Political Quotes

“Mr. President, editorialists from across the country have recognized the filibuster must end. The Concord Monitor of New Hampshire called on the Senate to ``Remove the Senate filibuster roadblock,'' noting, ``The filibuster rule has rendered the Senate dysfunctional and harmed the nation's ability to deal with pressing issues.'' The Los Angeles Times said `` . . . both parties should be willing to eliminate such anti-democratic practices as the filibuster. . . .'' Editorials throughout the country have called for reform of the filibuster. I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record these editorials. There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: [From the Concord Monitor, Dec. 17, 2010] Remove the Senate Filibuster Roadblock (By Anonymous) On Jan. 5, 2011, the first day of the first session of the 112th Congress, Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin and other Democrats promise to hold a historic vote to change the Senate's 60- vote cloture rule. The vote to end the filibusters that have made the Senate a place where needed legislation and presidential appointments go to die could be the first of Senator-elect Kelly Ayotte's career. How she votes will be telling. A super-majority voting requirement makes sense in rare circumstances, ratifying a treaty for example or overriding a presidential veto. But the filibuster rule is not in the Constitution; it's an artifact that may have worked once but has broken and jammed the Senate.…”