Filibusters for Everyone!

 

 

With the success of Senator Chris Murphy’s filibuster this past week, perhaps the need for more of the highly entertaining spectacles, which many can understand better than the dull business of daily speeches and boring legislation on the Senate floor, might light a fire in the American electorate. Since the principle of the thing is at issue, why not screw your courage to the sticking place and come up with day long filibusters on the Senate floor to protest the lack of action on….

 

Why not…? For Supreme Court Justice Merrick Garland?

Since there is a vacancy that affects almost every area of our life, why can’t they even give this man a vote?

 

Or…The Iraq War Vote….?  The Authorization for Use of Force in Iraq and Syria? How can the State Department go ahead with a protest of 50 diplomats demanding action in the form of air strikes on Assad when there is no resolution for Military Action from the entire Congress?

 

Or…The Infrastructure Bill that never got passed?

How can the crumbling infrastructure so desperately needed in all 50 states take a back burner to all the military and spending projects abroad we have poured money into over the past fifteen years?

 

What about…The Immigration Bill that was allowed to die when Boehner decided to never bring it to the floor for a vote? One of the issues of our time is Immigration Reform. Why not bring it to the floor to shed light on it?

 

Or…a Bi-Partisan “Grand Bargain” bill that would help secure Social Security & Medicare? Another of the issues of our time, Income Inequality, could be a major factor-including the raising of the minimum wage. In days past when the Senate actually worked, there would have been some back and forth haggling and they would have compromised on the raising of the minimum wage and reached a bi-partisan agreement to raise it incrementally over a period of several years. The dirty words now are: Bi-Partisan Agreement & Compromise, neither of which are recognized by either side, but especially the Tea Party/Trump wing of the GOP.

 

Why not….the Sequester and Military Spending?

Why can’t the Congress debate the money that was automatically cut in programs because of the Sequester, a cowardly way to force Congress to act, rather than to openly debate the subject of our excessive Military Spending-higher than the next seven countries combined-and the need to invest in modern technology instead of continuing to inflate what Eisenhower correctly summarized as the Industrial Military Complex? We need to debate the merits of  reduction of  the number of  military bases and the urgent need to make Veterans Health a priority in the Military Budgets of the Future!

 

Why not Filibuster…Campaign Finance Reform Laws? Which are gutted as we now know the McCain Feingold Act has been? Filibuster to vote to repeal Citizens United-which would bring to light the Dark Money found in PAC’s and the need for more transparency and openness in Campaign Spending.

 

Why not Filibuster….the gutting of Dodd-Frank? And why not bring to light the lobbyists in Corporate America and Wall Street who are trying to eliminate any and all forms of Consumer Finance Protection Laws, championed by Elizabeth Warren? Throw Bernie a bone, why don’t you, and let him lead the fight on the floor with Elizabeth! Perhaps his young army of followers will glean a better understanding of the laws and the process that makes our Government work, and also shuts our Government down!