Thursday, December 06, 2012

Fillibusters Gone Wild

Mitch McConnell has set a new standard for when a Republican senator should filibuster a bill to prevent it from being called to the floor for a vote.
 
Today McConnell, in an apparent attack of pre-Alzheimer’s, or in imitation of the mindlessness of young nubile coeds on Spring Break, proposed a bill to raise the debt ceiling with the mistaken notion that neither Democrats nor Republicans would care to vote on that just now. It was yet another show of bravado, daring Democrats to step over the line that he drew in the dust.
Much to McConnell’s chagrin, Harry Reid took the bait and ran out McConnell’s fishing line for a mile before ol’ Mitch realized what he had done. Reid immediately called for an up or down vote on the floor, leaving McConnell no alternative but to filibuster his own bill.
Isn ‘t that just the best thing?
Here we have Republican senators setting all sorts of records as the 112th legislative session winds to a close, and Republicans have filibustered 110 times. Now this isn’t up to their previous record in the 110th congress of 139 cloture votes, but hey, who’s counting?
Who is counting when the Senate minority leader has now filibustered his own bill?
I wonder what McConnell does when he’s home alone and decides to pour himself two fingers of Maker’s Mark. Does he then nag himself about how he needs to cut back on the stuff?
Mitch McConnell made my day today.
Or maybe he didn’t…

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