The Senate Filibuster

One way our democracy could be improved is by changing the rules as to filibustering in the U. S. Senate. This comes from an article in the New York Times 8-28-10. The widespread use of the filibuster is a recent development. Part of the problem lies with today's partisan culture, in which blocking the other party takes priority over passing legislation or confirming candidates. For instance, a bill to extend unemployment benefits in late 2009 faced two filibusters--despite its bipartisan backing and its eventual passage 98 to 0. To pass the bill, it took 4 weeks, including 7 days of floor debate. Under the present procedures, the burden is on the majority party to end discussion and bring ta bill to a vote, rather than on the filibustering minority to prevent a vote. Now, if a single senator objects to a cloture of debate, the majority must have 60 senators, on the floor, to vote in favor of cloture. The rules should be changed so that to continue debate on a bill 40 senators, on the floor, would have to vote to continue the debate, and this vote could come up every 3 hours while the senate is in continuous session.