"New breed of Senate Democrats drove filibuster change"

[applegrove]

New breed of Senate Democrats drove filibuster change

By Michael A. Memoli at the LA Times

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-senate-newdems-20131123,0,385097.story#axzz2lLI4tYd9

"SNIP.................................


At times, their advocacy has presented challenges to the administration. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), elected in 2006, circulated a letter among his colleagues urging the president to appoint Janet Yellen — not Lawrence H. Summers — as Federal Reserve chair because Summers' banking policies were viewed as having contributed to the financial meltdown. About a third of the party, including Merkley and Warren, signed it. Yellen is now on track to take the post after advancing this week from the Senate Banking Committee, with Brown and Warren's support.

And Senate confirmation is virtually assured, thanks to the new rule change against filibusters.

"The Elizabeth Warren wing of the Democratic Party definitely are showing that they have growing influence in the caucus, and in government in general," said Matt Wall of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, a group that works to promote progressive candidates and issues in Democratic primaries. On Friday, Warren circulated a fundraising letter to supporters on behalf of Merkley and Udall, thanking them for their role in changing the rule. Both men face reelection in 2014.

The changing Democratic tactics may reflect a generational shift occurring in the Senate. It's almost certain that by the start of the next Congress in 2015, more than half of the Democratic caucus will have been elected since 2008, when gridlock reached new heights. But nine of the new Senate Democrats are former Congress members, all of whom served at least part of their time under Republican majorities. Three were governors who served with Republican legislatures.

The shift among Democrats has at times confounded Republicans, particularly on the filibuster issue. Aides to Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), the third-longest-serving Republican, said they had felt that Reid's most recent moves telegraphing the nuclear option were a bluff.


..................................SNIP"

[msongs]

1. time for the republican-appeasers to go. + get a new dem in the white house next time out nt

[ReRe]

2. We can only hope...

... that the shift will stick. Getting them some more help wouldn't hurt, you know. GOTV 2014!

[liberal_at_heart]

3. the people are more than ready to hear and support far left progressive ideas such as a living wage,

strong unions, properly funded K-12 and university education, and a fully protected Social Security and food stamp programs.

[Voice for Peace]

4. "The Elizabeth Warren wing of the Democratic party"

wow

[malaise]

15. ReTHUGs must wish they hadn't blocked her appointment

[Voice for Peace]

22. It has such a beautiful ring: The Elizabeth Warren Wing

yeah heheheheheheh

that's right, I forgot!!

She wasn't originally going to run for the senate, I forgot!

[Voice for Peace]

5. great, encouraging article!!

kick and rec

[Katashi_itto]

6. I consider myself a Warren Democrat. I won't vote for anyone that say, has sat on

the Board Of Directors for Walmart for example.

[silvershadow]

7. Nor will I.

[sabrina 1]

10. The winds of change are blowing. The new generation are not happy at all with the status quo and

they are a growing voter block. The old ways haven't worked.

Reid should have done this five years ago. Maybe he's just too trusting, too nice to deal with the caliber of Right Wing lunatics who have taken over the Republican Party. He may finally have realized that a handshake from these people doesn't mean what it might have meant a few decades ago.

Like you, I will not be supporting anyone who is being propped up by Corporate Funding. That should be considered poisonous considering all we have learned by now.

Now it's up the people to take advantage of the changing times and to make the next election about Corporate funded candidates. Until we get the money out of our elections we cannot get a government that represents the people.

I would love to see someone like Grayson as Speaker eg. No way would he trust or negotiate with lunatics or care much about a 'show of bi-partisanship'.

We have two elections, 2014 and 2016 to clean out the Corporate employees from Congress. And that is where the focus should be. After that, we can get busy with all the important issues that need fixing. But first we need a Congress that represents the people.

[Katashi_itto]

18. Exactly Grayson as Speaker, and Sanders for President

Hillary is just a corporate shill

[Beacool]

25. Yeah, but you will support someone who was a corporate attorney

and a Republican until her middle years.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10000872396390443507204578020900744277668

No one in politics is pure. They all got to pay bills and they all need big money to get elected.

[CTyankee]

8. Wasn't Grassley once voted the "stupidest member of the Senate" back in the day?

I remember that...

