The Need for Filibuster Reform

As over 290 bills that have passed the House sit idle in the Senate due to the unprecedented obstructionism currently being displayed by the Republican minority, the need for filibuster reform has been thrust into the forefront.

For those not familiar with the filibuster and cloture process, when either of them are invoked, a supermajority (60) of senators is required to bring a bill to debate and close the debate to bring the bill to a final up-or-down vote.

Why should a Republican minority of 41 senators that represent only 37% of the US population be able to bring the nations business to a grinding halt? If you'd like to check my math, you can see my numbers here. (which were from the most recent census estimates)

To give you an idea how big the disparity of representation in the Senate is, consider the two extremes:

Barbara Boxer/Dianne Feinstein (D-CA): 12.09% or 36.8M people
John Barrasso/Michael Enzi (R-WY): 0.19% or 592K people

How is it democratic to allow such a small minority to control our government?

Senator Dick Durbin: "[The Banks] Own the Place"

This audio clip from Dick Durbin is a few months old, but as Congress breaks for the summer recess, with the Senate failing to bring new health care legislation to a vote, I feel it's more relevant than ever. Why is it that any meaningful, progressive legislation get's either filabustered into obscurity or watered-down by the Republicans or Blue Dog Democrats until it's impotent? Personally, as Sen. Durbin agrees, I blame corporate lobbyists. In the clip, Mr Durbin articulates why passing any banking legislation is doomed to failure. This time the poor quality is not my fault:



For those not familiar with Dick Durbin, he is the current senator from Illinois and Senate Majority Whip, the second highest position for the Democratics in the Senate. He was also voted one of "America's 10 Best Senators" by Time Magazine back in 2006.

For a great overview on corporate lobbying totals for just the first quarter of 2009, check out this link or, for a more comprehensive look at the influence of ALL money in politics, check out Open Secrets. Once you learn how much money the wealthy and corporations spend to influence our elected representatives, you'll understand why campaign finance reform should be priority number one.