Friday, March 29, AD 2024 1:42am

March 8, 1917: Senate Introduces Cloture

Woodrow Wilson was no fan of Senate filibusters:

The Democrats controlled the Senate from 1913-1919 and Wilson hated the way that Republicans could bottle up his proposed legislation through the filibuster.  To mollify him, the Senate Democrats passed a rule change one hundred years ago that allowed the termination of debate on a two-thirds vote to invoke cloture.  Even after cloture each Senator could speak for an additional hour on the matter under consideration before a vote was taken.  Cloture existed more in theory than in practice.  Over the next 46 years the Senate would vote for cloture only five times.  There are several reasons why this was the case.

Filibusters added a touch of drama and comedy to otherwise dry proceedings.  The public generally enjoyed them as did more than a few Senators.  Many Senators prided themselves upon belonging to what they called the greatest deliberative body, and thought that the filibuster played an essential role in what made the Senate the Senate.  Southern Democrats, relying on the filibuster to stop civil rights legislation, were fervent supporters of the filibuster.  Many Senators realized that shifting political fortunes could turn a majority into a minority over night, and that the filibuster was the strongest tool of a minority. 

The film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a paean to the filibuster.  Ironically, cloture is never mentioned in the film, since a quick cloture vote would have taken the drama away from the Mr. Smith’s one man filibuster, although many Southern Senators did traditionally vote against cloture on the first vote, no matter what matter was under consideration, to show their support for the filibuster as a legislative device.

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Mary De Voe
Wednesday, March 8, AD 2017 10:37am

Woodrow Wilson was a one world government advocate and a traitor to American sovereignty, with contempt for freedom and the people.

Anzlyne
Anzlyne
Wednesday, March 8, AD 2017 12:33pm

I loved “Mr. Smith”. It was not only so great just because of the moral example of Mr. Smith, so upstanding and so determined, but in the end of the movie the evil was revealed when the conscience of the leading bad guy began to work.
We can still pray for consciences to prevail in our three branches and various departments.
Somebody somewhere will start to remember that momma and daddy reared them to be good…

Art Deco
Art Deco
Thursday, March 9, AD 2017 7:36am

Of course, Wilson was right. It’s a silly practice to have a Senator standing there reciting from the Biloxi City Directory for hours on end. Rules revisions introducing the Cadillac filibuster 40 years ago (which required saying ‘no’ at intervals and did not require marathon speaking) made the situation worse, as did the extension of ‘holds’ on nominees (initially a practice meant to delay action for a few days so that Senators would not be tied to the chamber) into a license for louts like Richard Shelby to anonymously gum up the works for months on end.

The. U.S. Senate is an awful institution, and the sooner it’s abolished, the better.

Sydney Fernandes
Sydney Fernandes
Thursday, March 9, AD 2017 11:07am

It is time for faithful Catholics to coalesde as a group that clings to truths taught by orthodox teachers intheir past, and be deaf to the current Pope and his deformed henchmen,priests, bishopd and cardinals. Deliverance will come.

Mary De Voe
Thursday, March 9, AD 2017 9:09pm

“Wilson was a racist and a big government man, but he was not an advocate for world government nor was he a traitor to American sovereignty” Wilson was the inventor of the League of Nations concept, the forerunner of the United Nations. The UN would take over the world if they could and make subjects of all American citizens, taxing us and running our government without our Constitution. Wilson had contempt for our Constitution. Doing away with our Constitution would have made Wilson happy.

Mary De Voe
Friday, March 10, AD 2017 10:53am

True. I did believe that Wilson was the father of what is going on in our colleges and universities, now. I will have to research more on what Wilson taught about our Constitution having to be replaced. SEE: Amendment Nine.

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