucking way.

Their party is on the super-defense.

They'd be eaten alive as traitors if they signed on.

We have plenty of moderate Republicans.

They are called Democrats.

nescientist

Loren Michael wrote: »

Lawndart wrote: »

Yeah, eliminating the filibuster would be a terrible idea, but I'm totally on board with the proposed reforms that make a filibuster possible but difficult.

Eliminating the filibuster would be unambiguously good. You are unambiguously wrong.

There is quite a bit of ambiguity as to whether faster, easier legislating is a good thing. This reform sounds like it would strike the right balance between maintaining the emergency brake that a filibuster, in an ideal world, serves as, and ending it as a tool for total gridlock as we've seen it used lately.

enlightenedbum

Sherrod Brown is, somewhat unsurprisingly, on board.

Lavender Gooms

I contacted Senators Cantwell and Murray about this today. I don't expect to hear back, but I would hope they would be on board, considering.

Captain Marcus

Contacted Sen. Nelson.

AManFromEarth

I fi

Aistan wrote: »

I contacted Senators Cantwell and Murray about this today. I don't expect to hear back, but I would hope they would be on board, considering.

Anyone who writes a government official gets at least a form letter in response.

My former congresscritters were particularly enraging, because regardless of what you said he thanks you for your support and then details teh teaper bullshit he planned on voting for.

Chomp-Chomp

Got the word out to Landrieu.

Her contact form required a topic from a very long drop down menu. Not surprisingly, there was no option for Senate/Legislative Rules, or anything like that.

I chose "Public Welfare" instead. :rotate:

Salvation122

Captain Marcus wrote: »

Contacted Sen. Nelson.

Ben Nelson? Isn't he being replaced after lame-duck? If so, he's kind of irrelevant.

Ed: Guess it could also be Bill Nelson, not sure where you're from.

Loren Michael

nescientist wrote: »

Loren Michael wrote: »

Lawndart wrote: »

Yeah, eliminating the filibuster would be a terrible idea, but I'm totally on board with the proposed reforms that make a filibuster possible but difficult.

Eliminating the filibuster would be unambiguously good. You are unambiguously wrong.

There is quite a bit of ambiguity as to whether faster, easier legislating is a good thing. This reform sounds like it would strike the right balance between maintaining the emergency brake that a filibuster, in an ideal world, serves as, and ending it as a tool for total gridlock as we've seen it used lately.

There are already massive numbers of veto points in the legislative process. Giving the party that loses the election the opportunity to sabotage the agenda of the party that wins is just incentivizing abuse.

Tofystedeth

AManFromEarth wrote: »

I fi

Aistan wrote: »

I contacted Senators Cantwell and Murray about this today. I don't expect to hear back, but I would hope they would be on board, considering.

Anyone who writes a government official gets at least a form letter in response.

My former congresscritters were particularly enraging, because regardless of what you said he thanks you for your support and then details teh teaper bullshit he planned on voting for.

Yeah, those are pretty bad. My friend in college wrote a letter to Brownback saying basically "I am against everything you are for. Here is why, please change your mind."
and got a letter in response "Thank you for being for everything I am for. Thanks for your support!"

Couldn't even be bothered to have someone craft an alternate "Sorry we can't get along" form letter.

Evigilant

Contacted Sen. Warner and will contact Sen. Kaine once his website is available.

ahava

Contacted Senators Carper and Coons.

Carper didn't have a drop down that fit, so I chose "Welfare" and then added in a little paragraph explaining why.

Coons was nice enough to have an "Other" as a choice in his dropdown box.

I also shamelessly stole Carrot's form.

enlightenedbum

Levin and Stabenow contacted, also shamelessly stealing Carrot's letter, though I used the President's office when referring to him, as I tend to.

ElJeffe

Senators Boxer and Feinstein have been official bugged.

Last time I contacted them, I think I only received a response from Feinstein. Hopefully they read. And obey!

edit: And thanks, Carrot, for the template.