The Return of American Politics
Rand Paul dominated the Senate floor
for 13 hours in the 9th longest filibuster in history
Rand Paul wanted an answer to his question of whether drones would be killing Americans on US soil. After a month and half of indirect answers by the government, a fear ran among the American people that they could be shot from the air in peace time after having been accused (without trial) of being an enemy combatant.
The filibuster is used only in the senate and not in the house. It is a way of keeping control of the floor to delay other bills from being passed. The rules dictate that the speaker cannot sit down or leave the floor. Senator Strom Thurman from NC holds the filibuster record for 24 hours and 18 min.
The word filibuster comes from the Spanish word, filibustero, thus stemming from a Dutch word that means pirate.
Filibuster always reminds me of the movie, "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" starring Jimmy Stewart. The b/w 1939 flick is a favorite of mine. If you've never had the joy of sitting through that delightful movie, I highly recommend looking it up.
Below is a trailer of the flick, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
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"Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" is an awesome film and we need more like Mr. Paul there, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteMark
DeleteI agree with your opinion and your opinion makes you a "patriot" in my opinion. :)
This was dominating the news all day the other day. So they can't even have bathroom breaks?
ReplyDeleteKeith
DeleteHa ha...no potty breaks. I heard Strom Thurman dehydrated himself somewhat but Rand Paul said Thurman also had the help of a device to relieve bodily functions. Rand laughed and said it wasn't for him. Still, 13 hours...... I'd like to see him try that when he's old. Ha ha Hurray for his kidneys.
That was a long time to go without sitting down. Can you imagine not being able to sit or go pee for 13 hours...
ReplyDeleteI agree we need more like R. Paul.
Terry,
DeleteHeck no. I could filibuster 45 minutes, max. (maybe)
Yeah Rand seems to be a chip off the old block. I got my tax stuff ready yesterday and I really did support his father. We all knew he didn't stand a chance but I just wanted him to keep going as long as he could.
I really wish he could have gone all the way. Maybe things would be different is our ailing country.
DeleteI was so happy to see Rand Paul do this. He did the entire country a huge favor in exposing this whole drone issue.
ReplyDeleteYou know when the president has to come out and declare that he is not a dictator, then there's an issue there.
I wish that RON Paul, Rand Paul's father, had a more realistic view of foreign policy and what it actually takes to defend our country. I hear I might agree more with Rand Paul and now after seeing this filibuster I will check him out more.
I absolutely love people who put themselves out there for their beliefs. This was that, for sure.
Hi.....is your name Jasmine or Rose? Thanks for the great common sense comment. I've been a fan of the "Paul's" for some time. I have all of Ron's books and did a video for him before the election. In fact the video (now removed) was on his foreign policy. I believe he would be called a non-interventialist. Ron believes in a strong military but does not believe in sending all the money to countries who hate America.
DeleteI had a chuckle over the old-guard Republicans, MacCain and Graham criticizing Rand but the American people came to his defense. Rand was a hero yesterday.
I go by Jasmine. The yellow rose part is a descriptor from my blog name. It's supposed to help you decipher which Jasmine you might be talking to since there are many of us in the blog world out here... LOL.
DeleteI wish I hadn't seen Ron Paul referring to 9-11 in a rather 'truther' way... Then I might believe him more about his description of his foreign policy ideals. However, I am always a fan of those who step out for what they believe in. Even though I don't agree with Ron Paul I commend you for putting yourself out there.
I put myself out there for a local gal, Elizabeth Scott, and I have never been prouder to be a part of something great. E. Scott has turned out to be exactly as advertised and more. There ARE good politicians out there. We just have to look really hard for them... and then fight hard for their election.
Not surprised that the RINOs came out against Rand. His ideas threaten their power. That's a wonderful thing- threatening the power of entrenched politicians can only be good for the American people.
"Mr. Smith...." is one of my favorite movies. Jimmy Stewart was an exceptional actor and the filibuster scene will break your heart. Smith was an idealist who believed in the system and the goodness of people and put himself on the line to support what he believed in and what was right. Unfortunately, this was a film and the "bad" guys were controlled by the scriptwriters so there was the triumph of good over evil. Sadly, real life doesn't work like that and there don't seem to be any Mr. Smiths out there today. I'm afraid Mr. Paul is no Mr. Smith, in fact he's not even close.
ReplyDeleteMell
DeleteNot so far..... but I think he's just getting going.
Give him a little time. He was one in only a few who opposed the NDAA too. I would say he's worth watching.
Not sure why the process is even allowed. All it does it hold up discussion time for others. Seems contra intuitive for a democratic system!
ReplyDeleteHeldrun
DeleteI am sure there are many who share your point of view. Especially the old-guard Republicans.
The drone issue is just plan scary, god knows what they can do with those and they are just asking for some criminal to take control and rob a bank or something. Glad he stood up wanting an answer, next time they'll all remember to bring a bucket incase they need to go haha and yeah great movie too.
ReplyDeletePat
DeleteI was seriously wondering why his buddies couldn't put up a screen and the same thing. It ran into night and the only ones left were his buddies. Not too much problem for a man. Ha
I have to admire Rand Paul's stamina for talking for over 13 hours without a break with minimum water; I would not last more than an hour without water and definitely not more than 2 hours before I have to use the facilities so to speak. I've never seen Mr. Smith goes to Washington; I'll have to catch it sometime!
ReplyDeletebetty
Betty
DeleteI think he can eat and drink as he talks. I saw him eating something. The minute he was done I bet he ran for the bathroom. Ha I believe Rand woke up a lot of people yesterday. The old Republicans like MacCain and Graham are jealous, especially MacCain because Rand raised more interest in young people in 13 hours than MacC. could in his whole campaign when he ran for president. There were quite a few young Republican senators who stuck with Rand.
I was thrilled by Rand Paul's determination. He wanted an answer, we all wanted an answer. Now we have some more questions, so who will take the floor?
ReplyDeleteSusan
DeleteThere were a quite a few young Republican Senators who stayed with Rand P. Some of them seem so fresh and honest and gung-ho with idealism. Most of them soon get corrupted but I hope this bunch resists.
Hi Manzanita,
ReplyDeleteMy human has told me that he was not aware of this story. Which is most surprising. Because in Britain, our TV coverage is saturated with American news. Of course, then again, I bet America gets plenty of news about Britain and Canada. Then I woke up...
Seriously, I'm passing on this filibuster stuff to my human. He would be fascinated about how long a politician could go without having a dump.
Be well, my human friend.
Peaceful and pawsitive wishes,
Penny :)
Dear Penny,
DeleteI bet you could do a filibuster because you, no doubt, hold "it" most of the day until the human Gary takes you out. Maybe you could think about a career in politics. Who knows where it would lead? Maybe there's room at the top.
Please tell your human the news was saturated with the story again today. It's as if most Americans were waiting for someone to speak out, to "break the ice" as they say.
Thank you for writing, Penny, and I hope the human is well.
I'll tell Cody you wrote. She's taking her nap right now. My love,
From Manzanita
'Filibuster' is such a cool word ... but Jimmy Stewart gives me a pain!
ReplyDeleteRed,
DeleteI've had my moments about Jimmy S. Some actors just do give us a pain.
Manzi,
ReplyDeleteI think Rand Paul and Marco Rubio are going to be our Republican leadership to watch. They do not think like the Old Guard. In fact, McCain and Graham may have committed political suicide yesterday. They are so out of touch with how true conservatives feel that they just don't "get it." They might as well run on a Democratic ticket. The other hero in that story was the Democratic senator from Oregon, Ron Dwyer, who was the only Democrat who sided with Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, and the others. I frankly don't know how anyone could sit there and NOT be concerned about a President, any President, having the authority to fire on noncombatants with drones. There is no jury. He or she would not have to run it by anyone. It would be at the full autonomy and desire of the President. The Democrats are fine with it NOW, but how fine will they be if/when the Republican retake the White House? Someone needs to think beyond THIS MOMENT. One person having that much power at their full disposal goes against everything in our Constitution. Period.
The fact that Obama did state after the Filibuster that he wouldn't be firing on Americans on American soil is too little, too late. Why not just say it straight out when you're asked THE FIRST TIME? If your policies are so TRANSPARENT, why is everything so darn mysterious????
It has been feeling like the Republican party is on it's way out. There is such a split and so many disagreements within the party. They sabotage their own members. If the younger Senators don't continue to take the lead, the Republicans will fade away just like the Farm Labor Party of the 1930's. Rand P. and his buddies could revive it.
DeleteI agree. From the material I am reading it feels like a Revival is in the air. LIFE has been breathed right back in the party like vital air. Some are saying that those who don't come together around true conservative ideas will not be able to still call themselves "Republicans" any longer. This has been the Unifier that the Party has needed for such a long time. They needed to embrace Civil Liberties so that Libertarians, Tea Party Republicans, Conservatives, etc. could all come together and say, "This is what we stand for and use it as the Foundation." They now have something to BUILD ON. Thank goodness.
DeleteYES! The filibuster made me think of the Jimmy Stewart movie, too.
ReplyDeleteHappy weekend!
Susan,
DeleteI believe that movie sent Jimmy Stewart on his way to becoming a star.
Happy weekend to you.
Standing for 13 hours and no potty break? I can't even imagine how you do that. I'd have to cross my legs and that would make it harder to stand. Sheesh!
ReplyDeleteKay,
DeleteWhen he finished, I bet he said not a word but flew straight to the mens room.
I couldn't imagine doing that either.
I think this got attention because the old rules, the Mr. Smith rules, are out. Didn't the Republicans filibuster all kinds of cabinet picks without standing up and talking? They just needed to stop action by serving notice of a filibuster. Seems to me my own senator Merkley has been unsuccessfully trying to get the filibuster back to the kind of thing Rand Paul did. My other senator Wyden joined Paul to give him a little rest. Both my senators are Democrats.
ReplyDeleteMurr
DeleteThen you must be from Oregon. I thought that was magnanimous of the Democrat (one lone Democrat) to join in. If both parties could work together like that, our government could be strong again.
I absolutely love the movie 'MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON', which I have watched numerous times.
ReplyDeleteThe sad thing is that Rand Paul's Pa (from whom Rand learned what he knows) could have been the current president of the United States of America if... the average American voter wasn't mentally retarded.
Was that too straight-forward for your blog? I hope not, because that's the way I talk my walk on my own blog.
Good post, Sis.
It's WAY TOO LATE to save America now, but 'What Could Have Been' is still nice to think about in these troubled times.
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'