Fair Use Statement
“The purpose of this page is for the viewing of the assignments for my English 1312
course. All rights are reserved to (Verdie Johnson), and no copying
is allowed without permission. The University requires all members of its
community to follow copyright and fair use requirements. You are individually
and solely responsible for violations of copyright and fair use laws.
Violations of copyright laws could subject you to federal and state civil
penalties and criminal liability, as well as disciplinary action under
University policies.”
“The purpose of this page is for the viewing of the assignments for my English 1312
course. All rights are reserved to (Verdie Johnson), and no copying
is allowed without permission. The University requires all members of its
community to follow copyright and fair use requirements. You are individually
and solely responsible for violations of copyright and fair use laws.
Violations of copyright laws could subject you to federal and state civil
penalties and criminal liability, as well as disciplinary action under
University policies.”
Since the beginning of President Obama first term, Republican
opposition has risen to a level not seen in the last three decades combined.
According to a Public Broadcast Station (PBS) Frontline documentary titled
“Inside Obama's Presidency”. The documentary details a meeting between key
Republican Party members including Sen. Eric Cantor (R-VA), Former Sen. Jim
DeMint, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich
(pictured below), House
majority whip Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Sen. Thomas Allen “Tom” Coburn (R-OK),
Former Sen. John Kyl and Republican Party strategist Frank Lutz. The purpose of
this meeting was to develop a plan of action on how to make President Obama a
one term President and as Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich explained it
“We had to be prepared in the tradition at UCLA to run a full court press. And
we had to see how Obama behaved and offer an alternative”. Looking back on
President Obama first term and reviewing the Republican establishment
alternatives, it’s relatively safe to say the most prominent alternative offered
was one of utterly complete obstructionism. Robert Draper, writer for The New
York Times Magazine, stated that the outcome of the meeting was that Republicans
need to “fight Obama on everything”, Robert Draper continued to explain that
“this meant unyielding opposition to everyone of Obama administration
legislative initiative. The way the Grand Ole Party (GOP) intend on moving
forward with its newly devised plan to dethrone Obama was by use of the
filibuster. A filibuster is defined by Dictionary.com as the
use of irregular or obstructive tactics by a member of a legislative assembly to
prevent the adoption of a measure generally favored or to force a decision
against the will of the majority. The image below shows just how dedicated
to the obstructionist policy the Republican Party had become. The chart
explains how many cloture filings where submitted since its 1917 inception.
Cloture is defined by Senate.gov as The
only procedure by which the Senate can vote to place a time limit on
consideration of a bill or other matter, and thereby overcome a filibuster.
Under the cloture rule (Rule XXII), the Senate may limit consideration of a
pending matter to 30 additional
hours, but only by vote of three-fifths of the full Senate, normally 60 votes.
By using misusing the filibuster Republican members has managed to bring the
Legislative Branch to a grinding halt. This established policy of “No” has
exacted a punishing effect on the United States in more than one fashion; the
most know is the down grading of the United States AAA rating. The use of the
filibuster is likely the most damaging and was severely frowned upon by founding
fathers Alexander Hamilton and President James Madison.
Both of who predicted that the misuse of the filibuster would undermine
the current majority and embarrass the current administration. Removing the
filibuster is the only viable course of action to avoid these types of
concerns. By removing the filibuster from the Senate rules and constructing
Senate rules to resemble those of the United States House of Representatives is
the most logical step to fixing the Senate.
opposition has risen to a level not seen in the last three decades combined.
According to a Public Broadcast Station (PBS) Frontline documentary titled
“Inside Obama's Presidency”. The documentary details a meeting between key
Republican Party members including Sen. Eric Cantor (R-VA), Former Sen. Jim
DeMint, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich
(pictured below), House
majority whip Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Sen. Thomas Allen “Tom” Coburn (R-OK),
Former Sen. John Kyl and Republican Party strategist Frank Lutz. The purpose of
this meeting was to develop a plan of action on how to make President Obama a
one term President and as Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich explained it
“We had to be prepared in the tradition at UCLA to run a full court press. And
we had to see how Obama behaved and offer an alternative”. Looking back on
President Obama first term and reviewing the Republican establishment
alternatives, it’s relatively safe to say the most prominent alternative offered
was one of utterly complete obstructionism. Robert Draper, writer for The New
York Times Magazine, stated that the outcome of the meeting was that Republicans
need to “fight Obama on everything”, Robert Draper continued to explain that
“this meant unyielding opposition to everyone of Obama administration
legislative initiative. The way the Grand Ole Party (GOP) intend on moving
forward with its newly devised plan to dethrone Obama was by use of the
filibuster. A filibuster is defined by Dictionary.com as the
use of irregular or obstructive tactics by a member of a legislative assembly to
prevent the adoption of a measure generally favored or to force a decision
against the will of the majority. The image below shows just how dedicated
to the obstructionist policy the Republican Party had become. The chart
explains how many cloture filings where submitted since its 1917 inception.
Cloture is defined by Senate.gov as The
only procedure by which the Senate can vote to place a time limit on
consideration of a bill or other matter, and thereby overcome a filibuster.
Under the cloture rule (Rule XXII), the Senate may limit consideration of a
pending matter to 30 additional
hours, but only by vote of three-fifths of the full Senate, normally 60 votes.
By using misusing the filibuster Republican members has managed to bring the
Legislative Branch to a grinding halt. This established policy of “No” has
exacted a punishing effect on the United States in more than one fashion; the
most know is the down grading of the United States AAA rating. The use of the
filibuster is likely the most damaging and was severely frowned upon by founding
fathers Alexander Hamilton and President James Madison.
Both of who predicted that the misuse of the filibuster would undermine
the current majority and embarrass the current administration. Removing the
filibuster is the only viable course of action to avoid these types of
concerns. By removing the filibuster from the Senate rules and constructing
Senate rules to resemble those of the United States House of Representatives is
the most logical step to fixing the Senate.