tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-597988080513921863.post1705235453325453642..comments2024-03-15T03:20:49.376-04:00Comments on Autonomy For All: No one cares about legislative processDanielhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17355077650707854680noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-597988080513921863.post-86066489170197980852011-02-26T22:57:50.364-05:002011-02-26T22:57:50.364-05:00Yes, that's true. One thing that helps here i...Yes, that's true. One thing that helps here is that this kind of obstruction is necessarily very dramatic and entails personal effort and even cost for the minority to do it. They don't just sit back and deny cloture, they have to physically leave the State.<br /><br />An important aspect of that is that it means they can't be there to influence other Senate matters that might take place, attend committee hearings, vote on other bills etc. The US Senate filibuster combined with the "two track" scheme means you can really selectively block things, this is a real all-or-nothing gambit.<br /><br />So it is way better from a small-d democratic standpoint because as you say, it entails more accountability for those using it.Danielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17355077650707854680noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-597988080513921863.post-26302513164722411192011-02-26T22:37:04.256-05:002011-02-26T22:37:04.256-05:00The key difference for me is accountability. The ...The key difference for me is accountability. The Dems in WI fled over one particular issue, they did it publicly and have offered public justifications for their actions. There is also no question who did this - all the Dems in the Senate. All that increases accountability - by temporarily slowing things down and making an issue out of it, this increases the ability of the public to weigh in and settle the dispute.<br /><br />The constant, quiet use of filibusters for all manner of issues is completely different. <br /><br />Of course, that should have been how we complained about this issue earlier.David Kaibhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00242081942930386460noreply@blogger.com