Inside a Congressional Filibuster - George Mitchell

[Yesitsanais]

I just think this hilarious, ahhh congress...

[PrepPingPong]

Who disliked this?

[TKDmidgit]

George Mitchell is hilarious. Love his personality!

[trickmastermonkey]

what I'd like to know is can a politician filibuster his way out of his own bullsh*t?

[MrNatchural69]

why the hell cant they just say they dont want the bill passed

[doglover427]

@baggedyman

Unless there is a cloture vote, which needs 3/5 of the senate to end discussion.

[stabbed22]

"Lying there in their clothes, snoring away, were the members of the US Senate"

This is first class material.

[xXSharksBreathXx]

they are like stand up comedians.

[baggedyman]

I still don't understand how a filibuster works. So one guy talks and talks for hours. Why do they do this? How can they prevent a vote? I can understand how they DELAY a vote, but how do they prevent a vote?

[iboozed]

@baggedyman Delaying action on a bill is really all they can do, but by talking long enough they can wear down the majority in order to win concessions or force withdrawal of the bill.

[baggedyman]

@iboozed Can the other senators leave and come back when he is finished, or do they HAVE to stay in there until everyone is finished talking.

[iboozed]

@baggedyman Here something I found online that hopefully explains it: In the past, when one senator became exhausted, another would need to take over to continue the filibuster. Ultimately, the filibuster could be exhausted by a majority who would even sleep in cots outside the Senate Chamber to exhaust the filibusterers. Today, the minority just advises the majority leader that the filibuster is on. All debate on the bill is stopped until cloture is voted by 3/5ths (60 votes) of the Senate.

[baggedyman]

@iboozed So a filibuster could go on forever since other senators can take over. Unless cloture, of course. Right?

[iboozed]

@baggedyman Yeah, I think the record stands at a little over 24 hours .

[korosuu]

@iboozed Yup, Strom Thurmond. 24 hours, 18 minutes.

[nickelbake95]

@baggedyman if the other senators are tired of listening they can agree to change the part someone is opposing or they can "kill the bill" until the next term and try again. It's just a test of the impatience of the Senate.

[crazyinsanepanda101]

@baggedyman Here's how it works. In the senate and only in the senate, a vote cannot take place if someone is talking. As long as someone is talking no one can vote on a bill, and they can talk indefinately.

[ntn1987]

Filibuster is a political masterpiece. Every nation should adopt it.

[Sylvanranger]

Strom Thurmond once did a 24 hour and 18 minute long filibuster in 1957 against civil rights LOL 6 hours is starting to sound lovely compared to that!

[Greekmustard666]

i dont know much about politics, i was just looking to see an example of filibusters, i thought this video was great

[StreganonaCP]

2/3rds dumbass's

[RaisedByTheSword666]

It used to be 2/3's. It was reduced to 3/5ths.

[StreganonaCP]

yo i hate my brother i didnt post that comment sorry man

[yawenalice]

hahaha...

[lostboys111]

is this a Filibuster right now

[r5t6y12]

Oh man,

The John Warner-Elizabeth Taylor remark?

Mitchell is making a joke here....but HE doesn't get it. Everybody else is laughing. He's waiting to finish his remark.

[danielilov]

wow i can barely sit through 5 minutes of this... how the hell do the senators listen to this for 6 hours lmao

[ESponge2000]

The right of filibuster signifies that an intense objection by a large minority holds some weight against a less intense bare majority. Filibusters protect the minority when their objection is strong enough.

[hazillow]

or it signifies obstructionist nonsense. whatever works.

[Spudst3r]

A filibuster can be beat in any parliamentary system with a 2/3rds vote.

A filibuster is useful as a way to express an intense disagreement over legislation. A filibuster takes plenty of energy for the individual to move forward with, so it's not like they are putting themselves in an easy situation by doing it.

[untrueman]

3/5s*

[StreganonaCP]

2/3s dumbfuck

[faYte0607]

@StreganonaCP 2/3s in 70s, now it's 3/5, DUMBFUCK! Learn your politics

[logicalityftw]

actually its 3/5ths vote

[Redfingers]

That isn't democratic, dumbass.

[Redfingers]

Ferrozm are you high?

Filibustering isn't a matter of representing people's rights, it's a matter of stifling legislation in Congress and drowning debates on pieces of legislation whether a majority of the country is for or against it.

Literally, there could be something that the entire country was in favor of, say stopping the raping of pigs in California, but some fuck, some pigraper in Congress could hijack the Senate for fifteen hours and filibuster the debate right out of the building.

[xXPatriotVirusXx]

True, but that would be political suicide. His career would be over.

[ferrozm]

that is a ridiculous argument. there obviously has to be 2/3 majority to override and kill debate

[Sylvanranger]

@ferrozm isn't it 3/5s?

[Sondre7]

Haha amazing story

[Redfingers]

This is an awesome story.

Filibustering should end.

[ferrozm]

no way. If there is no consensus in the country a majority of representatives have no right imposing laws on the all people.

There should be a lot more filibusters.

[bustosricky]

a majority is there because the people elected them. a minority has no right to obstruct the will of the people.

you obtain that right when you have the majority.

[ferrozm]

Really now? Should the majority of white people in the south have voted to lessen african american rights because they were the majority? Should  homosexuals be denied their right to marry because the majority of the people want it to happen?

The answer if you respect freedom is NO

[bustosricky]

The white people in the south did vote for less rights to blacks, homosexuals were denied the right to marry, at least in california, where they had the right to begin with.

It is up to majority to mend these mistakes. as they are doing.

the south didn't get their way because the north was stronger. people in less progressive states are allowing same sex marriages.

all I'm saying is that majority is majority, right or wrong, people voted for that. whether you like their decisions or not.

[Allessaria]

your logic is wrong and illogical

[cockofduty4]

he's right, tha majority rules, thats how tha government was built and thats how it has worked..even if its 49 to 51..it just means 49 ppl are fucked

[logicalityftw]

thats why its 2/3 noob

[Allessaria]

If that is truly your thoughts on the issue; then don't complain when your group is in the minority as then you will have no rights to obstruct because its the will of the people.

The same standard works for both sides....

[BlackpeopleLOL]

@Redfingers Your dad should have filibusted your mother when she beckoned him to bed the night u were made.

[blackiron60]

Now that's insane.

[fubar28]

fascinating.