Photo from the Indianapolis Sun
The term filibuster’s origins are as murky as the press coverage surrounding it, or more precisely the lack of coverage of the current work stoppage in the Senate. Loosely interpreted, it refers to a freebooter or lone wolf revolutionary but has come to mean obstructing law making by talking a piece of legislation to death. A Senate rule designed to safeguard the minority, the filibuster has existed for two centuries and was designed to inhibit the “tyranny of the majority.” Father of the U.S. Constitution James Madison foresaw the Senate’s role as the saucer meant to cool the sometimes boiling hot cup of the House of Representatives. The filibuster provides a process to that end.
The news media this week is again crying foul and fretting over a government shutdown – a complete closure of the all important Homeland Security Department, no less. Except of course there is no impending shutdown and all security operations at airports and elsewhere will continue as before, no matter what the Senate does or doesn’t do. In other words, the press coverage is much ado about nothing.
Photo from nationalreview.com
What’s interesting is the media’s selective and evolving view of the filibuster. When Democrats were in the Senate majority it was a dirty word, something Republicans did to foil President Obama’s intentions for example. Now that Democrats occupy the minority and are filibustering an effort to fund Homeland Security, there’s no mention of the f-word whatsoever. There’s no accompanying blame for the filibustering party, either. We’re witnessing not only the country and culture being changed before our very eyes, but also the English language. Suddenly filibuster’s no longer a dirty word.
The Indianapolis Sun 