Jan 23, 2013
Guns N' Filibusters. It's a band name, and you can have it. More on why it can be so difficult to bargain over gun rights. Not only do all gun owners think they're responsible... until they're not, but all gun owners think they're law abiding gun owners... until they're not. And it'd be easy if they'd recognize that circumstances can change, and cause us to view their actions in a new light. But too often, they reject the possibility that they were irresponsible, just as they reject the legitimacy of the laws they might break. But the big focus today was on the state of play in filibuster reform as reported in The Hill, which quoted Sen. Carl Levin as saying he was uncomfortable with the constitutional option, and that he was joined in that view by former Senators Ted Kennedy and Joe Biden. That gave us a chance to dust off the Gold/Gupta history of the 1975 filibuster reform, and reveal that Kennedy actually spoke persuasively in favor of its viability. In fact, he voted consistently for the pro-constitutional option position in all the 1975 maneuvering, as well. (FYI: Biden's record was mixed, though he voted pro-constitutional option at least twice.) A fascinating dive into the weeds if you're a history and/or procedure buff!