The Death of a Good Bill (or Why America Hates the Senate)

"And both sides claim absolute support of the underlying measure, yet the bill failed to overcome a filibuster last night 53-24."
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JNS is the below true or not? If is true then how did 41 senators state that they would filibuster if the vote for was 53-24? I don't understand this so please explain.
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Rule 22
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The filibuster is related to "cloture," a rule adopted almost 100 years ago requiring a two-thirds vote. At times this was two-thirds of those voting; for a limited time, it was two-thirds of membership.
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In 1975, the Senate reduced the number of votes needed to invoke cloture to three-fifths (60) of Senate membership. At the same time, they made the filibuster "invisible" by requiring only that 41 Senators state that they intend to filibuster; critics say this makes the modern filibuster "painless."
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...said a GOP Senate aide.
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Who? Who said that? How do I know you're not making stuff up?

But over all, welcome to the Senate, ladies and gentlemen, and people wonder why nothing ever gets done.
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And after considering what gunny said, this statement is incredibly disingenuous when you do so bad a job of explaining what happens.

OT: And I know I'm always doing this crap, but this is a remarkable observation from over at Andrew's place from a reader. Holy cow!:
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Your criticism of cable news has been particularly apt as events unfold in Iran, but last evening, I was really struck by The Daily Show's unique-- perhaps symbiotic-- relationship with the cable news networks. Recently, Jon Stewart has been rather critical of cable news-- all anti-Obama all the time on Fox, the Rush Limbaugh obsession of MSNBC's evening lineup, Starbucks sponsorship of Morning Joe, and CNN begging viewers to email/text/twitter/vote/
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facebook... Yet, last evening I watched part of Campbell Brown's interview with Jason Jones, who had just returned from Tehran. When I tuned in to MSNBC to watch Rachel Maddow, I caught the end of Keith Olbermann's interview with John Hodgman.
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Finally, The Daily Show presented interviews Jason Jones conducted during his visit to Tehran-- interviews with three men, former foreign minister Ebrahim Yazdi, cleric Mohammad Ali Abtahi, and Newsweek's Maziar Bahari, all of whom have since been arrested. As a follow-up, Jon Stewart interviewed Ebrahim Yazdi's son, who offered some personal insight. Jones interviews from Tehran were standard Daily Show fare, but the interview with Yazdi's son was more sober. Nonetheless, The Daily Show managed to provide access to compelling and notable figures, and Campbell Brown and Keith Olbermann managed to provide access to The Daily Show...
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http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/06/the-msm-and-the-daily-show.html#more

Jay Newton-Small:
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“This bill was the one shot before we leave” for Independence Day recess, said a GOP Senate aide.
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Apart from the obscenely gratuitous anonymity bestowed upon the brave whistle-blower above, thanks for this report.

Wait just a damn minute.
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Lets unpack this story for a moment.
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First we learn that supposedly both sides wanted to offer amendments giving the impression that the bill went down because problems on both sides of the aisle.
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Next we have nameless GOP aide who blames the Dems and specifically Harry Reid for not allowing the amendments.
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Third we have Jim Manley who doesn't hide behind anonymity who points out that the aide was lying and that the GOP wanted THEIR amendment but wouldn't allow one from the Democrats.
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Fourth we have Don Stewart not refuting a single point of Jim Manley's argument but just basically saying screw what he said and just believe me that it was both sides fault.
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But then curiously we find that every Democrat that voted STILL voted for the bill without their amendment and yet every Republican voted against it.
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Yet JNS ends her post with this:
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There is no end to this game of finger pointing -- they will accuse and counter accuse until they turn blue in the face. And both sides claim absolute support of the underlying measure, yet the bill failed to overcome a filibuster last night 53-24

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You know Jay Newton Small there are these little things called facts which normal people use to make judgements. If all of the evidence points to the Republicans derailing the bill why in the hell are you trying to spin this as a mystery?
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Yet another perfect illustration of he said she said journalism at its worst.
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Come on Time layoffs!

gunny
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I don't know about Sully's emailer but I will say that KO had a very good interview last night.
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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#31496684

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JNS, I agree with sgwhite. How, based on what you have written, can a sentient decide your conclusion is anything other than false equivalence?
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There's plenty of Democratic Senators screwing up our chance at fixing our health care system, if you need to throw some bipartisan stones.
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But this case looks like just another GOP hissy fit. They know they can get away with it, because the corporate media will shrug their shoulders and report "ehh, politicians...what can you do?"
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Don't be part of the problem, JNS.
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Though I agree with above commenters, that when every Democratic senator voted for the bill JNS shouldnt spin it as "pox on both their houses".... still when 24 senators out of 77 voting senators can successfully derail a bill on which basically everyone agrees, there is something wrong with the Senate.

