Thread: Understanding Filibuster and Cloture

Clotu...

Filibuster and Cloture
19th Century Filibuster


Using the filibuster to delay or block legislative action has a long history. The term filibuster -- from a Dutch word meaning "pirate" -- became popular in the 1850s, when it was applied to efforts to hold the Senate floor in order to prevent a vote on a bill.

In the early years of Congress, representatives as well as senators could filibuster. As the House of Representatives grew in numbers, however, revisions to the House rules limited debate. In the smaller Senate, unlimited debate continued on the grounds that any senator should have the right to speak as long as necessary on any issue.

In 1841, when the Democratic minority hoped to block a bank bill promoted by Kentucky Senator Henry Clay, he threatened to change Senate rules to allow the majority to close debate. Missouri Senator Thomas Hart Benton rebuked Clay for trying to stifle the Senate's right to unlimited debate.

Three quarters of a century later, in 1917, senators adopted a rule (Rule 22), at the urging President Woodrow Wilson, that allowed the Senate to end a debate with a two-thirds majority vote, a device known as "cloture." The new Senate rule was first put to the test in 1919, when the Senate invoked cloture to end a filibuster against the Treaty of Versailles. Even with the new cloture rule, filibusters remained an effective means to block legislation, since a two-thirds vote is difficult to obtain. Over the next five decades, the Senate occasionally tried to invoke cloture, but usually failed to gain the necessary two-thirds vote. Filibusters were particularly useful to Southern senators who sought to block civil rights legislation, including anti-lynching legislation, until cloture was invoked after a fifty-seven day filibuster against the Civil Right Act of 1964. In 1975, the Senate reduced the number of votes required for cloture from two-thirds to three-fifths, or sixty of the current one hundred senators.

Many Americans are familiar with the filibuster conducted by Jimmy Stewart, playing Senator Jefferson Smith in Frank Capra's film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, but there have been some famous filibusters in the real-life Senate as well. During the 1930s, Senator Huey P. Long effectively used the filibuster against bills that he thought favored the rich over the poor. The Louisiana senator frustrated his colleagues while entertaining spectators with his recitations of Shakespeare and his reading of recipes for "pot-likkers." Long once held the Senate floor for fifteen hours. The record for the longest individual speech goes to South Carolina's J. Strom Thurmond who filibustered for 24 hours and 18 minutes against the Civil Rights Act of 1957.

http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/his ... loture.htm

"Cloture and filibuster for dummies"!

Not everyone has been ivolved in politics up until now.

Lets help them feel comfortable, knowledge gives confidence everyone

SOSADFORUS wrote:

Lets help them feel comfortable, knowledge gives confidence everyone.

I agree. Also brings to mind the old say, "knowledge is power."

Thanks for the post, SOSADFORUS.

Join us in the fight against amnesty at one of these links, learn what to do and post your responses from the traitors trying to push through amnesty for up to 20 million illegal If you need help just ask!!

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http://www.alipac.us/modules.php?name=F ... c&p=359321

Originally Posted by MW

SOSADFORUS wrote:

Lets help them feel comfortable, knowledge gives confidence everyone.

I agree. Also brings to mind the old say, "knowledge is power."

Thanks for the post, SOSADFORUS.

Lets knock em dead today MW

Great post, SOSAD!

SOSADFORUS wrote:

Lets knock em dead today MW

I'm there, already made some calls this morning (plus a couple faxes from NumbersUSA) and more will follow this afternoon. You go girl!

I just spoke with a Senate office that tells me if this Cloture vote passes, there will be some debate and then a second Cloture vote that must also pass before they can vote on the bill.

Can anyone confirm this for me?

W

Originally Posted by ALIPAC

I just spoke with a Senate office that tells me if this Cloture vote passes, there will be some debate and then a second Cloture vote that must also pass before they can vote on the bill.

Can anyone confirm this for me?

W

I am waiting for a call to answer to this question! will let you know what I find out. checking a couple different sources. Did find out state level does use cloture procedure.