Tuesday, July 17, 2007

We got a fil-i-bus-ter!


Cause we gotta filibuster, rockin' through the night
Yeah we gotta filibuster, ain't she a beautiful sight?
No more votes for cloture, ain't nothin' gonna git in our way
We're gonna roll this debate convoy, cross the Senate floor

-- Repurposed lyrics to "Convoy" by C.W. McCall.



I would normally take the time to write up a full post about the upcoming filibuster, in which Republican Senators will be forced to publicly stand up and give the middle finger to Americans and Iraqis alike. There's a decent chance it becomes a watershed moment in the coverage of the war, although the actual public opinion went south long ago. Such a change would be welcome. The majority of Americans have come around to the belief that this war is some combination of immoral, senseless and unwinnable. And they've mostly done that all on their own, without any major national outlets or pundits leading the charge. Maybe it's time for the kind of thing that will get reporters -- many of whom are social-studies geeks at heart -- to wake up.

Yeah, I've got lots to say about this filibuster -- it's got potential to do much-needed damage to what's left of support for the war, among other things. But for now, I'm busy watching Convoy to examine my hypothesis that Majority Leader Harry Reid is basically Rubber Duck -- a tough, bare-chested rebel from the American West with an uncanny ability to lead. Yes, he gets all the truckers to line up behind him with ease, but in the end, thanks to some high-stakes brinksmanship, he can even get his enemies to see things his way.

I predict CB lingo becomes a fad again, pundits decide the Democrats have "overreached" by "playing to their base and the bloggers" and most Republicans still continue to chain themselves to the lead balloon that is their Dear Leader, George W. Bush. Mostly because they have no choice, having already painted war opponents and Bush opposers as terrorist sympathizers.

Breaker one-nine, bitches.

Sens. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), shown during a quorum call.

5 comments:

dmbmeg said...

it's televised? I'm so watching that shit.

Anonymous said...

Wait - I am confused (nothing new there).

Are the Dems flibustering or is it the 'pubbies?

If it is the later, would that not be horribly ironic, given their passion for the "up or down vote".

Anonymous said...

Claire McCaskill is hotter than that. Patty Murray, maybe?

cock d: It's the Republicans who are filibustering. Reid is moving for cloture, but instead of the filibuster being a procedural nicety the way it usually is, Reid is forcing 30 continuous hours of debate on the floor, the idea apparently being that if the Republicans are so keen on continuing the war, Reid is going to make them justify their position non-stop for 30 hours.

I'm less psyched than Flop.

Anonymous said...

And yes, it is strange, given that Republicans are usually so righteously in favor of up-or-down votes!

Anonymous said...

I do like that Flop has crafted a song that combines Senate Rule 22 and 1970s trucking.