This bill, in fact, summarizes a couple of problems:
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1. The political process. What's wrong with just voting on a bill, without encumbering it with additional crap? If these riders, basically leaches, can't stand on their own, they should not be supported by unrelated legislation. Yeah, I know, I'd like a pony, too...
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2. If our benevolent dictators want more visitors to the country, perhaps they should call off the f'ing dogs at TSA / DHS. When I can't even hop across the border to Canada to grab some Chinese food and come back to my own country without packing my passport and risking detention by some border goon who's having a bad day, why should any foreigner want to come visit? You want people to visit? Make them feel welcome - not like criminals before they even set foot in the country. Dammed Gestapo bassturds...

abhiag
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I should point out that it was actually 34 not 24 Repubs that voted against it, JNS got that wrong. But you are right about the premise of the statement. Thats on Harry Reid though if you ask me. At some point you shouldn't have to file cloture on every single frikkin bill you want to pass.

people wonder why nothing ever gets done
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No, actually "people" have a pretty good grasp of the situation, and are wondering when "the media" is going to wake up.
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Welcome to reality, Jay Newton-Small.

sgwhiteinfla
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Point noted. Ofcourse in this case 18 senators out of 77 voting senators would have been sufficient to block the bill.
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Regarding timidity of Harry Reid, well that's well known. Though we can all imagine the outrage that would instantly appear in all news media if he ever so much as mentioned removing the filibuster. And right now Reid's primary motivation is getting re-elected and not passing as many bills as possible. So anything that makes him appear sharply partisan is probably not welcome for him. What I don't understand how such a weak senator from a swing state ever become the Majority leader. Ofcourse McConell doesnt seem much better, even though he comes from a more reliably red state (not that it saved him from a tough race in 08). Still, atleast McConell is succeeding in his stall tactics, with the help of ridiculous Senate rules.

Aside from the post's lack of clarity--the first link doesn't open, it's "Oceania," and for a reader unaware of the bill's existence heretofore, I don't feel quite up to speed. I wonder why? Other than all that, as someone who travels abroad a fair bit, are more feesthe answer?
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3367893.stm
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Cuz nothing spells come and visit like fingerprints, photos and taxes!
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Travel in 2008 was lower than 2000? Um, hello, but didn't the global econ crater over the last qtr. or 2008? Isn't it still on a fractured foundation? Japan (i.e. globetrotting addicts par excellence), have seen their outbound #s plummet, and that dates back to at least November. And the major May holidays here saw a huge boom in domestic travel (compounded by piggy flu). See also:
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http://www.newsweek.com/id/195707

Also, good to see you back, sg.

OK, I get it. The Senate sucks. I say term limit the jerks – ONE term. Better yet, a state has to prove it has a minimum level of voter intelligence before it gets to elect any senators (I'm looking at you, Oklahoma!)
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Now what do we do about reporters who insist on confusing objectivity with balance for the sake of balance– even when it results in a misleading story?

FO:
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Single term limits for everyone IMO--president and senators 6 yr. single terms. Congresssmen/woman single 4 yr. terms. That way even if you can't get rid of the money flow, promises can still be broken. But this goes straight into the enormous file of politically heretical/taboo subjects.

Thanks Cliff.

Yeah Sg, I was looking for you over here and on BJ. Glad to know all is well.
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I have no words, it's pretty much all been said.

yutsano
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Had some technical difficulties for a week and I was walking around like a crackhead going through blog withdrawal but all is well now, thanks.

Had some technical difficulties for a week and I was walking around like a crackhead going through blog withdrawal but all is well now, thanks.
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You just reminded me I'm going in about a couple of weeks to just about the most quiet isolated spot you can get to on this planet: a cattle ranch in Wyoming. And no I'm not going to be checking in. In fact I plan on seeing no news, no Internet, and I won't have a cell phone connection even. I'm either going to be a basket case or so durned happy I might never emerge.

If Jay Newton-Small thinks that the country hates the Senate now, just wait until they give us mandatory private insurance premiums and no public option with Medicare's group purchasing power.

If Jay Newton-Small thinks that the country hates the Senate now, just wait until they give us mandatory private insurance premiums and no public option with Medicare's group purchasing power.
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I've found the easiest method of making a wingnut's head explode is mentioning that Medicare is already the largest health insurer in the US.

Yuts: You lucky SOB! But sh!tfire son, Sheridan WHY-oming is only a 100 miles or so from Billings, Paris of Big Sky! I'd give an organ for one last road trip in the Rockies before the akachan descends on my world. You want "continental" isolation, hit southern Utah, Grand Staircase Escalante all the way over to 4 corners. Some desolate country.

"If Jay Newton-Small thinks that the country hates the Senate now, just wait until they give us mandatory private insurance premiums and no public option with Medicare's group purchasing power."
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I'll be having nightmares tonight, Stuart. Thanks for that.
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On the ridiculous he said-she said nature of this post, others have summed it up quite well.