Speaker Pelosi tweets on DADT repeal: House voted 250-175, time for Senate to act

[ProSense]

Twitter

[bushisanidiot]

1. Well done, Speaker Pelosi!!

can John (asshole) McCain still screw things up in the Senate by filibustering against our troops?

[karynnj]

3. If we have 60 votes - no, he can't

We may have them. We had 57 votes and would have had 58 if Blanche Lincoln's dentist would have been faster. That includes Collins. Brown said he wouldn't vote until the tax cuts passed - and they have. He got a ton of grief in MA for that vote and I can't believe he would vote against it again. Snowe apparently has said she will vote for it. There are several possibilities for number 60.

[alcibiades_mystery]

4. I suspect we'll have 64 or 65 for cloture

58 + Collins, Brown, Murkowski, Lugar, Ensign, and probably Kirk.

Snowe will abstain out of cowardice.

[bushisanidiot]

8. What I'm confused about is how will they know they have the 60 votes

until they vote? will mccain's mic get cut if he tries to stall? and is there usually a penalty for such a thing?

[karynnj]

9. The leader (Reid) or the floor managers (Lieberman and Collins)

have a vote count - and they call for the cloture vote. There are times that it fails - sometimes it is KNOWN that it will and the intent is to put people on the record. Rarely, it is because someone is not there or someone does not do as they promised. The latter is VERY rare as you lose credibility. (The only time I remember on that is an angry Reid speaking of someone doing that - later identified as the then new Scott Brown.)

[bushisanidiot]

10. Ok, so mccain could only filibuster if the vote for cloture failed, right?

so that vote is taken before debate?

[karynnj]

11. The failing vote itself is a "filibuster"

(Think of it as a virtual filibuster - under the Mr Smith Goes to Washington rules, they need to keep speaking to control the floor. Now, there is a vote (cloture) that determines if debate on the bill can open. They need a second vote (also cloture) to end the debate and move to a vote.

The effect - stopping a bill from progressing is the same - but the process is completely different.

On DADT, there could be the following sequence:

- A cloture vote to bring it to the floor
- If that passes, they can insist on 30 hrs of debate
- A cloture vote to bring it to a vote
- a 30 hr waiting period
- the vote

The first 4 can be waived - and that used to be the norm. That will not happen here - even as they complain that it is close to Christmas.

[polichick]

2. Usually don't read tweets - but that one is pretty sweet! nt

[Major Hogwash]

5. The Speaker tweeted? Damn, I got to get me one of them tweeters.

I had a woofer with my stereo once, but it doesn't work anymore.

LoL

Great news!!

[SidDithers]

6. K&R...nt

Sid

[Number23]

7. Fantastic. And I heard that the votes for repeal are there in the Senate.