[Cha]

9. Good and this article says President Obama helped, too.

And, I saw the Vid of his remarks and he was grateful!

"President Barack Obama, according to sources familiar with the matter. Obama personally called senators on Wednesday to back the move, and Reid ultimately won the vote on a slim margin, 52-48"



snip//

“This is the right thing to do,” Reid told one of his closest advisers. “If I don’t do this, I might as well just walk away.”

As some of his fellow Democratic senators remained on the fence, Reid called in a heavy hitter to close the deal: President Barack Obama, according to sources familiar with the matter. Obama personally called senators on Wednesday to back the move, and Reid ultimately won the vote on a slim margin, 52-48. Just three Democrats broke with Reid: the retiring Carl Levin of Michigan, the moderate Joe Manchin of West Virginia and the vulnerable Mark Pryor of Arkansas.

When the seismic moment finally came, shell-shocked senators in both parties couldn’t believe that Reid pulled the trigger — and were grasping to understand the far-reaching ramifications.

Asked how history would remember him after this move, Reid told POLITICO: “I don’t write history.”

But nobody disputed that the move was emblematic of Reid’s hard-ball style that has come to characterize his leadership in recent years — whether it was his passage of the health care law in 2009 on a straight party-line vote, his willingness to go over the fiscal cliff in 2012 or his refusal to bend to GOP demands during the 16-day government shutdown last month


Much More..
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/11/harry-reid-senate-fillibuster-100243.html

http://theobamadiary.com/2013/11/22/rise-and-shine-676/

I could only snip so much but the whole long article is worth the read.. not bad from "politico" imv

End snip//

"Asked about his changing views on the issue, Reid told reporters Thursday: “I have a right to change how I feel about things.”

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024077165

mahalo applegrove~

[applegrove]

12. It is always welcome news when

Obama and the Democrats fight. I can barely imagine how hard it is to be a liberal in America. I can stand back a bit and breath because I‘m canadian. But even I can‘t take going toe to toe with GOP bloggers. They have the advantage of not being tied to any discernible reality when they fight. They are not interested in anything but a great outcome for the 1%. It is so frustrating because, as california shows, we know how to pay down debt and be fair. It is called a tax increase.

I seriously don‘t know where Reid and Obama get the energy to face those freaks every day. Please tell me that the senate will be trending Democratic for the next generation at least. Because it seems it will take that long to show the base how bankrupt the GOP really is. I don‘t know why I am so optimistic. In actual fact 300,000 Americans do Civil War reenactments (or is it 3 Million?). Which means at least 150,000 Americans are still fighting the civil war for the Confederate side. And we know in the GOP base it is much higher than that. And the GOP will do anything to keep the South just so......locked in time.

To the extent that they‘ll run any hatred against Obama so there will never be a connection between the GOP base and Obama. At first it was the birthers in the noise machine every single day spewing hate. Now it is Obamacare every single day. Not a second of daylight for those poor souls to actually enjoy a really neat president with a very modern and amazing story. He‘s also funny and engaging. And he wants to do great things. And save money. Hell my family are as white and as 'frozen chosen' as you can get and we have been fist bumping each other goodnight since the night Obama was elected. A great president allows you to participate in his or her narrative. But no way will the right allow that in their base with this Obama Presidency. If people were actually allowed to feel any kinship with this president it could very well have changed their hearts. And that would tank the GOP strategy.

The base certainly would be much happier if they didn't follow the right. Instead they just listen to the right tell them they are being robbed in one way or another...tell them that something is being taken away from the base...so that the base will be fighting mad. And the sad part is they must be kept this way for all eternity. I tell ya. I don't know how Obama or Reid do it. But I'm glad they took a big swing at the GOP and their madness this week. It was a long time coming. And I hope it makes the 1% mad. Because I don't believe the 1% of particularly racist themselves....they are kinda immoral...they are just using race to get power. They know better.

[Cha]

13. I enjoyed your take on our political drama from the North, applegrove..

This part is especially compelling.. I never thought of it in exactly this light but you are dead on..

"Not a second of daylight for those poor souls to actually enjoy a really neat president with a very modern and amazing story. He‘s also funny and engaging. And he wants to do great things. And save money. Hell my family are as white and as 'frozen chosen' as you can get and we have been fist bumping each other goodnight since the night Obama was elected. A great president allows you to participate in his or her narrative. But no way will the right allow that in their base with this Obama Presidency. If people were actually allowed to feel any kinship with this president it could very well have changed their hearts. And that would tank the GOP strategy."

