Senate roll call now on a procedural vote on the Ryan plan. Needs only 51 votes to pass.

[flpoljunkie]

There will be four votes on budget plans and each will need only 51 votes to pass. Interesting. Assumed it would be a 60 vote threshold.

[ProSense]

1. So ending the tax breaks for big oil required 60 votes

but destroying America's safety net only needs 51?

[pnwmom]

3. I think the difference could be that this is a procedural vote. n/t

[flpoljunkie]

4. No, the bills will advance if they receive 51 votes, according to C-Span. Obama budget up next.

[Skinner]

5. I suspect It only needs 51 because nobody wants to filibuster.

The Republicans don't want to filibuster their own bill.

And Democrats want to make sure the Republicans vote for it.

(ON EDIT: Not sure. There might be special rules for the budget.)

[ProSense]

6. Ah, thanks. n/t

[Hippo_Tron]

15. From what I've seen, they do cloture motions for everything now

I think they even did one for the START treaty, which makes no sense to filibuster since it requires 67 votes to pass and only 60 are required for cloture.

[pnwmom]

2. Could this be part of what changed about the filibuster rules?

I remember it having something to do with preliminary votes.

[Jackpine Radical]

7. It's not a change in the rules.

The Dems know they have the votes to stop it, and are forcing the Rs to vote for the bill, making them own it for use in Fall 2012. Not a bad move, imho.

[flpoljunkie]

8. Ryan budget fails by a vote of 40 to 57. Wonder who didn't vote.

[jefferson_dem]

9. Republicans voting NO: Brown, Collins, Paul, Snowe, Murkowski

[flpoljunkie]

10. Thanks, jefferson_dem.

[alcibiades_mystery]

11. Democrats didn't filibuster...they wanted the GOPers to vote on it

So why would they filibuster? They want yes votes on record, and they already knew it couldn't pass.

[jmowreader]

14. Filibustering is something the minority does

What the Democrats actually did here was to put eight Republican-held seats into play in 2012, because people on Medicare vote in very high percentages.

[tritsofme]

12. A budget resolution cannot be filibustered

They represent only a framework, they are non-binding and do not go to the President.

[Kingofalldems]

13. Looks like the repubs are now on record