Senate Democrats Payback GOP Obstruction With First Successful Filibuster Of Keystone XL

[Purveyor]

Source: PoliticusUSA

By: Jason Easley
Monday, January, 26th, 2015, 7:39 pm

Republicans got a taste of their own medicine as Senate Democrats successfully filibustered an attempt by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to end the debate on the bill to authorize the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.

The Hill reported:

The Senate on Monday failed to end debate on legislation to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, making it likely that a final vote on the measure won’t take place until next week.

In a 53-39 vote, the Senate fell six votes short of the 60 needed to end debate. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) switched his vote from yes to no, a procedural move that allows him to bring up the motion again.

The tally fell short because several Democrats who support building the pipeline voted to continue the debate. A number of GOP senators also missed the vote because of their travel plans.

The bill to authorize the construction of the pipeline will eventually pass, but Democrats are sending a message to McConnell and the Republicans that they are going to hold McConnell to his word that the Senate will be run by an open process. Keystone XL was previously viewed as one of the easier things that Republicans thought they could pass, but Senate Democrats have shown themselves to solid opposition.

Read more: http://www.politicususa.com/2015/01/26/senate-democrats-payback-gop-obstruction-successful-filibuster-keystone-xl.html

[ProudProg2u]

1. I hope this is the first of big rig truckloads of medicine

Republicans got a taste of their own medicine as Senate Democrats successfully filibustered an attempt by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to end the debate on the bill to authorize the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.

About ef-ing time. Hopefully my brethren with get some cojones and use all the dirty tactics the Cons have abused so well.

[Dont call me Shirley]

2. RTFO Dems!

[Plucketeer]

3. Let this be only the FIRST

of many such treats for dear Boehner and McTurtle!

[project_bluebook]

4. I hope this is the first of many filibusters. eom

[City Lights]

5. Way to go, Senate Dems!

[7962]

6. Goose, meet Gander. nt

[meow2u3]

7. McTurtle didn't expect to get a taste of his own medicine

How does it feel to take what you've dished out for 6 years, McTurtle?

[jwirr]

8. Anything they can do to stop or at least slow down the Rs is fine by me.

[billhicks76]

9. Filibuster Everything They Do

They don't represent the people.

[jwirr]

10. Was this an old fashion fillibuster or the kind the Rs do? I hope it was the old kind.

[PoliticAverse]

26. The new kind. The old kind rarely actually worked. n/t

[davidpdx]

11. How many were absent from the vote?

A number of GOP senators also missed the vote because of their travel plans.

(which is not entirely true because Reid is still recovering from his fall and has been working at his home in DC)

I count a total of 8. 4 D's and 4 R's.

Missing the vote:

D's: Reid, McCaskill, Mikulski, and Warner


R's: Kirk, McCain, Rubio, and Moran

http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/230793-keystone-vote-falls-short-in-senate


So with McConnell's vote switched back it's 54-38. Assuming the four Republicans support the measure that's 58-38. I would reckon Reid will vote against it 58-39. I hope none of the other Democrats vote with the Republicans.

[No Vested Interest]

14. I believe Manchin (D-WV) voted with the Republicans.

I heard his name called with the "yeas", at least with one of the votes leading up to the main issue.

[davidpdx]

17. There must have been a couple of others as well

[PoliticAverse]

27. Here were the 2 cloture votes on Keystone...

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=114&session=1&vote=00029
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=114&session=1&vote=00030

[davidpdx]

34. Thanks

I'm not too shocked by the 4 that voted with the Republicans.

[Cha]

12. KICK

[Phlem]

13. Really?!

Could of used this shit during the Bush years but I'll fucking take it! Better late than never!

[turbinetree]

15. 418

This one is all for the good guy and girls and was the first one for the citizens' actions for clean water for MY Native American woman an and our children for there water and land that we hold scared from mother earth on the Keystone issue and for all of the world and our bread basket .
We saw from the RSC Touché Turtle head coming out of his shell of greed being backed with corruption from the 200 million RSC firms like American Enterprise Institute of the Cato crowd, Koch Brothers corruption and it will not be the last because Touché Turtle provided something like 418 filibusters because of these groups, and they got the means of this by using our DSG (democratic Study Group) in a tactic to hurt the middle class and the poor
This crowd of right wing hypocrites filibustered 418 bills we now have 417 more to go through, let the whimpering and whining begin and lets see if the shoes fits on the pads of a turtle and if he goes nuclear with the turtle acting nice and him doing it nice and slow for the method of deceit and deception of laying blame, he created the mess.

[The Wielding Truth]

16. Why will it "eventually pass"?

[immoderate]

22. Democrats.

--imm

[Thor_MN]

29. Because the Kochs have huge oil leases in Canada.

They are planning on spending close to a billion dollars on 2016. The GOP is interested in the pipeline because the Kochs are interested in the pipeline.

[Johnny Rash]

18. A small Victory, maybe? A Victory, nonetheless!

If you care about this issue, have a look at this video clip:

#t=33

[Big_Mike]

19. The only problem is that none of the People of the United States' work is being accomplished

This mutual tit for tat started with the Bork nomination in 1987. Rather than facing the possibility of a jurist we disagreed with vehemently, but who was fully qualified, we generated a negative publicity wave and even used Gregory Peck to do our ads against him. Vice President Biden was the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee then, and Sen. Kennedy was, as always, a lion against him. He did have the grace to say that it was nothing personal when they met.

President Clinton underwent the tit for tat following the 1992 election, with the rejection of 24 judicial nominations, to include current Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan. The comity of the "club" as the Senate was known was fast disappearing

Due to the bad feelings from real and/or perceived slights from both sides, getting high level personnel approved by the opposition party has come seldom and only with great pain. Someone has to break the cycle of pain, and frankly, the R's are just too stupid to see the necessity due to their butt-hurt.

I guess that just leaves us.

[blackspade]

21. Um, no.

It has not been 'tit for tat.'

The filibuster totals do not support your hypothesis.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

25. "Getting Borked" is Beltway Speak...

But as with most Beltway Speak it's based not on horse sense but on total horse shit.

When Nixon wanted to fire the special prosecutor Archibald Cox who was investigating Watergate he couldn't find anyone with integrity that would do the job. So he turned to Bork who he knew would make a great Cox Sacker.

[Big_Mike]

30. Looking at my post, I was not clear

I did not intend to portray support for Judge Bork, but rather to show the degradation of the process, and the results of tit for tat actions.

It seems to me that saying "I'm gonna get you back belongs on the playground, not the Capitol.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

31. Good luck considering Republicans impeached Clinton as revenge for Nixon.

[lark]

20. Go, Dems, Go

Block that Bill!!

[kentuck]

23. McConnell just testing the water to see how many Democrats he had?

He had four. Also, four Republicans were not present to vote, but assuming they vote with their Party, McConnell will only need two Democrats today to continue debate and to pass the bill thru the Senate. It was only a procedural maneuver by McConnell - nothing to get excited about.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

24. Everyone tell Kentuky that Mitch McConnell voted NO on Keystone XL!!!

They pulled that crap on Reed.

[Still In Wisconsin]

28. How long until the Republicans are suddenly in favor of the "nuclear option" again?

Not long, I'm guessing.

[nikto]

33. Oh no, I'm sure the GOP will be "good sports" like the Dems were for so many years...

The GOP will just let the Dems filibuster them for years and years, just like the Dems allowed
the GOP to do on so many issues.

[nikto]

32. May this be only the first of MANY MANY filibusters by the Dems

The GOP was so nice to establish this option.