someproteinguy wrote:
Jophiel wrote:
someproteinguy wrote:
It does pretty well reduce the chance of us ever seeing a moderate or compromise candidate get put forward.
That wasn't happening now anyway.
So how do we make it happen?
Increase the number needed to defeat a filibuster. Decreasing it only makes the problem worse and creates a "winner take all" condition in politics.
The reason we're seeing log jams right now is because the number to overcome a filibuster is low enough that the Dems can get a far left appointee through if they can just get a few Republicans to jump ship. It's a potentially obtainable goal, and the value of having a hard core liberal in these positions far outweighs the downside of having to wait a long time with the position vacant along the way. Decreasing the number just means that whichever party is in power can simply put anyone in a position, no matter how hard core that person maybe and regardless of opposition (even legitimate opposition).
Increase the number back to say 66 (2/3rds) and it becomes an unobtainable obstacle with a partisan appointee. The result is that the party in power has to appoint moderate appointees that they can get at least some of the other party to agree to. IMO that's the right way to do this. The direction they went is only going to make things worse.
Quote:
Right they're misusing the system, I understand that, but the solution is as bad as the problem. You're replacing a pretty partisan impasse with partisan steamrolling.
Absolutely correct. This solution only works if we assume that partisan opposition is always "wrong" (or that the majority party is always right). But we have to assume that sometimes the other party has good reasons to oppose a given appointee. At the very least, if we agree that partisanship is "bad", then the question is whether it's only bad by the minority party. I think it's far worse when it's being used by the majority since they have the power to actually make things happen. I don't really have a problem when partisanship results in something *not* happening.