Reaching closure on Republicans filibuster of Health Reform bill

by David Grand
November 22, 2009

Time-wise, it may come close, or even surpass, the 534 hours, 1 minute, and 51 seconds it took to cut off a filibuster on the 1964 Civil Rights bill. That was the longest filibuster in the history of the Senate, and only once in the thirty-seven years since 1927 had the Senate agreed to closure on any measure.

The final vote on closure stood at 71-29: Forty-four Democrats and 27 Republicans voting for closure and with 23 Democrats (20 from the so- called "southern bloc) and only 6 Republicans opposed. In all,  the civil rights debate had lasted a total of 83 days and had taken up almost 3,000 pages in the Congressional Record.

And while Democrats back then, and up to the present time, claim credit  for the Civil Rights Act and for the civil rights movement itself, the truth is that without the leadership and support of Republicans, who had voted for bills to help minorities for decades before 1964, it would've been watered down or failed because of obstinate Dixiecrats.

It's regrettable, however, that 45 years later that they haven't shown the same empathy and compassion for those without health insurance, and who have chosen instead to turn their backs on their plight and preserve the status quo

I submit, that the passionate plea that the late Everett Dirksen {R-IL), the Senate Minority Leader, made in a speech encouraging his colleagues to help quash the filibuster on the civil rights bill rings as true today regarding the upcoming filibuster on the health reform bill: To quote in part: "...we dare not temporize with the issue which is before us...it is essentially moral in character... it must be resolved... it will not go away... its time has come...."

His last words were these: "Today let us not be found wanting in whatever it takes by way of moral and spiritual substance to face up to the issue and to vote cloture."

But as regards the filibuster on the health reform bill, that even if the Democrats are able to muster the 60 voter required for closure, they'd still have to secure that same number of votes for the bill's passage on the Senate floor. And if passed, the bill would go to  the Senate-House Conference Committee to iron out the differences between the respective bills and issue a report of its findings.

It would seem to me, in knowing that the Republicans will fight tooth and nail to stop (or delay for as long as possible) the bill from passing through all the hoops, that Harry Reid, the Senate Majority Leader, should give up trying to corral those so-called  Blue-nosed Democrats (snotty-nosed I call them )--who are more concerned about being reelected in 2010 than in party unity--and go the reconciliation route.

That's a legislative process of the Senate intended to allow a contentious bill to be considered without being subject to a filibuster. And because reconciliation limits debate and amendments, the process empowers the majority party to pass a bill by a straight up-and-down vote.

And while Republicans will accuse him of playing dirty pool and being unfair by that end run, I hope he reminds them that they're the last ones to talk about fairness, in view of their squashing like a bug every initiative the Democrats put forth during their preceding eight years in power.