The Tyranny of the Minority

By Craig Dunkerley

The current rules governing debate in the U.S. Senate permit an obstructonist minority to hold the whole country hostage to their radical agenda.

To end debate and take a vote on virtually anything in the Senate, you first must get the agreement of 60 of the 100 members. In the past, if the minority party felt strongly that the majority was about to do something truly damaging to our republic, they could "filibuster," or block the ending of debate on the bill in question, thereby forestalling a vote and preventing -- at least temporarily -- the passage of the bill. When used sparingly this can be an important check on the majority. In the hands of the current minority, however, the filibuster is being used to block almost everything the majority tries to do, making it virtually impossible for the body to function.

This kind abuse of the Senate rules has never occurred before in the history of our country. It is literally unprecedented. A minority of 41 senators, who actually represent a tiny fraction of American voters, can and are obstructing the elected majority from carrying out the will of their constituents. Americans tend to blame "Congress" or the President for not being able to get anything done, when it is actually this small minority in only one of the two legislative bodies who are gumming up the works.

The members in Congress whom the voters have made the majority must be allowed to govern. Then, and only then, can we hold them accountable for what they do, and vote them out if we don't like it. The filibuster rules need to be changed so this kind of abuse stops.

The next opportunity to do this will be when the new Congressional session begins in January 2013. The needed changes could have been made in January 2010 and they weren't. The last 2 years of continued stalemate and gridlock have been the result and the country is suffering the consequences. We must not let this happen again.