March 03, 2005
There is no End to Democratic HypocrisyWe're all aware of Democratic Senator Byrd's insane rant on the Senate floor the other day where he compared the GOP proposal to make simple majority sufficient to bring a nominee to the floor for a vote - to Byrd, this was a Nazi tactic; an attempt by the majority to run roughshod over the minority. T. Bevan over at Real Clear Politics, however, found out that Byrd didn't always think the super-majority requirement sacred. Bevan quotes from a Cato Institute article:
In 1975 the Senators changed the filibuster requirement from 67 votes to 60, after concluding that it only takes a simple majority of Senators to change the rules governing their proceedings. As Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield (D-MT) said at the time: "We cannot allow a minority" of the senators "to grab the Senate by the throat and hold it there." Senators Leahy, Kennedy, Byrd, and Biden, all agreed. (emphasis added)
First off, isn't it a bit amazing that all of the Senators named (aside from then-Senate Majority Leader Mansfield) are still in the Senate 30 years on? Secondly, we can see the real reason for Democratic rhetoric on this issue today - it is they, as the minority, who will lose their ability to obstruct Senate business...as long as they were the majority, they had no problem with weakening the minority's ability to slow things down.
Posted by Mark Noonan on March 3, 2005 10:10 PM
Comments
Didn't Byrd show his passion for the filubuster when he used it in an attempt to block the passage of the Civil Rights Act?
Ooops---that's one of the things the Dems don't like to recall. The white Dems hope we all forget, and the black Dems just ignore it because if they acknowledged it, that would make it even harder to explain their political allegiance these days.
Posted by: Almiranta ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.gopbloggers.org/nav-commenters.gif)
at March 3, 2005 11:22 PM
Almiranta,
On most things, the donks are truly transparent and highly predictable. But it has always amazed me that black people could hew to the party after realizing that the men who wore the sheets were all Democrats. That still amazes me. If they ever get that figured out and then realize that the whole scam all along was to keep the minorities victimized and in the ghettos, there might be people like "Sheets" Byrd swinging from some trees in the South.
Posted by: Scaramonga at March 4, 2005 07:34 AM
Scar, I had a commenter at my blog a while back, try to tell me that all the KKK donks turned GOP, referring I guess, to Strom Thurmond, who was not KKK involved, though he was a separationist. It is truly amazing how they justify the continued employment of this senile, poison-mouthed man as their senator. It is totally inexplicable.
Posted by: DagneyT at March 4, 2005 09:13 AM
Dangey;
think of howard dean, ted kennedy, john kerry, nancy pelosi, charlie wrangle etc etc etc ad nausium and ask our selves why anything nutty from this party would amaze us.
I do agree 100% with you though, It is amazing there are any people left claiming to be democrats except in prisons or insane asylems.
Posted by: exmarine1 at March 5, 2005 04:37 PM
