McConnell filibusters his OWN proposal after Reid calls his bluff

You know, America's Founding Fathers wanted the Senate to do a few things. They wanted it to be a check on the power of bigger/more populous states, a great leveler in Congress. And, by having states appoint U.S. senators (before Progressives passed the 17th Amendment in 1913 to have the American people elect them), the Founding Fathers wanted senators to be above the noise of "mobocracy," and deliberate, debate and make decisions based on the best long-term interests of the country.  

Well, thanks to abuse of Senate filibuster rules -- the terms "filibuster" and "cloture" are not mentioned in the U.S. Constitution, by the way -- our senators don't do much debating or deliberating anymore: merely the threat of a filibuster means a bill cannot be brought to the floor of the Senate for debate. That means that all the real talking our senators do, if any, happens behind closed doors in smoked-filled rooms. Unfortunately, our senators spend a lot more time posturing in front of the media than they do talking to each other, or heaven forbid, actually putting their views on the Congressional record on the floor of the Senate!

That's why Harry Reid wants to reform the filibuster rule.

Dems Look on in Wonder as Mitch McConnell Filibusters His Own Proposal

Quite a moment in Senate history.

By Martin Longman

December 7, 2012 | Booman Tribune

URL: http://www.alternet.org/election-2012/dems-look-wonder-mitch-mcconnell-filibusters-his-own-proposal