That's what so many of us are doing, 'A great president allows you to participate in his or her narrative." And, you're right.. it is sad that those who are fed false information and believe every single word don't get to participate in the amazing history we are living rilght now!

"Do great things and save money"!

[applegrove]

23. I mean that Obama is prudent as

far as spending goes. I‘m just sorry he couldn‘t get single payer cause that would have saved americans a trillion dollars. Anyhow Obamacare is saving health care costs and may free up spending that will now help the economy as it acts as a stimulus.

[Laelth]

16. The whole country should trend to the left for one or two generations.

Americans under the age of 30 prefer socialism to capitalism.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2012-11-01/americans-aged-18-29-have-more-favorable-response-socialism-capitalism

-Laelth

[a kennedy]

21. "The whole country should trend to the left for one or two generations."

I kinda thought that was started when so many of the 60's generation took JFK's "ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country" speech to heart. Although the kids of the 60's didn't always go along with the idea. JMHO.

[tblue37]

20. Please break your post into three paragraphs to make it

easier to read online--especially for those of us on mobile devices. (And also for those of us with aging eyes!)

When I am at home, I will copy-paste a long, unbroken post into a document and break it up myself if it is one I truly want to read, or just not bother reading it if it doesn't seem worth the trouble.

But on a mobile device, the letters are so tiny that such a post really is unreadable, especially for us older folks, and if we enlarge the letters, the fact that it's a huge block of unbroken texts makes enlarging the font unworkable as a solution.

I *would* like to read your post, so please break it up a bit.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

11. You thought Reid was bluffing, Grassley?

[lamp_shade]

14. Kick. Great article.

[beachbum bob]

17. good article but the motivation to change rules

was driven by GOP when they first announced their intention almost a decade ago......Reid had NO choice but to change the rule after so many attempts to negotiate with the GOP failed. GOP called Reid's bluff and for the 2nd time in the past month or so, democratic politicians grew a spine.

They had no choice

[tblue37]

19. Paul Ryan also assured reporters that Obama's refusal

to negotiate to avoid a shutdown and a debt default were a bluff.

The Dems' attempts at bipartisanship, which would be admirable if they had a reasonable Repub party to work with, became stupid and naive with this version of the Repub Party. I just wish they had figured it out a LOT sooner.

I will say in Reid's defense that he couldn't go nuclear without the votes. But I will say on the other hand that if he had truly believed in the change, he would have strong-armed the holdouts to get the votes.

The Dems should be FURIOUS over Ryan's and Grassley's smug assurances that the Dems could only bluff, that they could ALWAYS be rolled, because it proves that the Repubs were never negotiating in good faith, never intending to keep any promises they made, and also proves that the Repubs always viewed all those efforts at bipartisanship to be evidence of weakness, not cooperation. Dems should be even more aggressive from here on in.

ON EDIT: I bet what finally convinced Harry and the Holdouts was McConnell's going back on the promise he made this summer to save the filibuster when Reid threatened to go nuclear. Finally the Dems realized they WEREN'T saving the tactic for when they would themselves need it to block the next Bork or worse. The sheer duplicity and lack of honor displayed by the Repubs, and their continual willingness to totally upend every possible precedent, finally made the Dems realize that the Repubs WOULD kill the filibuster the minute they regained control of the Senate, whenever that might be, so there was NO benefit to retaining the filibuster as a future tactic for themselves.

[rhett o rick]

24. Well said. nm

[defacto7]

26. Nice post.

I never could understand the expectation of a negative future that calls for a negative or null response to GOP attacks. After it was evident that the GOP was going to play childish games with government power that would have been time to start blowing by them with positive actions for the country instead of worrying about some negative unknown in the future. That hesitation made the situation worse.

I am very hopeful that we can still pull ahead in getting our agenda through as well as electing a more progressive congress and keeping the senate if we stop letting a minority in the GOP run the show.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

27. yep. hopefully candidates sense the whiff of populism

and campaign accordingly so they are elected and can bring about more fairness in this increasingly rigged game of American life.