Obviously, I’m no big McCaskill fan, and she’s going to have to do more to get my enthusiasm (and shoeleather) come campaign season. But after her tough votes on the DREAM Act and on DADT repeal, she’s following up with something historic: filibuster reform.
Among the chief revisions that Democrats say will likely be offered: Senators could not initiate a filibuster of a bill before it reaches the floor unless they first muster 40 votes for it, and they would have to remain on the floor to sustain it. That is a change from current rules, which require the majority leader to file a cloture motion to overcome an anonymous objection to a motion to proceed, and then wait 30 hours for a vote on it.
“There need to be changes to the rules to allow filibusters to be conducted by people who actually want to block legislation instead of people being able to quietly say ‘I object’ and go home,” said Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.
Good on ya, Claire. Get it done.
when they have to be relieved and oh so greatful that their Democratic Senator, who they worked their ass off for to get a Democratic majority into the senate, voted with the Democrats on key issues that the Democratic President and the party as a whole wants and decided to sign a letter that ALL other Democratic returning senators signed. The fact that a post like this even exists says something about McCaskill.
One ‘aw shit’ wipes out ten ‘attaboys’.
Claire gets this backwards, she gives us ten ‘aw shits’ for every ‘attaboy’.
Quite frankly, I was shocked she voted for the DREAM act. I guess to me it begged the question “was there no risk for her” because if she considered it to be a risky vote, then she wouldn’t have voted for it.
I can’t imagine that 4 years into her tenure of pissing all over her base that she’s actually looking at the fate of Blanche Lincoln and Carnahan’s blow-out loss and wondering if her old-school Republican moderate approach to Senating will result in one-term back in DC.