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Opinion
Show opposition without filibusters
Thursday, January 25, 2007
The filibuster is a legislative tactic where one elected official takes the floor and rambles endlessly without allowing another member to take the floor. It's a stalling tactic because a filibuster is a symbolic move that rarely works.
Filibusters were used during the civil rights era when Southern politicians would take the floor of Congress and stall a vote.
But the filibuster should have ended with "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington." Even symbolic, the process is outdated and a precious waste of time.
A 17-hour filibuster by respected Missouri Sen. Matt Bartles last week consumed valuable time and had no impact whatsoever. Bartles was upset with the appointment of Warren Erdman as a University of Missouri curator. Bartles and Erdman have clashed over the touchy subject of embryonic stem cell research and Bartles strongly opposed the nomination. So when given a chance to speak last week, Bartles began a 17-hour filibuster to stall the nomination. Finally, at 3:30 a.m. last Friday, Bartles could no longer stand nor speak and he relinquished the floor. Soon after, Erdman's nomination was approved.
During his marathon on the floor, Bartles talked about family ski trips and ingrown toenails. He asked trivia questions about former St. Louis Cardinals baseball players and told an empty chamber about his leaky backyard pool. And in the process, the business of the people of Missouri took a backseat to the grandstanding of one lone Senator.
The rules of a filibuster say you must not leave your desk and you must speak. But it matters little on what topic you speak. No restroom breaks are allowed. Biology usually ends filibusters when the politician can no longer hold his bladder. That was the case last week as well.
Bartles has the right to filibuster just as everyone else. We don't fault him for employing Senate rules to make his point. But perhaps it's time to end the filibuster process and simply allow a politician to voice his opposition without the tangled mess that filibusters so often bring.
How is the people's business served with a discussion on Bartles' ingrown toenails? You know the answer as well as I do.