President has been pressing Republicans to nix the
filibuster for months and even spoke to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnel (R-Ky.
The
filibuster thus entered the couch-potato world of virtual reality, where an actual speech no longer is required to block a vote.
They suggest using what is called Rule XIX to limit debate, thus limiting the duration of a
filibuster.
The
filibuster in one form or another dates back to the 19th century but assumed its current form in the 1970s.
said that if Hillary Clinton won the White House and Democrats controlled the Senate, Democrats would again change the rules to prevent any Republican attempt to
filibuster a Clinton nominee to the Supreme Court.
Opposition lawmaker Jung Chung-rae spoke for 11 hours and 39 minutes on Saturday, the longest speech of the
filibuster thus far.
Many Republicans are eager to restore the
filibuster threshold to 60 votes on all nominations, arguing that the move would be consistent with their earlier complaints about Democrats'
filibuster reform.
But
filibuster abolition is more than a one-shot proposition.
4) Since a three-fifths majority is necessary to invoke cloture, this increased use of the
filibuster effectively imposes a supermajority vote requirement to approve nominations or pass most legislation in the Senate.
They think that the Senate's current
filibuster system cannot be abolished by a simple majority vote.
The
filibuster has been so effective over the centuries because it's been difficult to stop: Senators must first vote to cut off debate before they can even consider approving a bill or nomination.
If Obama's nominees are going to get a vote, Majority Leader Harry Reid will need to threaten, as he has before, to "go nuclear"--that is, to change Senate rules ending the minority's ability to
filibuster presidential nominations.
