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LoungeMachine
12-20-2007, 02:47 PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
December 18, 2007
CONTACT:
Anne Thompson
202-955-5665
202-587-1614

RECORD-BREAKING: SENATE CONSERVATIVES

New Report Shows How Conservative Minority Rules by Filibuster, Preventing Up or Down Vote on a Record Number of Bills

WASHINGTON—The Republican Senate minority today filibustered an omnibus budget bill, setting a modern-day record for blocking the most legislation during a congressional session. A new report released today by the Campaign for America's Future details the 62 times conservatives have used the filibuster to block legislation (or force modification of bills) in the first session of the 110th Congress. In just the first year of this two-year Congress, their use of the filibuster in the Senate topped the previous record, reached during the entire 107th Congress.

The new report outlines every bill filibustered, vetoed or threatened to be vetoed by President Bush. Conservatives filibustered bills to end the occupation of Iraq, provide soldiers in Iraq rest time equal to their deployments, support renewable energy and grant residents of the District of Columbia representation in Congress. Today's record-breaker involved a $516 billion budget package passed by the House to fund the federal government in 2008. The conservative minority demanded $20 billion additional funding for the war and opposed House language to bring troops home, and threatened a filibuster to prevent the bill from getting an up or down vote.

"In just one session, a minority in Congress has prevented a mind-blowing 62 pieces of legislation from going to the floor for an up or down vote," said Campaign for America's Future co-director Roger Hickey. "Our report shows how over and over again, the uncompromising minority has thwarted the will of majorities in Congress and of the American people, holding the Senate floor hostage to a radical right-wing agenda."

Sixty votes are needed to invoke cloture and end a filibuster. The 62nd cloture vote of the session is more than any single session of Congress since at least 1973, the earliest year cloture votes are available online from the Senate. Republicans are on pace to force 134 cloture votes to cut off a filibuster, according to the Campaign for America's Future analysis, more than double the historical average of the last 35 years.

Even pieces of legislation that have made it past the Senate filibuster blockade have been obstructed by President Bush. Last week the President vetoed for the second time a popular bill that would expand health coverage for 10 million American children. According to the Campaign for America's Future report, Bush has threatened to veto 84 bills and has vetoed six as of December 17. In contrast, during the period when the Republicans were in the congressional majority, Bush went the longest time without vetoing a bill since President Arthur Garfield.

Eric Lotke, Campaign for America's Future research director and lead author of the new report, calls the obstruction a "deliberate strategy." He observes that the congressional Republicans block legislation, then blame the Democrats for getting nothing done. "It's like mugging the postman and then complaining that the mail isn't delivered on time."

The story of this historic level of obstruction has recently been covered by The New York Times, but has yet to be fully told in the media. The new Campaign for America's Future report shows how major media outlets describe the 60-vote threshold as an ordinary procedure, neglecting that this tactic is an unprecedented assertion of minority control.


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NOTE: To obtain an electronic copy of the Campaign for America's Future's report, "Block and Blame: The Conservative Strategy of Obstruction in the 110th Congress," please visit http://home.ourfuture.org/assets/block-and-blame.pdf

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http://home.ourfuture.org/media/record-breaking-senate-conservatives.html

Jim Shetterlini
12-20-2007, 03:05 PM
Keep up the good work gentleman...the less legislation passed the better!

LoungeMachine
12-20-2007, 03:41 PM
Originally posted by Jim Shetterlini
Keep up the good work gentleman...the less legislation passed the better!

:lol:

Jimmy Hypocrite of course is forgetting the RePuke led congress' of 2000-2006, and their rubber-stamp pResident. :rolleyes:

But I'm sure you were screaming for less passed legistlation then as well...

Whatever happened to DeLay, Cunningham, Frist ,Ley, and the rest of those Fiscal All-Stars? :D

fucking priceless.

Lest we forget, you guys were crying and whining about wanting to GET RID of the Filibuster back then.

LMMFAO


Feel free to come back and post again, jimmy. We love having you.

:lol:



:gulp:

knuckleboner
12-20-2007, 03:53 PM
Originally posted by Jim Shetterlini
Keep up the good work gentleman...the less legislation passed the better!

you mean you weren't in favor of the recent legislation to cap the alternative minimum tax?...

LoungeMachine
12-20-2007, 04:38 PM
Originally posted by knuckleboner
you mean you weren't in favor of the recent legislation to cap the alternative minimum tax?...

Better yet....

Why does Jimmy hate the troops? He doesn't support funding them?

Why doesnt Jimmy want BushCO to be able to eavesdrop without a warrant? Does he want the terrorists to win?


Good thing those fine Republicans didn't pass any immigration legistlation either....


Damn those Dems and their pesky hearings into leaks, theft, cronyism, and war crimes.

:gulp: