Monday, July 23, 2007

GOP Effort To Nullify the Constitution

Cutting off debate and votes in Congress, especially in today's modern-now-a-go-go-world, where the most discussion of the President's plans for warfare have taken place after the Congress and the media has approved of those plans --- just makes little sense and serves the public not at all.

The recent stunt in the US Senate by the GOP minority to squelch a vote on Iraq War Funding is part of an ever growing trend in completely altering the way government operates. Used to be that the Senate would take a vote where the majority is all that was needed to send legislation to the President, which he could veto if he wished and the legislation would come back and more debate would occur.

Trying to "veto-proof" the vote in the Senate is the same as nullifying the role and presence of the Senate and pushes our country one step closer to rule by a single office holder.

A fascinating assessment of the trend to block votes indicates the current session of Congress is on track to triple the record of blocked votes. (via McClatchey):

"
Nearly 1 in 6 roll-call votes in the Senate this year have been cloture votes. If this pace of blocking legislation continues, this 110th Congress will be on track to roughly triple the previous record number of cloture votes — 58 each in the two Congresses from 1999-2002, according to the Senate Historical Office."

Triple -- meaning as many as 153 blocked votes in the current trend.

Both parties have done this, no doubt, but the current GOP, including TN Senators Alexander and Corker, are in lock step with the party to shred the role the Senate is meant to play.

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