What is a filibuster? Where, when, and how are filibusters used? How and why did filibuster rules change in 2013? What questions do filibusters raise about the health of American democracy?
What will be an ideal response?
An ideal response will
1, Explain that a filibuster is a tactic by which opponents of a bill in the Senate use their unique right to unlimited debate as a way to prevent or delay the Senate from ever voting on a bill.
2,Explain that like-minded senators working together can practically debate forever, tying up the legislative agenda until the proponents of a bill finally give up their battle. In essence, they literally talk the bill to death.
3, Note that a senator might threaten to filibuster an unrelated measure in order to gain concessions on a bill he or she opposes.
4, Explain that the filibuster rules changes in 2013 in response to Democratic frustration about filibusters of judicial and executive branch nominees. The number of votes required to end debate on those types of nominations has now been reduced from two-thirds of the Senate to a simple majority—except for the Supreme Court, which remains at 60 votes to end debate.
5, Note that at its core, the filibuster raises profound questions about American democracy because it is used by a minority, sometimes a minority of one, to defeat a majority.
You might also like to view...
When the media engage in agenda setting, they are telling us __________
a. whom to endorse b. how to think c. what to think about d. why we should support certain policies
During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union nearly went to war over nuclear missiles placed in _________.
Fill in the blank(s) with the appropriate word(s).
The "Missouri Plan" for selecting judges is different from how state judges are chosen in Texas because it requires that __________.
A. candidates filing for state judge positions run in nonpartisan elections B. candidates running for state judgeships take no campaign contributions C. the state legislature use a merit selection system based on a list of nominations to appoint judges to state courts D. the governor use a merit selection system to appoint judges from lists of nominees recommended by nominating commissions.
A mean can be appropriately used with which type(s) of data?
A) Nominal B) Score C) Ordered D) All of the above