The Filibuster, Reconciliation and Recission Bills
A filibuster is a tactic used by one or more senators to prevent a majority vote on proposed legislation or some other Senate matter. The Senate filibuster is not included in the Constitution; rather, it is a Senate rule that the Senate can amend or eliminate at any time. Halting a filibuster is called cloture, and it takes sixty votes to pass a cloture motion.
Historically, the filibuster was first used by southern senators in the 1830s to protect slavery. Ever since, it has most often been used by white supremacists and political conservatives to block progressive social and economic legislation.
When Republicans are a majority in the Senate and Democrats try to use the filibuster to prevent passage of extreme right-wing bills, Republicans tweak the filibuster rule, reinterpret it, carve out exceptions. And use parliamentary maneuvers to get their way. Yet when Democrats have a Senate majority, for some reason they usually allow Republicans to kill their bills by filibuster rather than doing unto the Republicans as the Republicans have done unto them.
The Trump regime is determined to enact the MAGA agenda of enriching the rich through massive tax cuts for the wealthy while slashing government services and gutting regulatory power at our expense. To do that, they must prevent Democrats from blocking their legislation with filibusters. So, as usual, they are maneuvering to do just that through ploys such as introducing a Reconciliation bill, a Rescission bill, and budget waivers; reinterpreting long-standing laws and rules; and circumventing the Senate Parliamentarian—all while they use social media and the press to bamboozle the public with distortions, disinformation, and outright lies.
It is impossible for those of us who are not Washington insiders to accurately follow the daily barrage of media bafflegab, learn what deals are being cut in backrooms, or decipher what's behind the technical terms and political doublespeak. And it isn't our responsibility to do that. We elect our Democratic members of Congress to fight for us on Capitol Hill. Our role is to demand that they do their job and block the atrocities of the MAGA regime—which so far their timid, feeble, and halfhearted posturing has failed to do.
Democrat leaders wring their hands and say that because they are in the minority there is nothing they can do. Not true. The Field Guide to Hardball Congressional Tactics lists strategies and procedures that Republicans use against Democrats and that Democrats should start wielding on our behalf.
Our message to our Democratic representatives is clear and simple: DO YOUR JOB! Do your job—or we will find someone else who will.