Sorry if this is a bit of a rant, but having to watch the US Senate once again jump through the 60 vote super-majority hoop these last couple weeks has very much reinflamed my anger about the Republican use of (and Conservadem complicity in) the filibuster to block or weaken critical legislation.
Rachel Maddow's show recently had a contest to rebrand the filibuster so it is more easily discussed without delving into complicated process and history. Unfortunately, the rebranding they chose was "the Tarantino", which was an insiders joke at best and really not effective at speaking to a broad section of voters such as seniors who probably have no clue who he is or anything about his Kill Bill movies. But I do credit them for trying, and agree with the intent.
Since the time of that contest, one word seems to describe it crystal clear for me. So let me say it in the plainest possible language: The filibuster is UN-AMERICAN.
Say what? Yes, I just said it... the filibuster, as it is currently implemented by Senate rules, is UN-AMERICAN. Get this new word out of your arsenal whenever describing obstruction of the majority's legislative priorities. Use it with the full force in your heart, because by insisting on a 60 vote super-majority to advance legislation in the US Senate, Republicans and their allies are distorting the role of the minority in our legislative branch and blocking the will of the majority.
Oh come on now, you say, the filibuster has been around for years. It's just like apple pie, although slightly less tasty. True, true, the filibuster has been around for years, and it does in fact require a 60 vote super-majority to close debate on various votes. But the rules have morphed over time, and implementation of those rules has grown more and more deferential to the authority of any single senator just threatening a filibuster.
Smarter people than me have written extensively on the filibuster and why we need reform. Please bone up on the research. But just for a quick recap, here are some priorities that have been compromised or blocked by the republican filibusters that deserve the UN-AMERICAN label:
- Taking almost a year to pass health insurance reform and having to fill it with goodies like the Cornhusker Kickback just to get 60 votes - UN-AMERICAN!
- Unemployment insurance extensions repeatedly blocked, while millions fall out of the safety net - UN-AMERICAN!
- Financial Industry reform - watered down and delayed despite near universal agreement that regulation was needed to prevent another catastrophe? UN-AMERICAN!
- Immigration reform - D.O.A. because we'll never get to 60 votes? Even in the wake of the Arizona immigration debacle? UN-AMERICAN
- Stimulus bill reduced in size and scope to garner the magic 60 votes, while millions are out of work and the economy is in the worst shape in generations? - You got it, UN-AMERICAN!
- Energy reform at a time we are encountering the worst ecological disaster in our nation's history, not to mention the slow motion climate change disaster? UN-AMERICAN
- Slowing or blocking nominations to fill important cabinet and judicial roles necessary to make the government work? UN-AMERICAN
- Dozens... in fact probably hundreds... of legislative efforts stalled after passing in the U.S. House but unable to even be debated in the U.S. Senate - UN-AMERICAN
These are just a few of the most obvious examples of why the filibuster is Un-American. In all cases, a clear majority was ready to pass substantive legislation. That legislation was talked to death, derailed, delayed, watered down, stripped down and in most cases left a shell of the its original intentions.
So, please everyone, don't get caught up in long conversations about the filibuster, and history and process and blah blah blah when discussing the need for filibuster reform with your friends and family. Make it really easy for those less politically inclined to understand. The filibuster is Un-American. It goes against the law-making process established in the Constitution. It goes against the will of the people who elected the majorities. It aides in the weakening and neutering of the important reforms and change the citizens overwhelmingly supported in the last election.
One final word... yes, Un-American is pretty harsh. But I choose this word because it has so often been hurdled at liberals and Democrats. In this case, however, Un-American so clearly captures what the Republicans are doing that we must loudly and repeatedly use it to describe their obstruction.