The People's Email Network Last 25 Messages Transmitted Log Go Back Stop The Filibuster Now ********** [205650:102713] E.S., Menlo Park, CA While not as dramatic as the government shutdown, Republican filibustering of every Obama nominee cuts the same way. By leaving vacancies on federal courts and at the heads of federal agencies, the Republican minority in the Senate prevents the government from serving its purpose. It is time to put an end to this nonsense! Majority Leader Reed should change the rules at the start of the next session to require only a simple majority for cloture. ********** [104900:072713] R.H., Ojai, CA The filibuster has made the Senate as disfunctional as the House. The number of votes needed to filibuster needs to be reduced or eliminated! ********** [184259:071113] N.C., Ojai, CA A majority is by definition already a supper majority. Just ask a Californian if they feel that their vote count. ********** [154154:071113] L.E., Foster, RI Help stop these wrongful strong-arm tactics by supporting the elimination of the filibuster. This is NOT democracy in action. ********** [113556:071113] P.G., New York, NY Republicans refuse to confirm ANY nominee that they would not have nominated themselves, presuming they had won the last two presidential elections. Worse yet, they refuse to consider any nominee whatsoever for agencies they wish they could abolish outright. If the Democrats do not stand up for themselves, and for the people that voted for them, why should anyone even bother to come out to vote for them again? That of course is the strategy behind this Republican maneuvering, to dictate there can be no government at all unless they are in power. It is imperative that we end the filibuster now and get on with governing this country. Thank you. ********** [002320:070813] s.k., Kansas City, MO Congress has become so disfunctional and the filibuster though not even used but threatened to be used has made it even more disfunctional. We need to change the rules since we do not have a congress that wishes to get things done. ********** [102454:070513] T.M., Saint Paul, MN Protection of the minority belongs in the hands of the Constitution, NOT in the hands of self-centered lobbyist controlled politicians. ********** [050017:070513] R.R., Los Angeles, CA In California, Republicans can stop a tax increase with just 34% of the vote. In 2000, Republicans on a national scale lost the popular vote (and most probably the electoral vote as well), but still took the White House when it was gifted to them by the Supreme Court. Since 2009, Republicans have used the filibuster a record number of times to thwart the will of the people. (Had it not been for the filibuster, we would have had real health care reform without a mandate and with a public option.) Finally, in the 2012 election, Republican gerrymandering at the state level left them in control of the House despite the fact that Democrats received a million more votes nationwide in all the House races combined than did the Republicans. The time has come to allow the people's voice, as determined by direct elections time and again, to be heard, and the first step in that process is to get rid of the filibuster, an extra-Constitutional procedural convention that can easily be swept away by a majority vote in the Senate. The time has long since come for the Senate to do exactly that. ********** [170112:070413] c.d., Ithaca, NY The filibuster is anti democracy, please help this dying democracy by eliminating the filibuster, ********** [165104:070313] W.R., Cottonwood, CA A simple majority is an appropriate standard for most decisions, and always has been in our model of democracy. ********** [173550:070113] J.B., Crossville, TN The cost of maintaining our Military throughout the world is having the effect of taking needed fund away from our national needs and is not the appropriate way to spend the taxpayer funds . IF we were not behaving as the policeman of the world, we would be able to fund healthcare for the people, education for our children and fix our infrastructure. ********** [103354:063013] M.D., Waukesha, WI I am sick and tired of what used to be my party of Republicans acting like foolish, selfish brats. Get to work! That's what I pay you for - to get stuff done for the common good, not try to "save" the country from imagined bogeymen! ********** [041400:063013] R.O., Indianapolis, IN Nothing gets accomplished by abusing the filibuster and it has sad that this appears to be the strategy to carry out politics in the US ********** [135933:062913] G.G., Palisade, CO Make the filibuster an actual stand on the floor and explain the opposition process. It used to be a stand on the floor and speak process, but there should be no "read the phone book" business allowed. If there is a good reason to oppose a motion, make the case. Otherwise, get on with an up-or-down vote. There has been more than enough fiddling while Rome burns . Get rid of it NOW! ********** [125035:062913] S.O., Sturgeon Lake, MN We are running out of time to accomplish things, let's fix it now. Make the filibuster harder to do....make it an actual talking filibuster. ********** [124902:062913] M.F., Sturgeon Lake, MN It is time to fix the system and get things done. We are running out of time. ********** [085151:062913] R.F., Bonita Springs, FL Why is the Congress not functional? One reason: The filibuster. The Republicans have been using it for the past 5 years to stop anything that President Obama favors, even it they had favored it themselves in the past. Thus, a minority in the Senate has stopped the majority. Then the Democrats have not forced Harry Reid to stop the filibuster as it seems that they are either cowards or too naïve to do so. Time for the American public to be aware of who is hindering our progress and to vote those people out of office at the next election. if we don't. we need to stop complaining about the government's inability to help the people. ********** [094603:062813] G.P., Atlanta, GA Please remove filibusters. It is a counterproductive antiquated tool. ********** [030831:062813] E.H., Wilmington, DE If the Supreme Court can act on frequent 5-to-4 decisions, why can the Senate not act on 51-49 decisions? ********** [194326:062713] M.S., Colorado Springs, CO ENOUGH Already....jheez. STOP this radical subversion of the democratic rule of government once and for all. ALEC, and those that are merely schills for the Corporatocracy must be EXPOSED. REPEAL Citizens United too while you're at it. Oh, and a Supreme Court justice that has NEVER spoken on the bench? Really Mr. Thomas? Disgusting is what it is.... WAKE UP ********** [171016:062713] D.R., Baldwinsville, NY The filibuster must go! The GOP must start to do their jobs! ********** [083028:062713] T.P., Minneapolis, MN Republicans are not a political party, contrary to popular opinion. They're an organized crime syndicate, now quite global, with vague pretensions to politics. Down with the corporate kleptocracy. ********** [082941:062713] J.W., Brunswick, GA ALRIGHT, GUYS -- STOP ACTING LIKE 2-YEAR OLDS, AND GET YOUR BUTTS MOVING!! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, ALREADY!! ********** [063842:062713] B.D., Wausau, WI I am sick of the Republican tactics that in effect has sabotaged the functioning of our government. We expect our ELECTED officals to work for OUR good not that of their national party and the radicals who are trying to impose the will of a few on the rest of us. Get rid of this 60 vote super majority rule and get things done. ********** [115700:062613] T.W., Fayetteville, NY Let go of the democratic process. ********** Go Back