Irony: Liberals complain about Republican filibusters
Nothing says irony better than when liberals complain about Republican filibusters now:
But minority rule is what today's Republicans are all about. Hence we see disruption in the districts and stagnation in the Senate. When and whether the majority will bestir itself to reestablish democracy's first principle is anybody's guess. Abolishing the filibuster would be a good start -- and perhaps a necessary step to enact to big changes like health reform.
That's funny. Don't Democrats have a filibuster-proof majority? If you want to complain about "rule by minority" (BTW, it's called "preventing tyranny of majority": all that the minority can do is prevent action, like a chess player who lost the tempo, it can never make active aggression against the majority), complain about Blue Dog Democrats. Complain about how they are DINOs. Maybe they will, like Arlen Specter, switch party and come to us: except, unlike Arlen Specter, they will be welcomed and honored, since, regardless of our differences on certain issues, they came to our aid in our time of need—and the issue that drove them to us proves that they are conservatives at heart and on the fundamental issues.
I for one, wouldn't be terribly against making filibuster harder. Or, even perhaps eliminating it by "nuclear option": Democrats always had that option, even before "Senator Franken" got there. They didn't use it because they expected to be out of power soon, and then it would be they who needed to filibuster. Perhaps this would be too drastic—to expect it of our corrupt senators. But I am all for making it harder. Today, all that a senator needs to do to filibuster is communicate his intention to filibuster and be present. He doesn't even have to read a phone book. Make them make a speech. Make them prepare for a filibuster like late Strom Thurmond did, dehydrating himself so that he can drink water without having to go to bathroom.
Democrats have all these options (even the option of simply voting for cloture with their filibuster proof majority!) but they are not using it. Why are we blaming Republicans again? Is it because it's sin for them to be a Republican—or, like one of those inconvenient fetuses, to exist at all?